First American Payment Systems Overview
First American Payment Systems is a large credit card processor headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The company was founded in 1990 and has since grown its merchant portfolio to over 140,000 locations. In 2014, First American Payment Systems was acquired by an investment group led by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. This unusual ownership situation does not seem to have had any perceptible effect on the company’s business model. First American Payment Systems is well-known within the industry as the parent company, backend processor, or related venture of a large number of smaller, conventional ISOs like Certified Payment Processing, Eliot Management Group, Apex Merchant Group, Appstar Financial, Trinity Merchant Group, TransTech Merchant Group, Summit Merchant Solutions, and GoEmerchant. Several of these entities are DBAs of each other, and their owners have been known to rebrand or merge these businesses as they see fit.
First American Payment Systems offers EMV and NFC acceptance, mobile payment processing (1stPayMobile), point-of-sale software (1stPayPOS), e-commerce solutions (FirstPay.Net), gift and loyalty programs (FirstAdvantage), check processing, merchant cash advance, ACH processing, and ATM placement. The company also leases credit card terminals through its subsidiary Merimac Capital. The standard First American Payment Systems contract is a three-year agreement with an early termination fee of up to $495, and the standard Merimac Capital lease is a four-year, non-cancellable agreement.
First American Payment Systems offers 24/7 customer service by phone to all of its merchants. Neil Randel is the CEO of First American Payment Systems.
At a glance
Founded: 1990
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Acquiring bank: Fifth Third Bank, Wells Fargo Bank
Website: first-american.net
Phone number: 1-888-453-4538
E-mail: Contact form here
First American Payment Systems Promotional Video
Online reputation and reviews
As the backend processor for a number of ill-reputed payment processors, First American Payment Systems has found itself in the crosshairs of hundreds of negative merchant reviews. Persistent issues cited across the company’s direct channels and subsidiaries include deceptive sales practices, long-term contracts, high early termination fees, and poor customer service. It is very difficult to locate verified positive testimonials about the company.
Legal actions and lawsuits
There are no outstanding or recently resolved legal actions related to First American Payment Systems at this time.
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