Home/Shut down?/Your processor shut the account down. What to do next.
Shut down?
Your processor shut the account down. What to do next.
A processor shutdown ends that account, not your business. Stripe, Square and PayPal terms all let them close accounts and hold funds, and Stripe usually holds the balance about 120 days. Get the reason, keep refunding customers, export your data, and don't reapply under a new name. We find a bank that already takes your industry. Approval is never guaranteed.
We place payment processing, business banking and crypto rails for high-growth, complex businesses with institutions that take the industry, then watch the chargeback ratios, reserves and reviews that get accounts closed, with more than one rail so one bank's no doesn't stop the business. Approval is never guaranteed.
This is stressful. Here's what's actually happening, and what to do first.
In the next 48 hours
- Get the reason in writing. Ask the processor or bank which policy or rule they applied.
- Download everything. Statements, transaction history and dispute records, before access goes.
- Don't reopen under a new name. Banks check the owners, not just the company.
What not to do
- Don't reopen under a new entity. Banks check the owners, not just the company name.
- Don't change how the business is described so a reviewer sees a different company than the one that was shut down.
What this means for your next approval →
Why did my processor shut me down?
Usually one of three things: what you sell is on its restricted list, your disputes or fraud crossed a line, or something in a review didn't match. Aggregators like Stripe and Square onboard fast and review later. Square's General Terms say it may suspend or terminate your account at any time for any reason (Square General Terms, Sep 14, 2026).
What happens to the money?
It's held against refunds and chargebacks. Stripe usually holds for 120 days, then reviews (Stripe Unacceptable Risk Policy). See Stripe closed my account.
What do I do now?
- Keep the account open and keep refunding customers. Unrefunded customers file chargebacks.
- Ask in writing for the reason and whether you were added to MATCH.
- Export transactions, disputes and customer data. Request a card data migration if you bill subscriptions.
- Apply to a provider that underwrites your industry, with the shutdown disclosed.
Why weeks after a fast yes?
Aggregators onboard first and review later. For merchants Visa calls high-integrity-risk, the bank sets an activity baseline and compares daily activity against it from day 31 (Visa Core Rules). A bank that boards your MCC underwrites before your first sale.
What happens next?
We're not a bank, processor, or money transmitter. We structure the deal, build the file, and place it with institutions in our network: decades of relationships with 40+ financial institutions and solution providers. The bank decides, and approval is never guaranteed.
Related
Questions
Can I open a new Stripe account?
Not as a workaround. MATCH matches on owners, tax IDs, addresses and URLs. If the closure was a mistake, appeal. If your business is restricted, go to a provider that underwrites it.