A company that banks and processes like a local one
Getting a US account opened is not the hard part. Keeping it, with the balance in it, is what a real US person and a real US address are for.
What decides the outcome in the United States
What ends live US accounts
Mercury, Stripe and Shopify Payments all re-review accounts after they are live. Ownership that does not match who runs the business, or a mass-used CMRA agency address, ends the account and holds the balance through the payout hold.
Traditional processing runs on the signer
Acquirers writing US card volume, elevated risk programmes included, underwrite a US citizen or resident signer tied to the ownership or officer record. That is how you get a merchant account in your own company's name instead of a slot in someone else's.
Commercial banking deals with a person
US banks open business accounts for US-registered entities and expect an owner or officer with a US identity, address and tax profile, usually in person or on a verified call.
Tax and registration
EIN, state registration and sales-tax registration all sit behind a responsible party with a US profile.
The appointee's credit file, not just their passport
Appointees placed in the United States carry an established US credit file and a clean record: a real SSN-linked profile with address and payment history behind it, not a freshly minted identity. Banks, acquirers and equipment or financing partners pull the responsible party personally, and a thin or damaged file reads as risk on the application.
- Approved
The account opens. Nothing looks wrong yet.
- Trading
Volume builds and the balance sits with the provider between payouts.
- Review lands
Ownership, the signer and the registered address get re-checked, often after growth or a dispute spike.
The local presence on the file does not survive it - Funds held
Payouts stop and the account is closed. The balance sits through the hold while every checkout and payout integration pointing at it breaks the same day.
- Recovery
You are a closed account arguing with a risk team. Some get paid out at the end of the hold, some get a partial release, some never see it.
Opening the account was never the hard part. This is the part that costs money.
See what triggers itBoth options work here
Pick the one that matches what you already hold.
Owner plus company
We find a vetted person in the market you want to sell in, form the company in their name, and put you in as the operator who runs it: marketing, sales, ops and IT.
Local director or manager only
A vetted resident director, manager or signer appointed to the company you already have, so it can open the accounts that will not move without local representation.
What a placement includes
- Formation in the state that fits the structure
- EIN coordination and operating agreement
- Registered agent and a real operating address, never a CMRA drop box
- Owner, manager or authorised signer under written terms
- Banking and processing documentation support
- Annual filings and corporate record maintenance
An LLC has managers and members rather than directors, so appointments here are described in manager, member or signer terms.
FinCEN customer due-diligence ruleAn appointment does not conceal the ultimate beneficial owner. Appointed directors, managers and owners remain subject to their legal duties, and beneficial ownership or control is disclosed wherever it is required.
Banking and payment accounts are subject exclusively to the institution's underwriting and approval. Nominee Network does not guarantee approval and does not misrepresent ownership, management, control or business activity.
Tell us what you're building
Send the structure you have in mind. We review the business, the ownership and the intended activity before quoting anything.