Risk & Controls Assessment
Are Your Controls Strong Enough for Today's Fraud Risk?
The Risk & Controls Assessment is a focused review of the controls protecting your cash, payments, banking access, and financial activity.
Payments fraud is not a fringe risk. According to the 2026 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey, 76% of organizations experienced actual or attempted payments fraud in 2025 — even as companies continued investing in controls and prevention.
Fraud risk often hides in routine activity: a familiar vendor request, a rushed approval, an outdated bank user, or a payment change that looks legitimate.
Understanding the Fraud Landscape
The Risk Report highlights the fraud trends, control gaps, and payment risks shaping today’s financial environment.
The Risk & Controls Assessment turns that insight inward — helping your organization understand where exposure may exist across payment authority, banking access, vendor changes, fraud tools, and control oversight.
What We Assess
Payment Authority & Approvals
Who can initiate, approve, release, or modify payments — including ACH, wires, checks, and other high-risk payment activity.
Banking Access & Permissions
Who has access to accounts and treasury platforms, whether permissions align with current roles, and whether access has been reviewed recently.
Fraud Protection Tools
Whether protections such as Positive Pay, ACH filters or blocks, dual approval, alerts, and notifications are in place and being used appropriately.
Vendor & Payee Change Risk
How banking instructions, vendor records, and payment details are added, changed, verified, and approved.
Control Gaps & Exposure Points
Where informal habits, outdated permissions, missing approvals, or inconsistent safeguards may create risk.
What You Receive
Risk & Control Map
A clear view of where controls appear strong, where risk may be elevated, and where attention is needed.
Key Exposure Areas
Plain-language explanation of the most meaningful risks identified and why they matter.
Priority Recommendations
Specific actions to strengthen protections and reduce exposure.
Action Roadmap
Immediate, near-term, and longer-term steps your team can use to move forward.
Leadership-Ready Report & Briefing
A concise written report and briefing designed for executives, finance leaders, boards, or key decision-makers.
Built for Organizations That Need Clarity Before Something Goes Wrong
- Scaling & expanding businesses
- Nonprofits & Associations
- Municipalities and special districts
- Organizations with board oversight
- Lean finance teams
- Leadership or staffing changes
- Companies with high payment activity
- Organizations using checks, ACH, wires, or multiple banking users
- Teams that have grown but have not recently reviewed financial controls
Independent Guidance Between Banking, Treasury, and Risk
Banks provide tools. Auditors review financial statements and compliance. Internal teams manage the daily movement of money.
Upward Treasury Partners sits in the space between them — helping organizations evaluate whether the controls around cash, payments, banking access, and fraud protection are clear, appropriate, and working in practice.
Our work is independent, practical, and designed to help leadership understand what to strengthen first.
Engagement Options
Risk & Controls Assessment | Starting at $1,500
Pricing varies based on organization size, number of accounts, payment activity, banking complexity, and stakeholder involvement.