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MailPro
News for Mailing Professionals

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In addition to the address list, what documentation must a list owner furnish to a mailer obtaining an address list?

The list owner is obligated to prove it is aware of the Move Update standards and that the addresses on the list comply. The list owner should keep the following for two years:

• Move Update output reports documenting that the address list went through an authorized Move Update process within 95 days before the mailing was submitted to the Postal Service.
  
• Proof that names on the list added since the last update came directly from customers (if applicable).

I am a mailing agent (for example, presort bureau). When I accept mail, if my clients cannot prove that they have updated their addresses within 95 days of the scheduled mailing date, can I still include those mailpieces in automation rate or presort rate First-Class Mail or Standard Mail mailings?

No, unless you are a FASTforward licensed multi-line optical character reader (MLOCR) user using FASTforward to update the addresses. Otherwise those mailpieces must be mailed at the First-Class Mail single-piece rate.

If my mail is processed for Move Update using FASTforward MLOCR, which mailpiece design issues, other than general automation compatibility, do I need to be concerned about?

The name and address must be in the optical character reader (OCR) read area, and all mailpieces must have a lower-right barcode clear zone so the MLOCR can spray the appropriate barcode and the new address in the barcode clear zone if a move is identified. Mailpieces with exceptional address formats (for example, “Or Current Resident”) are not eligible for FASTforward processing.

If I use an exceptional address format (for example, “Jane Doe or Current Occupant”) on my mailings, must the recipient name have been updated within the previous 95 days?

No. Each mailpiece will be delivered to the address appearing on the mailpiece whether or not the named recipient resides at that address. The physical elements of the addresses, however, must have been updated using an appropriate process for the rates claimed.

I have Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS)-certified address-matching software that ensures I have good addresses. Does this meet the standards for new names and addresses?

No. Address-matching software looks up addresses to standardize, correct and validate the physical address elements and append ZIP+4 Codes. It does not perform a name lookup to determine whether the addressee is still at that address and, therefore, does not meet the Move Update standard.

How do I meet Move Update requirements when mailing to an address recently added to my address list?

The Move Update process is individual name-and-address-based, not “list-based.” When a customer contacts a business and as a result is added to the list, the newly added address can “ride” with the list until the next cycle for update. The address can be added to the list only if the customer has requested services or literature or has purchased merchandise.

I am a Standard Mail mailer and rent solicitation lists for mailing. Since these addresses are newly acquired, do they have the same 95 day grace period as addresses received directly from customers?

No. Only addresses received directly from customers have the initial 95-day grace period until the next scheduled update cycle. Addresses obtained from other sources (for example, list brokers) must have undergone processing using NCOA^Link or FASTforward MLOCR prior to mailing. If one of the customers from the solicitation list responds to your mailing by requesting services or literature or purchasing merchandise and is added to your house list, then that address can be mailed to for the next 95 days without any Move Update processing. After 95 days, any one of the approved methods — NCOA^Link, ACS/OneCodeACS, FASTforward, Ancillary Service Endorsements or alternative methods — can be used for that address.

Does a list or an address have to be updated every 95 days?

An address can be updated any time, provided it is within 95 days before the address is actually used for a mailing. For example, if a mailer mails using a list once every two years, that list would have to be updated using one of the authorized Move Update methods no more than 95 days before the mailing.