A Guide to Mastercard’s High-Risk Merchant List
Overview
MATCH (Member Alert to Control High-Risk Merchants), formerly the Terminated Merchant File (TMF), is a global database owned by Mastercard. It helps acquiring banks and payment processors identify merchants who have had accounts terminated for serious violations of their merchant agreements.
The database is a key tool in underwriting and risk management, helping providers reduce fraud and financial exposure across the payments ecosystem.
How MATCH Works
- When a merchant account is terminated for cause, such as excessive chargebacks, fraud, non-compliance, or prohibited transactions, the reporting processor may add the business and its owners to MATCH.
- Acquiring banks and payment processors reference MATCH when evaluating new merchant applications.
- Being listed on MATCH can make it difficult to obtain a new merchant account, and some processors may charge higher fees for high-risk accounts.
What Gets Reported
- Business and owner information: name, address, phone, email, etc.
- The reason for addition to MATCH
Access and Limitations
- Direct access: Only Mastercard-accredited acquirers and processors
- Indirect access: Third-party platforms rely on acquirers or risk signals
- Merchants: Cannot query the list themselves; they typically learn of a listing only when notified or declined by a new processor
Removal from MATCH
Removal is limited and generally managed by the reporting processor:
- Automatic expiration: 5 years after listing
- Error correction: Prove the listing was inaccurate
- Issue resolution: In rare cases, resolving compliance issues or becoming PCI compliant
Key Takeaways
- MATCH is designed to protect the payments ecosystem by flagging high-risk merchants.
- Only the reporting acquirer/processor can request removal.
- Banks and merchant services rely on MATCH when underwriting to assess risk and prevent potential losses.