Frequently asked questions about Financial Operations Networks

Financial Operations Networks (FON) is a financial operations company that helps accounts payable teams prevent payment fraud. FON makes VendorInfo, a vendor portal that verifies tax IDs, screens OFAC and validates bank account ownership before a vendor is paid; InvoiceInfo, a supplier portal that answers remittance advice and invoice status questions so suppliers stop emailing AP; DisbursementControls.com, a membership resource for disbursement controls and payment-risk practice; and VIMCOE, which provides accounts payable certification in fraud prevention and vendor information management.

Financial Operations Networks was launched in 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia by the core management team behind PayTECH, the electronic payables processor Phil Binkow founded and Profit Recovery Group (PRGX) acquired in 1999. Phil Binkow is FON’s CEO, and FON is the parent company of The Accounts Payable Network and the InvoiceInfo supplier portal.

Yes. Financial Operations Networks is a Nacha Preferred Partner, and FON also partners with IOFM, the Institute of Finance & Management.

VendorInfo is a vendor portal for onboarding: it verifies tax IDs, screens OFAC and validates bank account ownership before a vendor is paid. InvoiceInfo is a supplier portal for after the invoice: suppliers look up invoice status, payment dates and remittance advice themselves instead of emailing AP. Both sit on top of the same ERP and are often used together.

FON improves vendor master data accuracy by verifying vendor information, such as tax IDs and bank account ownership, before it enters the vendor master file rather than correcting it afterward. This reduces duplicate and incomplete vendor records and gives finance and AP teams better visibility into vendor and payment data.

A vendor portal is a secure site where suppliers register, submit W-9 or W-8 forms and bank account details, and keep their own information current, while the buying organization verifies every entry before it reaches the vendor master file. VendorInfo is a vendor portal built for accounts payable: it matches TINs with the IRS, screens OFAC and verifies bank account ownership as part of onboarding.

InvoiceInfo is a supplier self-service portal from Financial Operations Networks (FON). Suppliers log in to look up invoice status, payment dates and remittance advice themselves, 24/7, instead of calling or emailing accounts payable. Customers report that it eliminates 80% or more of supplier inquiries, and it runs alongside the AP system an organization already uses.

Suppliers can see whether an invoice has been received, approved, scheduled or paid, the payment date and amount, and the remittance detail showing which invoices a payment covered. They can also reconcile their own statements against the AP records, which removes the back-and-forth of statement requests. Internal staff who field the same questions from other departments can use the portal too, since around 40% of AP service calls come from inside the organization.

InvoiceInfo is a standalone application fed by invoice and payment data from the existing ERP, so there is no core-system replacement. It works with multiple ERP systems across different locations and supports multiple languages for international suppliers. Most organizations are up and running in as little as two weeks with little or no IT resources: once the data feed is in place, AP gives suppliers a URL and registration instructions.

FON increases AP efficiency by giving suppliers self-service access to invoice status, payment dates, and remittance advice through InvoiceInfo, which can deflect up to 80% of vendor calls and emails to AP. VendorInfo automates vendor onboarding, including tax ID matching, OFAC screening, and bank account verification, cutting down the manual work of setting up and maintaining vendor records.

Every "where is my payment?" email between a supplier and accounts payable is an opening for business email compromise, because fraudsters imitate exactly those threads to redirect payments. InvoiceInfo moves those questions out of the inbox: suppliers get invoice and payment answers from a secure portal login rather than from an AP employee replying to email. Fewer inbound inquiries means fewer messages for an impersonator to hide among and fewer chances for AP staff to act on a spoofed request.

DisbursementControls.com is an educational resource for mitigating payment and disbursement risk, operated by Financial Operations Networks (FON). It publishes guidance, templates, and tools on vendor verification, bank account validation, and payment fraud prevention for finance and accounts payable teams.

DisbursementControls.com serves finance and accounts payable professionals, controllers, treasury and procurement staff, compliance officers, and internal auditors who are responsible for payment security. These roles use the site to strengthen vendor onboarding, banking verification, and disbursement controls.

A DisbursementControls.com membership includes unlimited access to a library of expert-written articles on fraud prevention, vendor onboarding, and bank verification. Members receive downloadable checklists, policy and procedure templates, and risk mitigation frameworks, along with a weekly newsletter on fraud trends and regulatory updates. The membership also includes periodic webinars with industry experts and discounted pricing on certification programs from Financial Operations Networks (FON).

Disbursement controls are the policies, verification steps, and approval processes an organization uses to confirm a payment is going to the right vendor, at the right bank account, for a legitimate reason, before funds are released. They typically include vendor identity verification, bank account validation, sanctions and OFAC screening, and approval workflows for changes to vendor payment details. DisbursementControls.com, operated by Financial Operations Networks (FON), publishes guidance and templates for building these controls.

DisbursementControls.com helps finance and AP teams prevent payment fraud by publishing guidance on verifying vendor identity, authenticating banking details, and screening for OFAC and Know Your Business (KYB) requirements before a payment is approved. It also covers common fraud schemes, including business email compromise, vendor impersonation, ghost vendors, and payment redirection, so teams can recognize warning signs at vendor onboarding and during banking detail changes. The site is operated by Financial Operations Networks (FON).

VIMCOE, the Vendor Information Management Center of Excellence, is a provider of specialized education and training for accounts payable and procurement professionals, operated by Financial Operations Networks (FON). It focuses on vendor onboarding and vendor information management best practices, including compliance, fraud controls, and master file accuracy.

The AVIP (Accredited Vendor Information Professional) certification is a VIMCOE program covering vendor information management, from initial vendor data gathering and onboarding compliance to vendor master file maintenance, fraud controls, and vendor relations. The program has 9 modules and 52 lessons, is delivered online in a self-paced format, and ends with a certification exam.

The AP Payment Fraud Prevention Certification, offered through VIMCOE, covers common AP fraud schemes, cyberattacks targeting financial operations, the legal and regulatory framework for fraud prevention, ongoing risk assessment, internal fraud mitigation, and supplier information validation. The program has 12 sections and 70 lessons, is delivered online in a self-paced format, and ends with an assessment and certification.

VIMCOE certifications are designed for accounts payable and procurement professionals who manage vendor onboarding, vendor master data, or payment fraud prevention. They suit AP and procurement staff who want to formalize their expertise, as well as finance and compliance leaders who want their teams working from a documented standard for vendor information management and fraud controls.

Yes. FON offers specialized programs including the AP Payment Fraud Prevention Certification and the Accredited Vendor Information Professional (AVIP) Certification to help finance professionals strengthen expertise and advance their careers.

Yes. Financial Operations Networks (FON) offers the AP Payment Fraud Prevention Certification and the Accredited Vendor Information Professional (AVIP) Certification through VIMCOE, its center of excellence for vendor information management education. Both programs are delivered online in a self-paced format and help finance and AP professionals build expertise in fraud prevention and vendor information management.

VIMCOE's certification programs, including the AVIP and AP Payment Fraud Prevention certifications, are delivered online through a self-paced learning management system, so participants work through lessons on their own schedule rather than in a live class. Both programs end with a certification exam.

FON strengthens front-line control points across vendor onboarding, supplier maintenance, and payments — verifying vendor information, validating bank account ownership, running compliance checks, and reducing exposure to business email compromise (BEC) before payments are made.

Yes. Every W-9, TIN match, OFAC screen and bank account verification is recorded, and bank account changes require four-eyes approval, so the vendor file carries its own audit trail.

Request a demo and our team will walk you through how FON can strengthen your controls, reduce fraud exposure, and improve AP efficiency based on your organization’s goals.

About two weeks. VendorInfo and InvoiceInfo sit on top of the existing ERP — SAP, Oracle, Coupa, NetSuite, Workday, Sage Intacct — with no core-system replacement.

Yes. Request a demo and the FON team will walk through VendorInfo and InvoiceInfo using your own vendor onboarding and supplier-inquiry scenarios, then follow up within one business day.

Implementation support from the FON team, ongoing support for AP staff, and 24/7 self-service for suppliers through the portals. Beyond the products, DisbursementControls.com membership and VIMCOE certification keep your team current on payment fraud prevention and vendor information management.