ACH Network volume increased 6.1% in the fourth quarter of 2021 from a year earlier, Nacha reported.

Details:

  • There were 7.5 billion ACH payments during the quarter, 426 million more than the same time in 2020.

  • The value of those payments, $18.9 trillion, rose 13.4%.

  • Health care claim payments recorded a 13.4% rise with 112.2 million payments.

  • B2B payments increased by 17.4%.

  • Direct Deposit volume declined 1.4% as stimulus payments and expanded unemployment benefits expired.

  • Same Day ACH volume and value rose 75.1% and 92.9%, respectively, with 169.3 million payments in the fourth quarter valued at $268.4 billion.

Next: Nacha last year approved an increase of the Same Day ACH dollar threshold from $100,000 to $1 million, effective March 18, 2022.

More: An ICBA blog post provides a breakdown of real-time and faster payments options, including FedNow, RTP, and Same Day ACH.