NACHA is the acronym for the National Automated Clearing House Association. It is the organization that governs the ACH network. NACHA is not a government organization or a for-profit business. It is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit association with more than 9,000 participating financial institutions, including credit unions, banks, and payment processors such as ECS Payments.  NACHA’s leadership includes high-level executives from leading financial institutions, including J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Fifth Third Bank, Bank of America, and the Federal Reserve. NACHA creates the rules and regulations that guide the payments industry, specifically with direct deposits and direct payments, or ACH transactions.