There are a few factors to consider when choosing a Merchant Bank. These might include but are not limited to; 1. Find out where this Merchant is located geographically. By finding this out, you can decide if you'd rather work with a closer merchant in your state, city or even country. The reason behind this, is that most of the time, It is easier to contact companies, e.g. Merchant Banks/Providers if they are in the same country as you. 2. Find out about the FEES that the bank charge for ever transaction. Do not fall into the trap of most Banks when they state things such as: "No setup Fee, Ever!" or "$50 Setup Fee Only!", as these are just "hook-you-in" tools of the trade. For example, 2CO better known as www.2checkout.com, have a setup fee, AS WELL as a fee for each transaction made, and ontop of all that, a commision, or percantage of each sale you make. 3. Last but not least, funnily enough, make sure the place you are eyeing out is actually a REAL Merchant Bank. Lately, there have been countless cases where Hackers and Identify Thiefs have made up clone sites to Mine people's personal information. The best way to do this is to MANUALLY type in the address of site's you want to visit. Get in the practise of NOT clicking links to places that use your personal information. PS: Always look for the padlock in your browser when you are sending private information such as credit cards over the net. If the site claims to be "secure" it MUST have an address starting with https:// (note the S at the end of http) AND a padlock image shown somewhere on the browser. Best of Luck!

Here's a link to a great article about how to look for a good merchant account provider: http://www.adultmerchantpay.com/payment_processor_for_adult_sites_10_steps.php I guess for me, what was important was the fees. It was my number one consideration when I was looking for one. It's really hard to assess which banks provide "good" fees. Some charge set-up fees. Others have per transaction charges. It's really up to you to do your research as to what's acceptable or not in your industry. As a general rule..high risk equals high fees. If you're luck enough to find a bank that doesn't charge that, well and good. Service is next on my list. I want a merchant bank I can reach when things go wrong. I always test how fast they can respond to my email inquiries..I even call to find out if it's a real bank. Finally, security. Since this is a merchant bank that I'm looking for, I need to know that my money and my clients' money will be safe. Ask about the technical aspects of how they handle transactions. SSL encryptions, AVS and BIN checks are good signs of safety.