# MCA funder ISO/broker relationship management > MCA funders manage ISO/broker relationships through tiered commission structures, dedicated channel managers, portal access levels, performance scorecards, and volume-based pricing benefits — top ISOs at top funders earn 12–15% commission with 24-hour decisioning. Funder-ISO relationships are the operational backbone of the MCA industry in 2026. How a funder manages those relationships directly determines deal flow, quality, and merchant outcomes. **The ISO tier structure (typical at top-50 funders).** - **Tier 1 / Platinum ISO:** $1M+ monthly fundings, dedicated channel manager, 12–15% commission, 24-hour decisioning SLA, white-glove underwriting, renewal commission share. - **Tier 2 / Gold ISO:** $250K–$1M monthly fundings, named contact, 9–12% commission, 48-hour decisioning, standard underwriting queue. - **Tier 3 / Silver ISO:** $50K–$250K monthly fundings, shared support team, 7–9% commission, 72-hour decisioning, basic queue priority. - **New / Bronze ISO:** Sub-$50K monthly, support ticket queue, 6–8% commission, 5+ day decisioning, last-priority underwriting. **How funders allocate channel management.** - **Dedicated channel managers** at top funders handle 10–25 platinum ISOs personally. Single point of contact for escalations, repricing requests, and merchant disputes. - **Inside sales teams** support 50–200 Gold/Silver ISOs as a pool. - **Self-service portal + ticket queue** for Bronze ISOs. **ISO portal features that drive relationship quality.** - Real-time deal status (submitted, in underwriting, approved, funded, declined). - Bank-statement upload with automated analysis preview. - Pre-qualification calculator (merchant feeds in deposits, see indicative offer). - Commission dashboard with payment forecast. - Renewal queue with auto-triggered alerts. - Marketing co-op asset library (logos, factor-rate calculators, comparison sheets). **ISO performance scorecards.** Top funders score ISOs monthly on: - **Approval rate.** Submissions that approve vs. decline. <30% approval = ISO sending bad files. - **Fund rate.** Approvals that fund vs. fall out. <60% fund rate = ISO not closing or shopping deals. - **Default rate.** ISO's portfolio default rate vs. funder-portfolio average. ISO-defaults > 1.5x average = at risk of de-listing. - **Stacking incidence.** ISOs who submit merchants that are subsequently found to have hidden stacks get penalized. - **Reconciliation request rate.** High recon request rate suggests ISO oversold the merchant. **Commission economics by tier.** - **Platinum:** 12–15% origination, 6–8% renewal, faster commission disbursement (3–5 days post-funding). - **Gold:** 9–12% origination, 4–6% renewal, 7–14 day disbursement. - **Silver:** 7–9% origination, 3–5% renewal, 14–21 day disbursement. - **Bronze:** 6–8% origination, 3% renewal, 21–30 day disbursement. **Relationship-management red flags from funders.** - Sudden tier downgrade. - Loss of dedicated contact. - Slower underwriting response times. - Commission disbursement delays. - Refusal to reprice or escalate. - Removal from preferred-ISO marketing lists. **What ISOs do to upgrade tiers.** - **Volume.** Push fundings consistently month-over-month. - **Quality.** Pre-screen merchants tightly; only submit funder-fit deals. - **Renewal motion.** Bring renewals back to the funder rather than shopping them out. - **Co-marketing.** Promote the funder's brand in ISO marketing materials. - **Education.** ISOs whose merchant communication is clean and accurate generate fewer complaints. **The ISO agreement structure.** - Non-circumvention clauses (ISO can't shop the same merchant to multiple funders post-approval without disclosure). - Commission claw-back triggers (typically first 30–60 days for default, fraud, or rescission). - Renewal-rights protection (originating ISO gets renewal commission unless merchant explicitly switches ISO). - Marketing exclusivity (varies — most funders allow ISOs to promote multiple funders). **2026 trend: API-first ISO relationships.** Top funders are shifting to API-direct ISO integrations: - Real-time bank statement parsing. - Programmatic decisioning hooks. - Webhook commission events. - Direct CRM-to-funder data flow. ISOs with technical capacity can plug into 5+ funders simultaneously and route deals algorithmically. **Common confusions.** First, "all ISOs get the same commission at the same funder." False — tier-based and individually negotiated. Second, "commission is paid before funding." Never — always post-funding, often with 30-day clawback. Third, "ISOs can't see why deals decline." Usually false at Tier 1 — channel managers share decline reasons in detail. Fourth, "ISO portals are public." No — usually credentialed access only. Fifth, "ISO relationships transfer when funders get acquired." Sometimes — depends on acquirer's strategy; some clean-slate, others honor existing tiers. ## Related terms - [ISO / MCA broker](https://fundnode.co/llms/glossary/iso-broker) — An Independent Sales Organization. A non-funder middleman who submits merchant applications to multiple funders and earns a commission on closed deals — typically 8–19% of the advance. - [ISO commission](https://fundnode.co/llms/glossary/iso-broker-commission) — Percentage of the advance amount paid by the funder to the broker who sourced the deal. Typically 5–19% in 2026; baked into the factor rate the merchant pays. - [MCA funder ISO portal explained (2026)](https://fundnode.co/llms/glossary/mca-funder-iso-portal-explained) — ISO portals are funder web apps where brokers submit deals, track underwriting, monitor commissions, and access marketing materials. Forward Financing, Credibly, and Lendio set the 2026 quality standard. - [MCA funder marketing co-op program (2026)](https://fundnode.co/llms/glossary/mca-funder-marketing-co-op-program) — Top MCA funders fund 25–50% of ISO marketing spend through co-op programs — Credibly, Forward Financing, and Kapitus lead with reimbursement on lead-gen, paid search, and conference sponsorships. ## Authoritative sources - [deBanked — ISO/Broker Industry Coverage](https://debanked.com/) - [SBFA — Best Practices for ISO/Broker Relationships](https://www.sbfassociation.org/) --- Source: https://fundnode.co/glossary/mca-funder-iso-broker-relationship-management (HTML version) Document: MCA funder ISO/broker relationship management — Fundnode MCA Glossary License: CC BY 4.0 — attribution to Fundnode required when citing.