Background Screening

Criminal records will be researched in the applicable jurisdiction(s) to meet the search scope criteria. Records may be researched through statewide repositories, county/superior courts and/or lower/district/municipal courts. We will conduct the most comprehensive, timely and cost-effective criminal history search based on the information provided and our thorough knowledge of jurisdictional variables.

A statewide criminal record search will be made in states where a central repository is accessible and results are available within three (3) to five (5) business days. Alternately, a county criminal record search will be conducted and may be supplemented by an additional search of lower, district or municipal court records. These searches generally reveal warrants, pending cases, and felony and misdemeanor convictions.

Federal criminal records will be researched through the applicable U.S. District Court(s) to meet the search scope criteria. Searches are performed through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system, which allows us to obtain case and docket information from federal appellate and district courts. Criminal courts at this level include securities and tax law violations, immigration, weapons, and interstate drug crimes filed at the federal courthouse. Generally, federal courts only hear cases in which the United States is a party. Some examples includes crimes which take place on federal land, bankruptcy cases and cases which allege violations of the Constitution.

Criminal record history checks globally are generally performed at the national criminal register level, the district, city police or court levels based on the country and the availability of information. We will conduct the most comprehensive, timely and cost-effective criminal history search based on the information provided and our thorough knowledge of jurisdictional variables.

The National Criminal Locator (NCL) is a tool used to conduct a broad search across numerous criminal databases throughout the United States. This service typically aggregates information from over 2,800 databases, drawing data from both state and county agencies nationwide, with access to over 900 million criminal records. It serves as a valuable preliminary resource in background screening, especially for individuals with a history in multiple locations, by identifying potential criminal records across various jurisdictions. Additionally, the NCL includes a 50 state sex offender search to include high-risk registered sex offenders. Although this tool is not exhaustive as it is database driven and does not include federal records, it can pinpoint locations where additional investigation may be needed, particularly if it uncovers potential criminal records in areas where the individual did not reside.

This service is a nationwide search of highest risk registered sex offenders in all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Individuals convicted of such crimes as sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual conduct, luring or enticing, and kidnapping, or who have been found to be repetitive and compulsive by experts and the courts are required to register with their state authorities. Specific registration requirements are dictated by state laws and are based on dates of offense, sentence and/or release from custody.

Most states maintain a sex offender database that is available as a source of public record. Individuals convicted of such crimes as sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual conduct, luring or enticing, and kidnapping, or who have been found to be repetitive and compulsive by experts and the courts are required to register with their state authorities. Specific registration requirements are dictated by state laws and are based on dates of offense, sentence and/or release from custody. Consistent with the scope of the criminal history search, a search will be conducted in the applicant’s name, in the applicable jurisdiction(s), where permissible by law.

A Social Security Trace is a database compiled from hundreds of different sources including credit headers, U.S. Postal Service address forwarding, utility bill records and other sources. This search reveals names and addresses historically associated with the applicant’s provided number which can then be used to determine the parameters of other aspects of the background investigation.

Search consists of global regulatory authorities checks, global compliance checks, financial crime investigative database, politically exposed persons (PEP) database search, money laundering, corporate scandals and terrorist financing database search, stolen passport database search, foreign press search (translated into English).

This search will verify whether a name, date of birth and social security number (SSN) combination match the data in the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) records. If applicable, we will report a death indicator when the search reflects that the SSN holder is deceased.

The applicable diploma(s)/degree(s) will be verified to meet the search scope criteria. We will confirm all information provided by educational institution or appropriate academic verification clearing house, typically diploma/degree received, major, date of graduation and dates of attendance. In addition, we will make note if the institution is not accredited by a known accrediting body.

Employment listed on the applicant’s employment application, resume and/or surfaced during the course of the investigation will be verified through the respective employers to meet the search scope criteria. While most personnel departments will verify dates and position, we will attempt to obtain more detailed information, including eligibility for rehire, and reason for leaving.

Employment verifications are conducted to meet the specific requirements for employee screening in select industries regulated by such federal government agencies as the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), encompassing positions in transportation, healthcare, education, financial services and the nuclear industry.

This verification offered through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is used to verify self-employment and/or previous employment that is otherwise unverifiable.

Verification of period and character of military service will be provided through request and receipt of a DD214 Form from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) and/or through contact with the veteran’s last duty station.

Verification of dates of enlistment and branch of service through the Defense Manpower Data Center and/or through contact with the veteran’s last duty station.

Confirmation of requested professional license(s), as well as disciplinary history, will be obtained through the appropriate licensing authorities.

Residence(s) will be verified through means including but not limited to a Social Security Trace, employers, character references, credit report, landlords, neighbors, tax assessors and/or computer databases.

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) maintains a database of physician board certification information on more than 700,000 specialty physicians representing 36 medical specialties and 88 subspecialties. This primary sourced information is collected from recognized medical specialty boards, not self-reported by physicians, and is fully recognized by healthcare accreditation organizations for credentialing purposes.

Since the information provided does not include board certification effective or expiration dates, it is not accepted by the JCAHO, NCQA, URAC, AAAHC, AAAASF, and other accrediting organizations for commercial use to verify physician credentials for accreditation purposes.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves the public interest by promoting the value of professional, competent and ethical financial planning services, as represented by those who have attained CFPA® certification. CFP Board sets and enforces the requirements for CFPA® certification.

DEA database of persons and organizations certified to handle controlled substances under the Controlled Substance Act.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Suspended Counterparty Program includes a list of individuals suspended from doing business with the following regulated entities; Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks.

A search of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) Board Action Data Bank.

The Fraud and Abuse Control Information System (FACIS) Level 1 Database includes the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and General Services Administration (GSA). Each action by an agency is reported separately. An individual or entity may be the subject of adverse action by more than one agency for the same or different events.

The FACIS is a comprehensive database of individuals or entities sanctioned in the healthcare field. This search combines information from the General Services Administration (GSA/SAM), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and sanctions/disciplinary action administered by additional federal agencies. In addition, state disciplinary findings from every publishing jurisdiction in the United States from all publishing disciplinary and licensing boards for all published professions within those jurisdictions. This is the most comprehensive search available in the United States and is considered the “Gold Standard” for sanction screening.

FINRA BrokerCheck is derived from the Central Registration Depository (CRD®) the securities industry registration and licensing database. This search confirms whether a broker or investment advisor representative is licensed to conduct business and if any reported sanctions for investment related violations have been imposed.

In compliance with Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, (12 U.S.C. 1829) Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA), a search will be made of five federal banking agency databases to determine if the applicant has a record of removal, suspension or prohibition from participating in the conduct of affairs with a deposition institution insured by the FDIC. The five federal banking agency databases are: FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), FRB (Federal Reserve Board), NCUA (National Credit Union Administration), OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency) and OTS (Office of Thrift Supervision).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a list of firms and persons that have been debarred pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and as published in the Federal Register.

This list identifies parties excluded from receiving federal contracts or subcontracts as well as parties excluded from receiving certain types of federal financial and non-financial assistance or benefits.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on US foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign countries and regimes, terrorists, international narcotics traffickers, those engaged in activities related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and other threats to the national security, foreign policy or economy of the United States. OFAC acts under Presidential national emergency powers, as well as authority granted by specific legislation, to impose controls on transactions and freeze assets under US jurisdiction. Many of the sanctions are based on United Nations and other international mandates, are multilateral in scope, and involve close cooperation with allied governments.

The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) maintains a database of individuals and entities that are excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and from all other Federal health care programs.

A search is made of multiple National and International restriction lists, including the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN), Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Defense Trade Controls (DTC) Debarred Parties, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security Denied Persons List, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security Denied Entities List, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security Unverified Entities List, FBI Most Wanted Terrorists List, FBI Top Ten Most Wanted Lists, FBI Seeking Information, FBI Seeking Information on Terrorism, FBI Parental Kidnappings, FBI Crime Alerts, FBI Kidnappings and Missing Persons, FBI Televised Sexual Predators, FBI Fugitives – Crimes Against Children, FBI Fugitives – Cyber Crimes, FBI Fugitives – Violent Crimes: Murders, FBI Fugitives – Additional Violent Crimes, FBI Fugitives – Criminal Enterprise Investigations, FBI Fugitives – Domestic Terrorism, FBI Fugitives – White Collar Crimes, DEA Most Wanted Fugitives, DEA Major International Fugitives, U.S. Marshals Service 15 Most Wanted, U.S. Secret Service Most Wanted Fugitives, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations Most Wanted Fugitives, U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS) Most Wanted Fugitives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Most Wanted Fugitives, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Wanted Fugitive Criminal Aliens, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Most Wanted Human Smugglers, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Most Wanted, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Most Wanted, Politically Exposed Persons List, Foreign Agent Registrations List, United Nations Consolidation Sanctions List, Bank of England Financial Sanctions List, World Bank List of Ineligible Firms, Interpol Most Wanted List, European Union Terrorist List, OSFI Canada List of Financial Sanctions, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Most Wanted, Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade List, Russian Federal Fugitives, Scotland Yard’s Most Wanted, and the World’s Most Wanted Fugitives.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is responsible for implementing a series of regulatory initiatives required under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The SEC Search provides regulatory actions, enforcement and litigation.

Mandated by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act (CMVSA) of 1986, Commercial Driver's License Information System (CDLIS) supports the issuance of commercial driver licenses (CDLs) by the jurisdictions, and assists jurisdictions in meeting the goals of the basic tenet "that each driver, nationwide, have only one driver license and one record" through the cooperative exchange of commercial driver information between jurisdictions.

The Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) Safety Record contains the most recent five years of crash data and the most recent three years of roadside inspection data from the FMCSA MCMIS system for an individual driver. The record displays a snapshot in time, based on the most recent MCMIS data load to the PSP system.

The Motor Vehicle Report conducted as part of the initial background screening and then again annually upon request. This report will be obtained through the motor vehicle division of the state in which the applicant is licensed, and provides information relating to license class, restrictions, status and expiration date, violations, revocations, suspensions, accidents and insurance cancellations.

Credit reports will be obtained from one or more of the major credit bureaus. These reports identify trade accounts, credit limits, balances, payment history, collection accounts, bankruptcies and tax liens. They also may provide additional verification and/or identify discrepancies with regards to the applicant’s name, address, social security number and employment history.

Each reference will be interviewed to determine the type and length of relationship to the applicant. CSI will use a series of open-ended questions, which are designed to elicit information about the applicant’s character, experience and reliability.

Civil records will be researched in the applicable jurisdiction(s) to meet the search scope criteria. Civil suits at the county level encompass such matters as small claims disputes, breach of contract and real estate foreclosures.

Civil records will be researched in the applicable jurisdiction(s) to meet the search scope criteria. Civil suits at the county level encompass such matters as small claims disputes, breach of contract and real estate foreclosures.

Federal civil records will be researched through the applicable U.S. Court(s) to meet the search scope criteria. Searches are performed through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system, which allows us to obtain case and docket information from federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts. Civils suits at this level include civil rights violations, torts, bankruptcy and civil cases filed at the federal courthouse.

Through our proprietary software integration with the federal government's Employment Verification Program (E-Verify), we conduct automated Form I-9 legal "right to work" verifications for employers. Using the specific information contained on the Form I-9, we electronically verify the accuracy of Social Security Numbers, Immigration "A" numbers, and I-94 arrival/departure numbers and provide a DHS-issued unique verification number, which should be attached to the employee's original Form I-9.

The search involves a combination of technology and human expert analytics to correctly identify a candidate's online presence on any publicly available website, including social media, blogs, micro-blogs, photo sharing, online commerce, news and media and much more. Once a candidate's profile is identified, the content is reviewed and flagged for any workplace safety issues - racism/intolerance, violence, potentially illegal activity, or sexually explicit material. A report is then created with examples of red flagged material with the redaction of any federal or state protected class information. The report provides insight into a candidate's online behavior and appropriateness as a candidate who is a fit for a company's basic code of conduct, values, or social media policy and limits risk of a negligent hire. All information provided on the report are actionable towards a hiring decision and consent is required before this report can be performed.