CASS NCOA & Move Update Processing 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What minimum match score or criteria must be met for an NCOA link to be considered a valid match?
- Exact name and address match only
- Name and address match within defined USPS comparison rules including nickname and phonetic matching (Correct answer)
- ZIP+4 match alone is sufficient
- City and last name match is sufficient
Correct answer: Name and address match within defined USPS comparison rules including nickname and phonetic matching
NCOA matching uses USPS-defined rules that allow for nicknames, initials, and minor spelling variations to reduce false negatives while controlling false positives.
Question 2: A COA record has a move type of 'I' (Individual). How does this affect the update applied to a household record?
- All names at the old address are forwarded
- Only the specific named individual is updated; other household members are unaffected (Correct answer)
- The entire household is deleted from the list
- The move is applied to the business name at that address
Correct answer: Only the specific named individual is updated; other household members are unaffected
An Individual (I) move applies only to the named person, so other occupants at the same old address retain their original address records.
Question 3: What is a 'multi-move' scenario in NCOA processing, and how is it handled?
- When two people at the same address both have COAs
- When a person has filed more than one COA, and NCOA chains the moves to deliver the most current forwarding address (Correct answer)
- When a piece is forwarded more than once by the carrier
- When a business files COAs for multiple locations
Correct answer: When a person has filed more than one COA, and NCOA chains the moves to deliver the most current forwarding address
NCOA chains consecutive moves so that the output reflects the person's most current known address, not just the first forwarding address.
Question 4: Which NCOA return code category indicates that the input address itself could not be matched to a valid delivery point, independent of COA results?
- Move Applied codes
- No-stat codes
- Undeliverable-as-Addressed (UAA) codes (Correct answer)
- Delete codes
Correct answer: Undeliverable-as-Addressed (UAA) codes
UAA codes indicate the input address is not recognized as a valid deliverable address, which is separate from whether a COA exists.
Question 5: How does NCOA processing handle a COA where the new address is outside the United States?
- The new international address is returned and applied
- The record is flagged as a delete because NCOA only contains domestic addresses (Correct answer)
- The old address is retained and the record is marked international
- Processing is paused and the USPS is notified
Correct answer: The record is flagged as a delete because NCOA only contains domestic addresses
NCOA only contains domestic U.S. forwarding addresses, so an international move results in a delete action since no valid domestic forwarding address exists.
Question 6: A mailer processes a list through NCOA and 8% of records receive address updates. What is the most appropriate next step?
- Discard all updated records as suspicious
- Apply all valid updates and suppress delete results before finalizing the mailing (Correct answer)
- Re-run NCOA processing on only the updated records
- File a complaint with USPS about data quality
Correct answer: Apply all valid updates and suppress delete results before finalizing the mailing
Valid NCOA updates should be applied to the mailing list and records with delete results suppressed before the mailing is prepared and submitted.
Question 7: What is the significance of the NCOA 'ANK' (Address Not Known) return when combined with a COA match?
- The COA match is confirmed and the new address is deliverable
- A COA was found but the new forwarding address cannot be validated as deliverable (Correct answer)
- The input name was not found in the COA database
- The move date is too old to use
Correct answer: A COA was found but the new forwarding address cannot be validated as deliverable
An ANK result on the new address means the forwarding address from the COA cannot be confirmed as deliverable, so the mailer should treat it cautiously.
CASS NCOA & Move Update Processing 4
What minimum match score or criteria must be met for an NCOA link to be considered a valid match?