Processor Reporting Checklist (Operator Field Manual)
If you cannot see it, you cannot fix it. Demand these reports and alerts before tuning fraud or checkout.
Minimum Reporting You Should Demand
- Auth rate by issuer BIN, brand, method (CP vs CNP split).
- Soft vs hard decline breakdown.
- 3DS challenge rate and conversion.
- Chargeback ratio by reason code and distance to thresholds.
- Fraud-to-dispute linkage (TC40/SAFE match rate) where available.
- Refund rate and timing.
- Settlement timing and holds visibility.
- Alert match rate if using CDRN/Ethoca.
Notifications to Configure (Operator POV)
- Chargeback/dispute alerts (immediate).
- Large transaction threshold alerts.
- Failed transaction spike alerts.
- Deposit/settlement confirmations.
- Account health warnings (approaching network thresholds).
- Reserve changes.
- KYC/KYB document requests.
The 3 Reports to Check Weekly
- Auth rate trend (by BIN/brand/geo/method); investigate drops.
- Chargeback ratio trend and distance to threshold.
- Settlement/deposit timing vs expected schedule; flag delays.
Ask Your Processor (Operator Questions)
- “What reports and alerts are available by default?”
- “Can I export raw declines with reason codes and BIN?”
- “Do alerts go to multiple recipients? How do we add a backup?”
- “Where do webhook failures show up?”
Scale Callout
- Under $100k/mo: Minimum reports + chargeback alerts + deposit confirmations.
- $100k–$1M/mo: Add BIN-level auth, soft vs hard decline tracking, weekly review cadence.
- Over $1M/mo: Daily monitoring, alert routing redundancy, webhook plus email.
Where This Breaks
- No BIN/issuer detail; you cannot target fixes.
- Alerts sent to one inbox; spam filtering hides them.
- Webhooks unmonitored; silent failures.
- Processor refuses data access; note for next contract renegotiation.
Next Steps
Setting up processor reporting?
- Demand minimum reports - Auth, declines, chargebacks
- Configure notifications - Alerts, thresholds
- Ask your processor - What's available
Building weekly review process?
- Check 3 reports weekly - Auth, chargebacks, settlement
- Scale by volume - Right-sized approach
- Watch for breakdowns - No BIN detail, silent failures
Need more detail?
- Review payments metrics - Full KPI list
- Set up experimentation - Testing framework
- Configure alerts - Monitoring setup
Related
- Auth Optimization - Improving approval rates
- Payments Metrics - What to track
- Processor Rules Configuration - Native fraud tools
- Alerts Configuration - Monitoring setup
- Network Programs - VDMP, ECP thresholds
- Benchmarks - Target metrics
- Chargeback Metrics - Dispute tracking
- Fraud Metrics - Fraud rate tracking
- Processor Management - Acquirer relationships
- Settlement & Reconciliation - Funding flows
- Decline Codes - Auth failure reasons
- 3D Secure - Authentication tracking