New York – The Clearing House (TCH) announced today that Rusiru Gunasena has joined the company as Senior Vice President, RTP^® Product Management and Strategy, and will succeed 41-year payments industry veteran Steve Ledford, who is retiring.

Gunasena, a payments and fintech leader with over 20 years of experience across multiple industries, joins TCH from Jack Henry, where he was Managing Director of JHA PayCenter™, the faster payments hub that provides financial institutions with seamless connections to the RTP network. As leader of Jack Henry’s faster payments strategy, Gunasena oversaw the onboarding of over 170 banks and credit unions to the RTP network, more than any other third-party banking service provider.

In his role at TCH, Gunasena will oversee the ongoing growth of the RTP network, a modern platform for domestic real-time payments, complete with rich data capabilities and immediate payment confirmation. The RTP network currently reaches 61% of U.S. demand deposit accounts and more than 260 financial institutions are live on network.

“It is exciting to be able to join TCH and to continue to be able to work with financial institutions to increase the usage of real-time payments in the United States, which ultimately benefit bank and credit union customers,” says Gunasena. “I’m extremely grateful to everyone who trusted in me, gave me opportunities, taught me valuable lessons, and did the hard work to make things happen. Now, I’m happy to bring this experience to The Clearing House to help accelerate the already impressive growth of the RTP network.”

“We are excited to have Rusiru join The Clearing House during a key time of growth for the RTP network,” said Russ Waterhouse, Executive Vice President, Product Development and Strategy, The Clearing House. “Rusiru’s knowledge of the payments industry and experience with onboarding new financial institutions to JHA PayCenter will directly translate to helping to accelerate growth of the RTP network, providing unparalleled control and transparency to users.”

Gunasena will be replacing Ledford, who has been with TCH since 2013 as Senior Vice President, RTP Product Management and Strategy. Before formally joining TCH, Ledford consulted with the company as far back as 1992. Ledford also worked for BAI, an industry education & research group, after spending a portion of his career at South Carolina National Bank and First Interstate, both now part of Wells Fargo. Ledford has also served as TCH’s representative on the board of directors for the Faster Payments Council and P20, and on the steering committee for the Faster Payments Task Force.

“The Clearing House has given me the opportunity to work on the most exciting payments initiatives in the industry,” said Ledford. “I've also had the privilege to work with the best team in the payments business."

“Steve has been instrumental in not only conceptualizing the RTP network, but also bringing it to life,” said Jim Aramanda, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Clearing House. “Without the tireless dedication and work of Steve and the entire RTP team, the network would not be where it is today. It was an absolute pleasure working with Steve over the years, and I wish him luck in his retirement.”

About The Clearing House
The Clearing House operates U.S.-based payments networks that clear and settle more than $2 trillion each day through wire, ACH, check image, and real-time payments. It is the nation’s most experienced payments company, with a long track record of providing secure and reliable systems, payments innovation, and strategic thought leadership to financial institutions. In 2017, The Clearing House revolutionized U.S. payments by introducing the RTP® network, which supports the immediate clearing and settlement of payments, along with the ability to exchange related payment information across the same secure channel. These RTP capabilities enable all financial institutions to offer safer, faster, and smarter digital transaction services for their corporate and retail customers. Learn more at www.theclearinghouse.org.

Media Contact:
Greg MacSweeney
Vice President & Head of Communications
The Clearing House 
212.612.9282
gregory.macsweeney@theclearinghouse.org