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POSTAL UPDATES

Postal Updates

The United States Postal Service Board of Governors held an open meeting on May 9th, 2025. They highlighted the Postal Service’s 250 years of operation and the current economic challenges, including cost control, revenue growth, and infrastructure modernization.

David Steiner Appointed 76th Postmaster General

From the USPS Corporate Affairs Website Postal Service Board of Governors appoints David Steiner to be 76th Postmaster General and CEO of the United States Postal Service The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors today announced that they have chosen David Steiner to...

Stamp Out Hunger with the USPS Annual Food Drive

USPS annual food drive is schedule for Saturday May 10th, 2025. The event which began in 1993 is the country’s largest single-day food drive.

GrayHair Software Launches New Website

Check back often for links to new stories, white papers and mailing resources. Please drop us a note with any feedback on how we can improve our efforts to support you.

USPS Informational Webinars on Service Standard Changes

The new service standard changes took effect April 1st, 2025.  The new measurement is using a 5-D to 5-D versus the less granular 3-D to 3-D.  Phase one of this change will be adding in an additional day into single piece First-Class mail that is entered more than 50 miles from an origin Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC) and non destination entered Marketing Mail and Periodicals. 

New Mailing Standards for Domestic Mailing Services Products

The Postal Service, published on May 1st  in the Federal Register a proposed rule for the structure changes as part of the proposed July 2025 postage increase.  A final rule will be published once the Postal Regulatory Commission approves the R2025-1 Market Dominant rate change.  

Search for a new Postmaster General (PMG) – could the wait be over?

This is the first National Postal Forum in my recollection in which we did not have a permanent Postmaster General (PMG) in office.  There have been transitional periods in USPS leadership – such as when acting PMG is in place due to retirement, resignation, or before a successor is officially named, but historically that replacement has been named prior to the NPF.  

Takeaways from the National Postal Forum 2025

Last week concluded a very successful National Postal Forum in Nashville, TN. GrayHair participated in six sessions at the forum on topics of Address Quality, Hot topics in Mail, Bridging the Gender Gap with leadership tips, and working with Postal and Client Data at Scale.  

Upcoming Industry / Postal Events

Save the dates for the upcoming industry / postal events!

Defining the “Perfect” Mailing Address

Defining the "Perfect" Mailing Address A well-designed address database is the bedrock of address quality.What exactly constitutes a “perfect” address? It might seem like a simple question, but the answer is more nuanced than you might think. The concept of a...

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Q3 MTAC Update

Changes to Quarterly Meetings

The quarterly MTAC meetings in Washington, DC, are being reformatted to focus on deeper, more technical discussions between the USPS and the mailing industry.

With these changes, attendance will be more restricted, and presentations or notes won’t be as widely distributed. If you’re part of an MTAC association, now is the time to ensure your MTAC Representatives are providing thorough feedback from these meetings. You can also consider becoming an MTAC Rep for a participating association. For more information, including current vacancies, visit the MTAC Membership Information page.

Emerging Mail Challenges

The ongoing issue of Undeliverable/Return mail continues to pose challenges due to increased volume and processing time. Additionally, several mailers have reported new processing issues:

  • Mail returned without Yellow stickers: Some mail has been returned without any indication of why it was undeliverable. This issue stemmed from an error with the Mail Service Provider (MSP), where the return address was mistakenly read and used to create the IMb, causing the USPS to deliver the pieces to the wrong address. Ensure Return and Addressee addresses are clearly separated and correctly placed on the mailpiece per USPS standards.
  • Marketing mail returned to sender instead of being disposed of: This issue is currently under investigation.
  • First Class mail incorrectly processed to generate a manual ACS notice: The root cause is under investigation.
  • BRM and CRM mail returned as undeliverable: Multiple potential root causes are under investigation. Mailers using unique piece identification and tracking on their reply mail can identify impacted pieces, associate them with the exact client, and mitigate negative impacts.

These updates highlight the importance of staying informed and engaged with MTAC developments. As always, we encourage you to remain connected and proactive in addressing these challenges.

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