NCOALink – NCOA – National Change of Address Overview

The NCOALink database is based on information submitted to the United States Postal Service® (USPS®) from individuals, families, and businesses who are changing their place of residence or business location.

Addresses on file are standardized and appended with the most recent forwarding addresses. Since approximately 18-20% of the households and businesses in the United States move each year, the NCOALink service is increasingly valuable in reducing the amount of undeliverable as addressed (UAA) mail.

It is important to note that not all Service Providers can provide the same level of service. Data quantity differs based on license level. Only Full Service Providers receive the full 48-month data file while Limited Service Providers receive an 18-month data file. Peachtree Data only provides NCOALink at the Full Service Level, ensuring that our customers are receiving the most comprehensive and complete NCOALink services available. Additionally, the NCOALink database is updated weekly under direct license from the USPS.

On average the full NCOALink file contains 160 million permanent change of address records.

When possible, people or businesses who move multiple times within a 48 month period are “Linked” or “chained” to ensure the latest address is furnished when an NCOALink match is obtained.

For example, consider an individual in your database with an address in Florida. In 2003 that person filed a COA with the USPS, and moved to California. Then in 2004 the same person filed another COA with the USPS and moved to Georgia.

In 2005 you send your database for NCOALink processing. As your database is processed the individual move from Florida to California to Georgia is “Linked” together. The new address returned to you is the current address in Georgia, without you knowing the person moved to California for a year!

This example illustrates another point: you should process your databases through NCOALink on a frequent and regular schedule. Depending on your mailing schedule or database needs this could be anywhere from once a month, to every three, six or twelve months.

In 2005 the NCOALink system replaced the NCOA, or National Change of Address system.

NCOALink Limitations

NCOALink will not make lists 100% deliverable. While many factors determine the overall quality of mailing lists, NCOALink will help in reducing the amount of undelivered or delayed mail.

Since the NCOALink database contains 48 months of move information, new addresses can be received from NCOALink that are not available from other methods. The accuracy of your mailing list is very important. Incorrect spellings and missing information both play a key role in determining an NCOALink match.

For example, the NCOALink database contains “John Doe” at “123 First St Apt 101″ and your Database contains “J. Doe” at “123 First St.”

In this example no match would be made for several reasons:

• The name is not complete.
• The address is missing the apartment number.

This is a good example of an address that would not be updated by NCOALink. If a match is not made, return codes are provided.

Move Update Mailer Advisement Policy

Effective November 23, 2008, the Postal Service revised the Move Update standards. The Move Update standards provide ways for mailers to reduce the number of mailpieces that require forwarding, return or are undeliverable-as-addressed by the periodic matching of a mailer’s address records with customer-filed change-of-address orders. The final rule published in the September 28, 2007, Federal Register, included the following changes related to the Move Update standard:

First-Class Mail® Discount Price mailings
• Increase the minimum frequency of Move Update processing from 185 calendar days to 95 days prior to the date of mailing.
Standard Mail® mailings
• Extend the Move Update standards to include all Standard Mail (letters, flats, parcels and Not Flat-Machinables)
• Minimum frequency of Move Update processing is 95 days prior to the date of mailing.

The mailer’s signature on postage statements submitted in hard copy or in electronic format, such as PostalOne! or Mail.dat, or its agent, certifies compliance with the standards. The Postal Service can request additional substantiation of compliance, as described below, and reserves the right to use audit or other procedures to ensure that mailers comply with the Move Update standards.

Postage statements have been revised to provide checkboxes for the mailer to indicate the specific method(s) used to update the addresses in a mailing. Mailers must use this section to record the Move Update method(s) used for the mailing. Acceptance employees will review postage statements for completion of the Move Update method checkbox and make inquiries of mailers who have not identified a Move Update method.

For First-Class Mailings, if the mailer is not able to confirm a Move Update method, the mailing will not be eligible at the First-Class Mail discount prices. The mailer will have the option to withdraw the mailing or to pay additional postage based on the First-Class single-piece price for every piece in the mailing.

For Standard Mail customers, the Postal Service has established a transition period, which will run to May 2009. During this time, customers who are not compliant must select a USPS-approved Move Update method and use it with future mailings. After the transition period, noncompliant Standard Mail mailings will be charged an additional 7 cents per piece for every piece in the mailing.

As current standards allow, mailers have the right to appeal a decision made to assess additional postage in accordance with the standards for reviewing such decisions.

The Postal Service is developing a verification process that will use live samples from the mailing. Initially, the Postal Service will share the results of the verifications and work with mail owners to improve mail addressing quality. Beginning May 2009, we will use this information to assess additional postage on noncompliant First-Class Mail and Standard Mail mailings.

The verification process will be used to evaluate the use of Move Update change-of-address information for discounted First-Class Mail and Standard Mail letter and flat mailings using the PostalOne! system. At business mail acceptance, a sample is selected from the mailing for processing on MERLIN. In addition to the current verifications performed, the MERLIN machine will capture barcode, name and address information into a data file that is electronically transmitted to the National Customer Support Center (NCSC). The NCSC processes the data file using NCOALink® and returns results to the PostalOne! system where it is presented in a Move Update report. This process is completed before the postage statement is finalized in the PostalOne! system so that the results of the report can be discussed with the mailer. Pieces with addresses for which a change-of-address order is found are identified by a MERLIN mail piece ID and can be pulled from the MERLIN sample and provided to mailers. Move Update reports will be provided to the mailer whose mailings are processed on MERLIN at sites that are activated for the PostalOne! Move Update verification process.

Substantiation of Move Update Compliance

The following are suggestions on how mailers may substantiate the process used to update their addresses.

The PS Form 6014 may be retained on file by a service provider to identify the update method used by the mail owner. The mailing agent will be asked to assist with contact of a mail owner when a question is raised about the mail owner’s compliance with the standard.

Ancillary Service Endorsement – Copies of mailpieces with an appropriate ancillary service endorsement shown. Maintain and provide copies of change-of-address notices received and demonstrate how new address updates are used to produce mailpieces reflecting the updated address.

Address Change Service (ACS) or OneCode ACS™– Billing reports or invoices. Provide copies of pieces mailed and describe and demonstrate how new address updates received are used to produce mailpieces reflecting the updated address.

FASTforward® – MLOCR user confirms that FASTforward® is turned on and used for a particular client. Copies of mailpieces must have FASTforward® identifiers printed on the mailpiece. If mailer/client participates in FASTforward® Move Update Notification, mailer/client may provide description and demonstrate the process on how new address updates are used to produce mailpieces reflecting the updated address. If a service provider is not using FASTforward® to match and update a client’s mail, then the service provider should obtain a PS Form 6014 from the client that indicates the method the client has used to satisfy the Move Update requirement. Note: FASTforward® users are only required to match addresses up to 13 months.

NCOALink® – Processing summary report and date addresses processed from NCOALink licensee. Mailer system output reports. Billing reports or invoices for NCOALink services. Describe and demonstrate how new address updates are used to produce mailpieces reflecting the updated address. Suggest using the NCOALink Processing Acknowledgement Form.

Alternative method (legal restrictions or 99% certified) – Letter of approval from National Customer Support Center.

Directly acquired addresses – A grace period of 95 days is allowed for use of addresses directly acquired from the customer. Retain records that show date the address was acquired or other documentation to demonstrate how addresses are received from customers and used for mailing purposes.

Additional documentation may be requested to demonstrate that the method used was used within the appropriate timeframes and on the specific mailing in question.

Note: Addresses using an alternative address format (occupant – addressed to occupant only, simplified addresses or exceptional – addresses using ‘or current resident’) are exempt from the Move Update requirement.

Move Update

Move Update is one of the requirements the Postal Service has embarked on to deal with the rising costs of processing UAA mail. Move Update requires First-Class and Standard Mail mailers to match their mailing addresses to the USPS Change-of-Address (COA) database periodically to get the most current addresses for their customers who have moved. Move update will reduce the number mailpieces that are forwarded to the new address, returned to the mailer, or treated as waste.

Effective November 23, 2008, the USPS revised the Move Update standard in order to increase the volume of deliverable mail. They increased the minimum frequency of Move Update processing from 185 days to 95 days prior to the mailing date. In addition, the USPS expanded Move Update to include automation-rate and presort-rate First-Class Mail as well as Standard Mail (letters and flats, parcels, and non-flat-machinables).

In order to meet the Move Update standard, you must use an authorized Move Update method. The USPS offers four primary methods and two alternative methods, one of which is for First-Class Mail only. Of the primary methods, there are two “pre-mailing” methods and two “post-mailing” methods based on when you actually receive the updated address. In this article, we will focus on ACSTM and OneCode ACS®.

Authorized Move Update Methods
Pre-mailing methods
NCOALink ®
FASTforward® MLOCR

Post-mailing methods
ACSTM or OneCode ACS
Ancillary Service Endorsement

NCOALink

The NCOALink® Product (which replaced the NCOA National Change of Address system in 2004) is a secure dataset of approximately 160 million permanent change-of-address (COA) records consisting of the names and addresses of individuals, families and businesses who have filed a change-of-address with the USPS®.

Developed with secure data store technology to increase security of postal customer data and protect the privacy of this information, the NCOALink Product enables mailers to process mailing lists and update lists with new addresses prior to mailing. The NCOALink Product can be integrated into mailers’ in-house computer systems to provide services or use internally. The use of the NCOALink Product is only available through licenses from the USPS.

USPS adds over 2 million new moves to the NCOA file

The U.S. Postal Service® announced the enhancement of the NCOA^Link® product with the inclusion of approximately two million additional national change of address records.

These records were previously excluded from the NCOA^Link product because at the time the change-of-address was originally received the change-of-address was deemed ambiguous. This may have been because the new-side addresses could not be ZIP + 4® coded or because the customer had submitted conflicting change-of-address orders.

The USPS’s policy is always to error on the side of caution when populating the NCOA^Link product to avoid any error in identifying a customer’s change-of-address. However, the USPS was successful in eliminating the ambiguous nature of these records and has added them to the NCOA^Link product. The new two million additional change-of-address records are now available for matching, effective immediately.

The recovered records will only go back 18 months from the Move Effective Date of the change-of address order. The NCOA^Link product will be synchronized with PARS (Postal Automated Redirection System) since the USPS is using the PARS database as a cross-reference. If a change-of-address filing is no longer in PARS, the USPS will no longer update it in NCOA^Link to minimize the chance of introducing any unexpected results.

As a result of the reintroduction of these records into NCOA^Link, you may see change-of-address matches that were previously not matched by NCOA. This can cause you to receive matched records with Move Effective Dates that were prior to your last NCOA^Link processing date. You should advise your customers (if applicable) that it is possible for them to receive what appear to be “old” changes-of-address from the newly-added records.

The USPS has taken steps to ensure that mailers are not affected by MERLIN’s Address Validation System review for any of the change-of-address records that are being updated in the NCOA^Link product. The USPS has set up a filter to ignore these records and will not report them as “old” changes-of-address for PBV (Performance-Based Verification) consideration. Mailers will be given credit for the records as “new” side.

The USPS will continue to filter the records through the January 2010 timeframe after which time it is expected that the mailer would have updated the addresses within the required normal 95-day cycle of the Move Update standard. The USPS has notified the US Postal Inspection Service of the reintroduction of the updated records for their consideration during any review of mailer compliance with Move Update.

USPS delays Move Update fines

In a notice filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission the US Postal Service said it will delay implementation of the Standard Mail Move Update noncompliance charge from May 11 to January 4, 2010.

“Delaying implementation allows extra time to provide our Standard Mail customers with additional feedback from our new postage verification systems, but does not relieve mailers of their obligation to comply with the Move Update standard if they intend to claim automation or presort prices,” said the USPS.

The new Move Update verification procedures will not be used to assess additional postage for First-Class Mail or Standard Mail at the time of mailing until January 2010. However, customers are still required to comply with the Move Update standards.

This change will reduce Standard Mail revenue over the rest of 2009 by about $4.5 million, and decrease the percent increase for Standard Mail from 3.781% to 3.759%, according to the USPS.

NCOALink® Information

The full NCOALink file is a consolidated file of move information that on average contains approximately 160 million permanent changes-of-address (COAs) filed with the United States Postal Service (USPS). These COAs are retained on the file for a four-year period from the move-effective date and the file is updated weekly.

Before being added to the NCOALink file, the Old address supplied by the Postal customer must be ZIP + 4® coded. The New addresses must be ZIP + 4 coded and validated using the USPS’ proprietary database of actual delivery points. (NOTE: The delivery point database does not include NAMES or COA information.) Each delivery point confirmed New address is included on the NCOALink file. If unable to validate the New address, the NCOALink process will indicate that a move exists but will not provide the undeliverable New address.

New address information is provided only when a match to the input name and address is attained. The typical profile of the New address information contained on the NCOALink file is as follows:

• 80.92% Forwardable moves containing delivery point confirmed New addresses — New address provided
• 1.18% Moves containing unconfirmed New addresses � New address not provided
• 13.80% Moved, left no address
• 3.92% PO Box Closed
• 0.18% Foreign moves

When possible, postal customers who move multiple times within the NCOALink time period are “linked” or “chained” to ensure that the latest address is furnished when an NCOA Link match is attained. This is not always possible if subsequent COAs are not filed in exactly the same manner as a COA filed previously (e.g., name spelling differences or conflicting secondary information).

The provision of change of address information is controlled by strict name and address matching logic. NCOALink processing will only provide new address information when queried with a specific algorithm of the name and input address from a mailers address list which matches the information on the NCOALink Product. Data contained in and information returned by NCOALink is determined by the name and move type (Business, Individual, or Family) indicated on a Postal customer’s Change of Address form.

The data contained within the NCOALink Product is comprised of approximately 40% family moves, 54% individual moves, and 6% business moves.

All matches made to the NCOALink file require a ZIP + 4 coded, parsed input address.

The five types of processing modes are Standard (S); Business and Individual (C); Individual (I); Business (B); and Residential (R).

Standard Processing Mode (S)

• Standard Processing Mode requires inquiries in the following order:
• Business – Match on business name.
• Individual - Match on first name, middle name, surname and title required. Gender is checked and nickname possibilities are considered.
• Family - Match on surname only.
• Under no circumstances shall there be a “Family” match only option.

Business and Individual Processing Mode (C)

• The NCOALink customer may choose to omit all “Family” match inquiries and allow only “Individual” and “Business” matches to be acceptable. This matching process is also known as C Processing Mode.

Individual Processing Mode (I)

• The NCOALink customer may also choose to omit “Business” match inquiries when processing individual names for mailing lists that contain no business addresses.

Business Processing Mode (B)

• The NCOALink customer may choose to process for only “Business” matches when processing a “Business-to-Business” mailing list which contains no residential (Individual or Family) addresses.

Residential Processing Mode (R)

• The NCOALink customer may choose to omit “Business” match inquiries and allow only “Individual” and “Family” matches to be acceptable under Residential Processing Mode. This matching process is also known as R Processing Mode.

The USPS has opted to remove soundex from the matching logic process. Consequently, the USPS has established a process called the “Rules Table.” This process will produce matches that otherwise would not be possible, i.e. JOHNY and JOHNNY, without the risks associated with soundex.

All nickname possibilities are derived from a standard USPS nickname list. In considering alternate presentations of an input name, only reasonable derivatives of the original input name are acceptable. If an input name and address do not match to NCOALink and alternative queries are attempted, any variations which obtain NCOALink, National Change of Address, matches will be provided to the NCOALink customer for analysis.

When a match or a near match of an input name and address to NCOALink is identified, a standard NCOALink return code is provided indicating the type of match made or reason that a match could not be made.

The standard output of a USPS NCOALink process is:

a) Each original unaltered input name and address as it was presented.

b) The standardized input address appended with the correct ZIP + 4/DPC, other postal values and any other intelligence flags or footnotes that result from the CASS� processing segment.

c) For each mailing address for which there is a match to the NCOALink Product, a standardized new address with 11-digit Delivery Point Barcode (DPBC) and standard return codes.

d) When a match is made, the following elements must be returned: the move effective date, the specific name and address utilized in the query that obtained the match, and the move type. The move type is determined by the Interface based on the specific name inquiry utilized to obtain the match.

e) For each mailing address for which there is not a match to the NCOALink Product, the Interface shall return all elements as appropriate under items a and b as well as any standard return codes as may be appropriate.

f) The urbanization name information, when applicable.

g) The carrier route information for new (updated) addresses.

h) DPV results for the input address, if requested.

i) LACSLink results, if requested.

j) SuiteLink results, if requested.

k) Processing summary report containing information to identify the specific list and the statistics resulting from the NCOALink process performed on the list.

Although every record must be returned, the format of the records returned by a Service Provider to their clients is determined by a separate agreement between the processor and the customer.

NCOALink processing has the potential to reduce returned mail, yet the USPS does not make any guarantees, express or implied, on the reduction of such mail. Thus any costs associated with returned mail are the Licensees’ and/or their customers’ sole responsibility.

An NCOALink customer with questions about the specific results returned from an NCOALink process must first contact the processor for explanation and resolution.

Prior to the processing of NCOALink data, every customer must have completed and returned to their NCOALink Licensee the “NCOALink PROCESSING ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM” provided to them by their Licensee or Agent. It is inappropriate to misrepresent any of the information on the form. Punitive action will be taken by the USPS if the customer, agent or licensee is found to have knowingly supplied false information. Depending on the severity of the offense, actions may include litigious or even criminal charges being brought against the offender.

The ANKLinkTM option is available through Limited Service Provider Licensees to enable mailers to make informed choices regarding a specific customer contact. If the data indicates a move, the mailer may choose to suppress the record from their list or attempt to determine the actual new address by engaging the services of an NCOALink Full Service Provider (FSP) Licensee.

Mailers choosing to engage the services of an FSP Licensee may submit only those ANKLink matches for which they need additional processing provided that:

1) The mailer informs the FSP Licensee that the list is derived from a prior ANKLink process.

2) The list submitted to the FSP for processing meets the mailing list requirement of at least 100 unique names and addresses.

3) The final results are incorporated back into the original list.

4) The records separated for processing are not used to create a derivative product.

The following trademarks are owned by the United States Postal Service®: ANKLink, CASS, NCOALink, United States Postal Service, USPS and ZIP + 4.

NCOALink®

Over 40 million Americans change their address annually, which creates formidable obstacles in maintaining a high-quality mailing list. The NCOALink product makes change-of-address information available to mailers to help reduce undeliverable mailpieces before mail enters the mailstream.

The NCOA^Link process consists of computer software purchased, leased or developed by the licensee to access the NCOA^Link data. The Postal Service certifies the process and licenses the NCOA^Link product to private sector companies for commercial mail list processing or internal mail list management. Updated, computerized change-of-address information is provided on a regular basis to the NCOA^Link licensees by the Postal Service. The NCOA^Link process improves mail deliverability by providing mailers with current, standardized, delivery point coded addresses for individual, family, and business moves.

Input address information must first be standardized to conform to USPS^® requirements, including the ZIP + 4^® code. An attempt is made to match each name and address against the NCOA^Link product. Address change information is derived from the PS Form 3575,Change-of-Address Order, filed by relocating postal customers. If a match is made with the name and old address information in the NCOA^Link file, then the NCOA^Link licensee is permitted to provide the current move information (new address or undeliverable status) to update the mailing list.

The full NCOA^Link Product contains approximately 160 million records or 48 months of permanent address changes and is available to Full Service Provider Licensees. The limited NCOA^Link product contains approximately 60 million records or 18 months of permanent address changes and is available to Limited Service Provider and End User Licensees.

NCOA^Link helps reduce undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) mail by correcting input addresses prior to mailing. Since 1986, Move Update predecessors such as ACS^TM Service, National Change of Address (NCOA) and the FASTforward^® system have saved mailers millions of dollars that otherwise would have been wasted in materials and postage. NCOA^Link continues this trend and, like its predecessors, provides the following benefits to mailers:

• Reduces undeliverable mail by providing the most current address information for matches made to the NCOA^Link file
• Prevents re-mailings after address corrections are received because the address correction is applied prior to the mailing
• Reduces mailer costs by reducing the number of undeliverable mailpieces by using most current address information
• Provides the opportunity for faster product/service marketing through accurate mail delivery

In addition to change-of-address information, NCOA^Link also utilizes Return Codes to provide explanation of match and non-match status. Return Codes which indicate that a match was obtained are accompanied by a new address or undeliverable status. Return Codes which indicate a match was not obtained provide the reason a match could not be made to the NCOA^Link file. The analysis of Return Codes can help the mailer determine the deliverability of specific address records.