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High-Risk Merchant Account

Company overview

About Durango Merchant Services

What the company provides

  • ISO / MSP

Merchant accounts, gateway access, transaction processing and funds handling depend on the selected product.

Durango Merchant Services is an ISO/MSP that prepares high-risk merchant-account applications and connects businesses with partner banks, processors, ODFIs, and payment platforms.

Partner providers make the approval decision and, as applicable, issue the MID, process card, ACH, or eCheck transactions, and deposit settlement funds into the merchant's bank account. The approved merchant agreement names the participating providers and sets pricing, reserves, processing limits, eligible countries, and funding schedules.

Founded 1997durangomerchantservices.comUpdated Jul 31, 2026

Selected product

High-Risk Merchant Account

Merchant account & underwriting

  1. Merchant account

    Dedicated merchant account

  2. Merchant account approval

    Final approval by the merchant underwriter

    Durango Merchant Services handles the application process. The merchant underwriter named in the agreement makes the final approval decision.

Primary legal entity

Jurisdiction
United States
Company type
Limited liability company

Legal entities by jurisdiction

One legal entity registered in United StatesOne jurisdiction

The legal entity supplying a product can differ by product and country.

Product portfolio

Durango Merchant Services products

Compare account-placement products by the approving bank or processor, application requirements, gateway and equipment options, pricing, reserves, settlement and support.

High-Risk Merchant Account

Role in this product

  • ISO / MSP

Durango prepares the merchant application and coordinates account setup.

A partner acquiring bank or processor approves the account, provides the dedicated merchant account and MID, processes card payments, and sends settlement funds to the merchant's bank account. The approved merchant agreement names the bank, processor, and gateway and sets pricing, reserve, processing limits, contract term, and funding schedule.

Related services
Merchant accountsPoint of saleOmnichannel paymentsRecurring billingFraud prevention
Features
Merchant accountUnderwritingOnboardingPricingFraud and riskOmnichannelComplianceSupport

ACH & eCheck Processing

Role in this product

  • ISO / MSP

Durango prepares applications for partner ACH and eCheck services.

Available payment types include ACH debits and eChecks; check-capture options include remote deposit capture and Image Cash Letter (ICL). The approved agreement names the ACH processor, ODFI, or check-processing platform and sets account limits, return and rejected-check rules, funding, and pricing.

Related services
Alternative payment methodsRecurring billing
Features
Payment method capabilitiesUnderwritingOnboardingPricingSupport

Selected product

High-Risk Merchant Account

Related services
5 capabilities
Features
8 capabilities

ISO / MSP placement, account approval & provider roles

What the ISO / MSP arranges and which bank, processor or gateway provider approves the account, processes payments and sends settlement.

01 · Role in this product
ISO / MSP
02 · Merchant account
Dedicated merchant account
03 · Merchant account approval
Final approval by the merchant underwriter
04 · Funds & merchant settlement
Durango Merchant Services does not hold merchant funds or provide merchant settlement

Selected product: High-Risk Merchant Account.

Payment processing

High-Risk Merchant Account: processing, approval & settlement

Review the payment services included with this product and which companies approve the account, process payments and send merchant settlement.

Selected product: High-Risk Merchant Account

Included in High-Risk Merchant Account

Features included with this product.

Solutions
Merchant accountsPoint of saleOmnichannel paymentsRecurring billingFraud prevention
Capabilities
Merchant accountUnderwritingOnboardingPricingFraud and riskOmnichannelRecurring billingComplianceSupport

Account approval, payment processing & settlement

Who approves the account, processes payments and sends merchant settlement for High-Risk Merchant Account; any separate merchant account or acquirer is shown only when identified.

Included

ISO / MSP and sponsor chain

Durango Merchant Services acts as an ISO / MSP intermediary between the merchant and the sponsor bank or acquirer for High-Risk Merchant Account.

Sponsor relationship

Where does the provider sit between the merchant and sponsor?

Merchant position · Merchant account and account relationship

Merchant account model
Dedicated merchant account
Account relationship
Direct merchant

Intermediary duties

Functions performed inside the sponsored setup

Role in this product
ISO / MSP
Onboarding included
Yes
Merchant support included
Yes
Who provides the account, processes payments and settles funds
Durango Merchant Services arranges the merchant account; partner providers underwrite, process and settle

Sponsor entities

Named banks or counterparties behind the relationship

Sponsor relationships
  • Fifth Third Bank, N.A.
Merchant account placement
Available through a partner
Questions to confirm

What dedicated MID applies to High-Risk Merchant Account?

Dedicated MID is not specified for High-Risk Merchant Account.

What domestic or offshore MID applies to High-Risk Merchant Account?

Domestic or offshore MID is not specified for High-Risk Merchant Account.

Which sponsor bank or acquirer will be named for this merchant and jurisdiction?

The company works with named sponsors, but the sponsor bank or acquirer for this merchant and jurisdiction is not specified.

Which legal entity signs the merchant agreement, and who owns the underwriting decision?

In an ISO / MSP arrangement, the contracting entity and merchant underwriter may be different from the sponsor bank or acquirer.

Merchant account approval · High-Risk Merchant Account

Who makes the final merchant-account approval decision?

Final approval by the merchant underwriter.

Merchant eligibility

Registered-entity and country eligibility is not specified

Company offices do not establish merchant eligibility.

Final approval

Final approval by the merchant underwriter

Durango Merchant Services handles the application process. The merchant underwriter named in the agreement makes the final approval decision.

Approval arrangement
Partner assisted underwriting
Product
High-Risk Merchant Account
Owner & operating location
Owner, director and operating-location requirements are not specified
Regulated-business license
Required license type and issuing jurisdiction are not specified
01Merchant-account eligibility

Which businesses will the approving payment provider accept?

The approving bank or payment provider sets the merchant eligibility requirements for this account.

Eligibility requirements

01

Processing statements

Not specified

Confirm how many complete statement months are required

02

From application to merchant-account approval

Manual underwriting · Merchant account created after approval

Application timing and underwriting criteria are not specified.

Restricted activity

Business restrictions

Product · MCC · jurisdiction · sales practice

Prohibited

Adult content creators, Adult AI companions, Adult classified ads, Adult streaming, Escort services, and Research-use-only (RUO) peptides and chemicals

Conditional businesses

Prescription peptides require legitscript or nabp certification

02Merchant application

What is needed before final approval?

The business information, merchant agreement and supporting documents required by the approving bank or payment provider.

Merchant application

Prepare merchant application → submit for approval → configure → test → activate

Final approval and technical activation are separate steps.

Application documents

Documents to prepare

  1. 01Government issued ID for business owners
  2. 02Business license
  3. 03Business registration
  4. 04Business license or registration

Merchant application & underwriting

  1. 01

    Submit business and contact details

  2. 02

    Provide owner and business documents

  3. 03

    Durango prepares and submits the application

  4. 04

    Partner bank or processor review

  5. 05

    Sign the approved merchant agreement

  6. 06

    Receive account gateway or equipment setup

Merchant application checks

Final approval requirements

Application and activation requirements.

Website requirements

  • Visible privacy policy
  • Clear product or service descriptions
  • Terms of service
  • Transparent refund policy

Merchant-underwriting checks

Identity, ownership, sanctions and business checks are not specified

Merchant onboarding tasks

The onboarding tasks performed by the provider are not specified

Before applying

Application requirements to confirm

The exact approving entity, underwriting requirements and timing are not fully specified.

Approval & restrictions

Who reviews the business and which products, jurisdictions or MCCs are excluded.

  1. 01

    Which payment provider will make the final approval decision?

    Final approval by the merchant underwriter; the specific legal entity is set in the merchant agreement.

  2. 02

    What trading-history, credit, volume, ticket-size, guarantee and chargeback requirements apply to this account?

    These approval requirements are not specified.

Underwriting process & approval time

Decision criteria, manual review, when review starts or pauses, and decision timing.

  1. 03

    How long does final approval take after the complete merchant application is submitted?

    Final approval timing is not specified.

  2. 04

    When does application review begin, and what happens when documents need correction?

    The application review timing is not specified.

Vertical acceptance

Which high-risk verticals this provider answers for

Every row is a statement the provider publishes about a business type. Hover or focus a decision to read the original wording. A vertical with no row here is one the provider does not address.

Applies only to

High-Risk Merchant Account, ACH & eCheck Processing

Vertical acceptance for High-Risk Merchant Account, ACH & eCheck Processing
VerticalProvider’s position
AdultProhibitedIn the provider’s wordsAdult content creators
PeptidesProhibitedIn the provider’s wordsResearch use only peptides and chemicals
Payment methods & countries · High-Risk Merchant Account

Where can this merchant accept payments, and which methods are available?

Company payment-method and country totals can span multiple products.

Selected product

High-Risk Merchant Account

Payment-method availability

Selected product

Applying merchant

Registered-entity and country eligibility is not specified

The business registration country, acquiring countries and customer countries are separate requirements.

Payment types

  • Cards

Availability depends on

  • Partner bank or processor approval
  • Merchant industry
  • Business model
  • Processing history
  • Requested volume and ticket size
  • Gateway and payment method configuration

High-Risk Merchant Account payment methods and market coverage depend on the legal entity, merchant country, customer country, currency, industry and account configuration.

01Payment-method availability

Card acceptance

Payment-method availability depends on the selected product, legal entity, merchant country, customer country, currency, merchant category and account configuration.

Card acceptance

Card types

  • Credit card
  • Debit card

Card brands

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • American Express
  • Discover
  • Diners Club
  • UnionPay
  • JCB

Bank payment rails

Bank methods

Bank methods by customer country are not specified

Bank-transfer rails

Bank-transfer rails by currency are not specified

Digital wallets

Wallets

Wallet availability by country and currency is not specified

Card payouts

Card payout rails

Card-payout availability is not specified for this product

02Countries & availability

Where can the merchant be registered, where is acquiring available, and where can customers pay?

Merchant location, acquiring countries, customer location and product availability can differ.

Country coverage

Merchant, acquiring, customer and product countries

  1. 01

    Business registration country

    Where must the business be registered to apply?

    Registered-entity and country eligibility is not specified

    This is where the business is registered; it does not determine acquiring-country or customer-country availability.

    Merchant underwriting
  2. 02

    Acquiring countries

    Where is merchant acquiring available?

    The acquirer for each target country is not specified

    Across all products
  3. 03

    Customer location

    Where can customers pay from?

    Customer countries are not specified

    Customer countries by payment method and currency are not specified for this product.

    Across all products

Countries and payment methods

Countries and payment methods to confirm

  1. Which payment methods are available for my legal entity, customer countries, currencies, industry, MCC and transaction types?

    The payment methods included for the selected product, legal entity and merchant configuration are not specified.

  2. Which customer countries are available for each payment method in the agreement?

    Customer countries are not specified for each payment method.

  3. Which countries are available for each product and payment method?

    Country availability by product and payment method is not specified.

  4. Which country launches are planned, and on what timeline?

    Planned country launches and dates are not specified.

  5. Which legal entity provides acquiring, and which entity settles funds in each target market?

    The acquiring entity for each target market is not specified.

  6. Which alternative payment methods are available for this product?

    Alternative payment methods are not specified for this product.

  7. Which presentment and settlement currencies are available for this product?

    Presentment and settlement currencies are not specified for this product.

Pricing & funds · High-Risk Merchant Account

What does this product cost, and when are funds settled?

Fees and reserves are governed by the merchant-account agreement

Pricing

Standard processing rate is not specified for this product

The processing rate is not specified.

Pricing method

Custom quote

01Commercial terms

What makes up the quoted price?

Review the pricing plan, pricing model, fees and contract duration.

  1. 01 · Pricing plan

    • Merchant account pricing
  2. 02 · Pricing model

    • Interchange plus

Fee structure

Fees that may appear in the agreement for this product

  1. 01
    Possible fees
    May apply
    • Interchange
    • Processor and bank markup
    • Gateway and account fees

    Amounts and applicability vary by merchant agreement.

Fees requiring a quote

Amounts and waivers are not specified

monthly fee
setup fee
application fee
annual fee
gateway fee
PCI fee
batch fee
early-termination fee
monthly minimum
02Reserve holder

Which entity can establish or hold a reserve?

The reserve holder, amount and release conditions are not specified.

Reserve holder

The entity holding the reserve is not specified

Reserve holder

Reserve terms are not specified for this product

Reserve terms from another product or provider do not apply to this product.

03Merchant settlement

When are sale proceeds settled, and who sends them to the merchant?

Settlement makes processed sale proceeds available to the merchant.

Merchant settlement

Sale proceeds and settlement responsibility

Who settles merchant funds

The acquiring bank or processor named in the merchant agreement settles funds to the merchant

Durango Merchant Services arranges the account; it does not hold or settle merchant funds.

Settlement terms

Settlement terms are not specified for High-Risk Merchant Account

Settlement frequency, delay, currencies and the legal entity that settles the funds are not specified for this product.

Pricing & settlement terms

Terms to confirm in the agreement

Price

  1. What is the effective processing price for High-Risk Merchant Account, including the percentage rate, per-transaction fee, interchange and card-network fees, and currency-conversion markup?

    Standard processing rate is not specified for the selected product.

  2. Which of these apply, at what amount and on what trigger: monthly fee, setup fee, application fee, annual fee, gateway fee, PCI fee, batch fee, early-termination fee, and monthly minimum?

    Amounts and waivers are not specified for these fees.

  3. What are the initial term, renewal term, cancellation notice period and early-termination charge for this product?

    The initial term, renewal and cancellation terms are not specified for this product.

Reserve & held funds

  1. Can High-Risk Merchant Account require a rolling reserve, security deposit or post-termination hold, and what are the percentage, cap, duration and release trigger?

    The reserve percentage, cap, hold period or release terms are not fully specified for this product.

Merchant settlement

  1. For High-Risk Merchant Account, who settles merchant funds and what are the frequency, delay, cutoff, methods, currencies and minimum settlement amount?

    Merchant settlement terms are incomplete for this product.

Payment lifecycle · High-Risk Merchant Account

How do checkout, payment processing, settlement and reconciliation work?

Sales channels, gateway, virtual terminal, recurring billing and equipment

Payment lifecycle

Checkout → authorization → settlement → reconciliation

The selected product determines the integration, transaction controls, payment processing, merchant settlement and reporting.

Selected product

High-Risk Merchant Account

Integration, processing, merchant settlement and reporting for this product.

  1. Sales channels

    Online · In-person

  2. Gateway & virtual terminal

    Gateway and equipment depend on the approved processor and merchant account

  3. Account, processor & equipment responsibilities

    ISO / MSP · Durango Merchant Services · Merchant account provider · Partner named in the agreement

  4. Terminals & equipment

    EMV terminal · Contactless terminal

01

Sales channels

Choose the integration option and who controls the payment page

Where the approved merchant account can accept payments.

Available channels

  • Online
  • In-person
  • Mobile
  • MOTO
02

Gateway & virtual terminal

Gateway integration, security and transaction tools

The gateway and virtual-terminal options matched to the approved processor and account.

Selected setup

Gateway entry point

How requests enter this product and which integration boundary applies.

Integration model

Gateway and equipment depend on the approved processor and merchant account

Gateway & virtual terminal

Tokenization, 3-D Secure, webhooks and transaction controls

Gateway
01

Gateway options

  • Third-party payment gateway
  • Virtual terminal

Recurring, MOTO & ACH

From customer consent to scheduled payments and retries

Stored-credential consent, payment scheduling and retry rules apply to each recurring-payment setup.

Other recurring-payment terms

Additional payment functions
  • Recurring billing
03

Account, processor & equipment responsibilities

Who processes transactions, settles merchant funds and controls authorization and capture?

The selected gateway, processor, merchant account and terminal setup must be compatible.

Account, processor & equipment responsibilities

  • ISO / MSP · Durango Merchant Services
  • Merchant account provider · Partner named in the agreement
  • Merchant underwriting · Partner named in the agreement
  • Acquirer · Partner named in the agreement
  • Payment processor · Partner named in the agreement
  • Gateway · Connected provider
  • Settlement bank · Partner named in the agreement

Available controls

The selected gateway, processor, merchant account and terminal setup must be compatible.

  1. 01

    How the setup is selected

    Which gateway, processor, merchant account and terminal setup work together?

    How the setup is selected

    Gateway and equipment depend on the approved processor and merchant account

04

Terminals & equipment

Which terminals and equipment services are available?

Countertop, mobile and POS equipment available for this product.

Terminal & equipment details

Terminal models and equipment services for this product.

Terminal options

  • EMV terminal
  • Contactless terminal
  • Mobile card reader
  • Processor compatible payment terminal

Equipment services

  • Equipment setup
  • Gateway configuration

Before integration

Integration details not specified

  1. 01

    Which gateway, virtual terminal, terminal models and equipment services are included with this product?

    The included gateway and equipment package is not specified.

  2. 02

    What purchase, lease, shipping, replacement, reprogramming, gateway and virtual-terminal charges apply?

    The complete gateway and equipment fee schedule is not specified.

  3. 03

    Which party receives card data in each channel, and which PCI DSS validation applies to the approved setup?

    Channel-specific card-data handling and PCI DSS scope are not specified.

Merchant funds, risk & support

High-Risk Merchant Account: risk, licenses & support

Payment processing, merchant funds, reserves, chargebacks, contracting entity, regulated payment services and support.

01 / Processing, reserves & chargebacks

Who can suspend payment processing or hold merchant funds?

Payment processing, reserve or other holds on merchant funds, fraud controls and chargeback handling.

Payment processing & funds

Does not handle merchant funds

Durango Merchant Services does not handle merchant funds for this product. The fund holder, merchant settlement provider and entity that may establish a reserve are not specified.

Role in this product
ISO / MSP
Who receives and settles funds
Durango Merchant Services does not hold merchant funds or provide merchant settlement

Reserve or security deposit

Reserve amount and release terms are not specified

The reserve amount and release schedule are not specified for this product. A reserve may still be included in the final agreement.

Not specified

Fraud, authentication & chargebacks

Fraud screening, 3-D Secure and chargeback handling

Fraud screening is available. Responsibility for chargebacks, refunds, fraud losses and negative balances is not specified. The agreement must also state who can suspend processing or hold settlement funds.

  1. 01

    Before authorization

    Fraud screening

BEFORE AUTHORIZATION

Fraud screening

Which fraud rules can block or flag a transaction for review?

Capabilities
Fraud protection consultingGateway fraud scrubbingMerchant configured fraud rulesThird-party chargeback prevention integration
Third-party fraud integration
Fraud Deflect: chargeback prevention
Before signingReserve, chargeback, settlement hold and suspension terms4 items to confirmReview contract terms
03 / Support

How can merchants reach support?

Company support hours and contact channels are available. It is not specified which ones cover High-Risk Merchant Account and payment-processing or merchant-settlement issues. First-response and resolution targets are also not specified.

Support contacts

Company support hours and contacts

The contacts that cover this product and payment-processing or merchant-settlement issues are not specified.

Other company contacts

Support hours are not specified for these contacts.

Before signingSupport contacts, hours and response times4 items to confirmReview contract terms
High-Risk Merchant Account / Before signing

What should the merchant agreement include?

Confirm the contracting entity, approval conditions, processing fees, merchant funding, reserves, chargebacks, liability, support and termination.

Before signing

High-Risk Merchant Account: terms to confirm

Confirm each material commercial, operating and legal term in the agreements that govern this product.

Commercial & funding terms

Processing fees, reserve or security deposit, merchant funding schedule and chargeback fees

Approval, liability & exit

Underwriting conditions, responsible entities, loss allocation, suspension, support and termination

Contract checklist

Terms to review by topic

Jump to the underlying product details

  1. 01Reserves & chargebacksReserve or security deposit, chargebacks, processing suspension and settlement holds.
  2. 02Legal entity & licenseContracting entity, license or registration, and regulated payment services.
  3. 03SupportSupport contacts, hours, response times and escalation.
Merchant agreement

Contract terms to confirm

Review processing fees, merchant funding, reserves, chargebacks, liability, support and termination.

Reserves & chargebacksReserve or security deposit, chargebacks, processing suspension and settlement holds.
  1. What events allow High-Risk Merchant Account to be suspended or terminated?

    The notice period, any right to cure a breach, and the events allowing immediate suspension are not specified.

  2. Which contracted provider handles chargeback alerts, representment and card-network monitoring?

    The provider responsible for chargeback alerts, representment and card-network monitoring is not specified.

  3. Which legal entity may establish and hold a reserve, and which release terms apply?

    The entity that may establish and hold a reserve, the reserve amount and the release terms are not specified.

  4. Who handles open disputes, chargebacks and case submissions after termination?

    Ownership of open disputes, chargebacks and case submissions after termination is not specified.

Legal entity & licenseContracting entity, license or registration, and regulated payment services.
  1. Which legal entity will sign the agreement for this product, and which license or registration applies?

    The contracting legal entity is not specified for this product.

  2. Which privacy framework, controller roles and data-transfer terms apply to this product?

    The privacy framework, controller roles and data-transfer terms are not specified for this product.

  3. Who receives security incidents, and what notification window applies?

    The security incident contact and notification deadline are not specified.

SupportSupport contacts, hours, response times and escalation.
  1. What first-response, update and resolution targets apply by incident severity?

    First-response and resolution targets are not specified.

  2. Who handles escalations for payment failures, integration incidents and account restrictions?

    No escalation contact or process is specified for these incidents.

  3. Which support hours and contact channels cover High-Risk Merchant Account, and where should a merchant report payment-processing or merchant-settlement issues?

    The support scope for High-Risk Merchant Account and the contacts for payment-processing or merchant-settlement issues are not specified.

  4. Which support-request topics and routing options are available in the support form?

    Support-form topics and routing options are not specified.

Product summary

What this product already includes

What this product includes, which restrictions apply and which merchant-agreement terms are not specified.

Included capabilities

Capabilities included with High-Risk Merchant Account.

  • Durango prepares the merchant application and coordinates account setup. A partner acquiring bank or processor approves the account, provides the dedicated merchant account and MID, processes card payments, and sends settlement funds to the merchant's bank account. The approved merchant agreement names the bank, processor, and gateway and sets pricing, reserve, processing limits, contract term, and funding schedule.