Does Plaid provide information about the location the checking account was initially opened or the general location of the account owner's residence? The biggest problem with Stripe is they provide ZERO checks on IP location + billing/shipping zip code, checking the email against known fraudulent email addresses, or shipping location against known drop locations.
Right off the bat one thing you should really try to change is the lack of MFA by Wells Fargo. You should beg and plead to have them do something. They're by far the most available and cheapest accounts sold online.
I'll hear a lot more about beating your system in the future. I'll pass along whatever I hear.
I'm hoping "validating available balance" for a dev means "sufficient funds to cover this transaction" (which might not factor in any overdraft facility), and certainly not:
"developer can see account balances".
How does validating the balance and checking the owner's identity help? When someone's identity and bank credentials are sold (~$15-$300) it's usually very inclusive. MMN, DOB, SSN, previous residences, balances, cards attached to the account, security questions... It's not like people are just selling numbers from a check they found on the sidewalk.