Treasury management turns a business checking account into a controlled cash-flow machine. This reference covers ACH origination, positive pay, lockbox, sweep accounts, and account reconciliation as Exchange Bank configures them for Northern California operating companies.
Treasury management at Exchange Bank sounds like enterprise jargon, but the core of it is a short list of cash-flow tools that any growing company ends up wanting. ACH origination handles payroll and vendor pay. Positive pay blocks fraudulent checks before they clear. Lockbox converts paper receivables into same-day deposits. Sweep accounts turn idle operating balances into earning positions. Account reconciliation exports a matched file that cuts end-of-month bookkeeping time in half. Exchange Bank packages these services individually or bundled, priced against the company's collected balances through analyzed checking.
The right time to add each Exchange Bank treasury service is when manual work starts to cost more than the service fee. A business cutting payroll for four employees does not need ACH origination; the payroll provider handles it. A business running a crew of forty where the owner stuffs envelopes on Friday afternoons does. Positive pay becomes relevant once check volume is high enough that a fraudulent item could slip through unnoticed. Lockbox makes sense for medical practices, property managers, and wholesalers whose customers still pay by mail, which is why it shows up repeatedly in Exchange Bank onboarding conversations.
ACH origination lets a business push or pull funds through the Automated Clearing House network. Push transactions are outbound — payroll direct deposit, vendor payments, tax payments. Pull transactions are inbound — recurring customer collections, membership dues, subscription billing. The NACHA rules govern the format and the timing, and the system is designed to settle the following business day at standard speed or same-day for higher-fee files. Background on the payment system sits at federalreserve.gov ACH services.
Treasury onboarding moves faster when the paperwork arrives in one batch. Expect to supply the signed treasury services agreement, a list of authorized users and their approval limits, the NACHA company ID request, sample check files for positive pay, a lockbox customer list if relevant, and a recent three-month operating statement so the bank can size the exposure limits correctly. Exchange Bank issues credentials only after the dual-control approval structure is confirmed in writing.
| Service | Purpose | Typical business size | Deployment pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACH origination | Payroll, vendor pay, customer collections | 10+ employees or recurring billing | Application, exposure limit, dual-control setup |
| Positive pay | Block fraudulent checks before they clear | Any business with meaningful check volume | Daily issue file upload, exception review window |
| Lockbox | Convert mailed payments into same-day deposits | Practices and property managers | Dedicated PO box, daily processing, image retrieval |
| Sweep accounts | Earn yield on idle operating balances | Companies with lumpy deposits | Target balance set, nightly automatic sweep |
| Account reconciliation | Export paid-item file for accounting software | Firms with high check or ACH volume | Scheduled file delivery mapped to chart of accounts |
The treasury services that move money — ACH origination and wire initiation especially — are configured with dual control by default at Exchange Bank. One user enters the payment, a different Exchange Bank user approves it, and only then does the system release the file to the network. That separation stops a single compromised credential from draining an account, and it is the single most effective protection a business can enable. Positive pay at Exchange Bank adds a second layer for check fraud, and account alerts close the loop by notifying the owner of unusual activity in real time.
Treasury services layer onto the operating account at business checking and feed reserves into business savings. Card acceptance sits at merchant services, and credit relationships run through SBA loans and commercial real estate. Owner-side banking is covered on personal checking, personal savings, money market accounts, home mortgages, auto loans, and personal credit cards. Digital channels include online banking, the mobile banking app, wire transfers, and bill pay. Reference pages round out with about Exchange Bank, leadership, the security center, the Exchange Bank login guide, and the help resources hub.
"Positive pay caught a counterfeit check the week after it went live. The bank held the item overnight, we confirmed it was bogus, and the money never left. That single event paid for the service for years."
Susannah Kuznetsov Dentist, Kuznetsov Family Dental · Glen Ellen, CA
"Lockbox changed our receivables cadence. Tenant checks hit the bank the same day the mail arrives, instead of waiting until I could drive to the branch on Friday."
Beatrice Ferro Real Estate Agent, Ferro Properties · Bodega Bay, CA
ACH origination lets a business push payments to or pull payments from other accounts through the Automated Clearing House network. Companies use it for payroll direct deposit, vendor payments, and customer collections. Exchange Bank enrolls ACH originators with exposure limits that match the expected batch size.
Positive pay works by having the business upload a file of checks it has issued. When a check hits the bank for payment, the system compares the presented item to the issue file. Mismatches on check number, amount, or payee trigger a review window for the business to approve or return the item.
A lockbox is a post office box that the bank collects on behalf of a business. Incoming checks go directly to the bank's processing team, which deposits them the same day and forwards images to the customer. The service suits medical practices, property managers, and other businesses that receive high check volume.
Account reconciliation helps businesses whose check volume makes manual matching time-consuming. The bank exports a file of paid items that maps directly into accounting software, cutting the end-of-month reconciliation step from days to hours for the right-size customer.
Most treasury services layer onto analyzed business checking because earnings credits on collected balances typically offset the treasury service charges. Smaller businesses can still add individual services such as positive pay or ACH origination on mid-market checking when the volume justifies the standalone fee.