Jim Wilson & Matt JacksonOne relationship. Direct access.
30+ yearsOf payments experience
Since 2004Jim and Matt working together
Direct accessTo both partners, from start to finish
Our approach
Compliance-sensitive does not mean bad business.
It means a business that requires greater underwriting attention and specialized compliance expertise. JLW Payment Solutions works with legitimate businesses that take compliance seriously, providing experienced guidance throughout the acquiring, underwriting and compliance process, from initial evaluation through approval, boarding and ongoing processing. Many legitimate businesses operate in industries or use business models that acquiring banks and processors evaluate with greater scrutiny. The reasons can vary from the products being sold and how they are marketed to recurring billing, fulfillment practices, chargeback exposure, regulatory requirements or the overall structure of the business.
That is where experience matters.
Being subject to greater scrutiny does not necessarily make a business undesirable. It means the business needs to be properly understood, accurately presented and appropriately matched with an acquiring relationship that understands its particular risk and compliance requirements. JLW takes considerable time to understand each business from an underwriting and compliance perspective before presenting it to a banking or processing relationship. That means identifying potential underwriting concerns early, understanding documentation and compliance requirements, and helping ensure that both the merchant and acquiring partner enter the relationship with clear expectations.
Just as importantly, merchants need to understand what is expected of them, not only during underwriting, but throughout the life of their processing relationship.
Jim & Matt
Independent by design. Aligned by history and experience.
Jim Wilson and Matt Jackson have worked together since 2004 while remaining independent business professionals. Their relationship is built on more than two decades of experience working together across a wide range of merchant categories.
Jim Wilson brings more than 30 years of experience in the payments industry, with a career centered on acquiring relationships, merchant underwriting, payment processing and building businesses within the merchant services industry.
Over the course of his career, Jim founded and managed multiple payment companies, including two organizations that each grew to approximately 50 employees.
His experience has given him a practical understanding of what acquiring banks and processors need to evaluate a merchant, particularly when the business operates within a compliance-sensitive or more complex industry.
Today, through JLW Payment Solutions, Jim manages the acquiring side of the merchant relationship. He conducts preliminary reviews of prospective merchants, identifies underwriting and documentation requirements, works directly with banking and processing relationships, and manages the underwriting, approval and boarding process from submission through activation.
For compliance-sensitive merchants, Jim believes the objective is not simply to find a processor willing to accept an account. It is to understand the merchant's business, accurately present that business to the acquiring relationship, identify potential underwriting concerns before submission, and establish a processing relationship built on transparency and long-term viability.
Matt Jackson brings more than three decades of experience spanning payment technology, financial systems, software development and compliance-sensitive merchant environments.
A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Matt subsequently earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Washington's Foster School of Business and an M.Sc. in Physics. After serving as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, he entered the payments technology industry as a programmer for a major POS terminal manufacturer, developing software for point-of-sale terminals.
In 2000, Matt founded his own technology company focused on software and middleware for card-not-present payments, including e-commerce and mail order and telephone order environments. He went on to develop sophisticated financial technology encompassing payment processing, tokenization, transaction routing, risk management, reporting, data analytics and integrated customer management systems. Technology developed by Matt's company has been licensed to major organizations including Microsoft and eBay.
Today, Matt's role within his strategic alliance with JLW Payment Solutions focuses on the merchant side of the relationship. He works directly with merchants to understand their businesses, develop new processing opportunities, educate them regarding processing and industry-specific compliance requirements, coordinate required documentation, and support their ongoing processing compliance once processing commences.
Two independent professionals. Distinct areas of expertise. One coordinated approach for the merchant.
Over more than two decades, Jim and Matt's complementary strengths have created a natural strategic alliance for merchants whose businesses require specialized underwriting knowledge and ongoing compliance expertise. Their approach provides continuity between the merchant and the acquiring relationship. Matt maintains direct communication with the merchant, while Jim works directly with banking and processing partners. Throughout the process, they remain closely coordinated so that documentation, underwriting requirements, merchant communications and ongoing compliance expectations are understood on both sides of the relationship.
Beyond approval
Approval is only the beginning.
Getting a merchant approved is important. Establishing a processing relationship that can endure is even more important. JLW approaches each opportunity with the long-term relationship in mind. The objective is not simply to obtain an approval, but to establish the foundation for a processing relationship that can remain viable over time. The same preparation applies on the merchant side. Merchants should understand what the acquiring bank or processor expects of them, why certain documentation or business practices may be required, and what ongoing compliance responsibilities accompany their processing relationship.
The relationship works both ways
Transparency and accountability on both sides.
JLW believes a successful processing relationship requires transparency and accountability on both sides.
The acquiring partner needs an accurate understanding of the business it is underwriting. The merchant needs a clear understanding of the requirements and responsibilities associated with maintaining that processing relationship.
Our role is to help keep those two sides aligned, from initial evaluation and underwriting through approval, boarding and ongoing processing.
Who we serve
Different businesses. Different risks. The same need to be properly positioned.
JLW works with established, legitimate businesses whose products, business models or transaction characteristics may require additional underwriting attention or specialized compliance expertise. Our focus is not defined by a single industry. We look at how each business operates, markets and sells its products or services, bills its customers, fulfills its obligations and addresses the compliance requirements of its particular market.
Age-restricted and regulated products
Product restrictions, age verification, marketing practices or regulatory requirements can affect underwriting.
Specialized products and services
Products, intended use, claims, regulatory environment or fulfillment model may require additional review.
Recurring and subscription billing
Billing disclosures, cancellation practices and chargeback management are especially important.
Card-not-present and e-commerce
Transaction risk, fulfillment, customer service and processing history can influence underwriting.
We work with businesses that take compliance seriously.
We work with merchants who are transparent about their operations, willing to provide required documentation, and prepared to meet the underwriting and ongoing compliance requirements of their processing relationship.
Not sure where your business fits?
If your processing environment requires a deeper level of understanding, let's have a conversation.
Every merchant relationship begins with understanding the business before determining how it should be positioned with an acquiring partner.
Understand the business
We review the merchant's products or services, website and marketing practices, billing model, fulfillment policies, processing history and other factors that may affect underwriting.
Identify underwriting and compliance requirements
Potential concerns are identified early, along with the documentation, disclosures or business practices that may need to be addressed before submission.
Prepare and position the merchant
The objective is to present the business accurately and completely to an acquiring relationship that understands the merchant's particular industry, risk profile and processing requirements.
Manage underwriting, approval and boarding
JLW works directly with the banking and processing relationship throughout underwriting, responds to additional requirements, and manages the process through approval and boarding.
Support the merchant after approval
Approval is not the end of the relationship. Merchants are kept informed of ongoing processing and compliance expectations so they can better protect the processing relationship they worked to establish.
One coordinated process.
Throughout the process, communication between the merchant and acquiring relationship remains coordinated so that questions, documentation requirements and compliance expectations are clearly understood on both sides.
Boutique by design
Personal attention is the cornerstone of our business model.
JLW Payment Solutions is intentionally boutique. We are not trying to process every merchant or compete on volume.
We work personally with a select number of businesses where our experience, acquiring relationships and compliance expertise can provide consequential value. That means investing considerable time to understand each merchant's business from the inside out, being accessible when questions arise, and staying actively involved throughout the life of the processing relationship.
Our reputation works both ways
The banking and processing relationships we rely upon have been built over decades. Protecting those relationships requires us to be selective about the merchants we represent and transparent about the businesses we present.
The same responsibility to merchants
Merchants depend on us to represent their businesses accurately, communicate clearly with our acquiring partners and help them understand what is expected throughout the relationship. We work equally hard to earn and protect their trust.
Talk with Jim & Matt
Let's have a conversation.
If you're operating or starting a compliance-sensitive business and believe your processing environment requires a deeper level of understanding, let's have a conversation.
Tell us a little about your business, your current processing situation, and what you'd like help with. We'll personally review your inquiry and determine whether we believe we can be a useful resource.
