Electronic Data Contribution

Your guide to contributing monthly A/R data

The preferred format for submitting A/R data is in a text, Excel, or csv format. NACM South Atlantic has a team capable of converting many data formats but most computer systems have the built-in ability to export A/R data in one of the three listed formats. The file should include the following data and please note some fields are noted as optional by the asterisk * in their description.

Customer account number (Your customer #)
Business Name
Street Address line 1
Street Address line 2
City
State
Zip Code
Phone Number

Open Date
Report Date (The last day of your accounting month, 25th, 30th, etc.)
Last Sale Date
Balance
Current
30 Days

60 Days
90 Days
120 Days ^*
Terms of Sale ^*
Comment Code ^*
Federal Tax ID Number ^*
Country ^*

* indicates optional field

Each record should be on a single line as shown in the example below

Commonly asked questions:

Q. Can customer account numbers be re-used?: A. Account numbers from your system should never be reused. Once mapped in our system your customer account number is matched to a subject in our system by account number every month
Q. How do I know my data is loaded correctly?: A. Once we receive your file a sample load will take place and you will have the opportunity to verify the data mapping, especially the aging buckets (current, 30, 60, 90, and 120) have loaded correctly. Once confirmed we are ready to receive your data monthly!
Q. Can anyone look up my complete aging information?: A. No, only NACM members have access to running NACM Credit Reports and only individual credit reports are sold. The subjects we have in our database have an average 7% touch rate. Our studies show the average number of credit inquiries a member company receives by fax, email, and phone is very close to that figure. In many industries that will result in saving you time by having to respond to fewer fax and email inquiries.
Q. Is it ok if I make changes to the file I submit?: A. If you are deleting rows or making corrections to the file data yes. However, the file format should never be changed without notifying NACM first as data will not be mapped correctly.

Q. Does NACM sell my data?: A. No, unlike other credit reporting companies your data is used exclusively for the NACM National Trade Credit Report.
Q. Are there other benefits to sharing data?: A. Yes, there are both tools and benefits; Portfolio Risk Analysis and Account Monitoring are both valuable tools included for data contributors. We do ask you to contact us to have the options enabled for your login code. There are time saving benefits for members attending Industry Credit Group Meetings and there are statistics that show companies that contribute data have better receivables and financial strength. If a new bank opened up and said they make loans but don’t report past due or current balances, how long would they be able to stay in business?
Q. How do I send the information to NACM?: A. Monthly A/R files may be sent by email or if your company automates the process and would like an FTP account set up for data transfer, we can provide that information after your first file is received and the format verified. Please contact us for an email address to send your data and a brief discussion before sending your 1st data file.

Can you imagine a bank or any type of lender advertising they make loans but promise they won't report your payment history to a credit reporting agency? That lender would likely fail and be out of business quickly.

Business to business credit transactions account for more lending than banks, with less scrutiny and less security, and business don't take advantage of the most powerful tool available, reporting their accounts receivable data to a credit reporting agency.

Antony Goddard, President, NACM South Atlantic