RELIABLE BACKGROUND SCREENING INDUSTRY NEWS AND ARTICLES

Not all background screening companies maintain the highest levels of integrity and thoroughness, and of equal importance, not every background screening company is a consumer reporting agency (CRA). When a background screening company prepares a background screening report, it is called a consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA, the federal law that governs background checks). The FCRA imposes very specific disclosure requirements, particularly with employee screening, both upon the employer and upon the consumer reporting agency. There is not only the initial employee disclosure and authorization form that is required. Should an adverse action be taken (e.g., to fire, [...]

When companies hire a third-party employment background screening company to perform the background checks as part of their hiring process, both the employer and the background screening company must adhere to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA – the federal law that governs employee background checks). Many people have heard about the FCRA as the federal consumer lending protection law – which it is. However, the part of the FCRA that deals with employee screening has nothing to do with consumer credit cards, car loans, or mortgages. The Fair Credit Reporting Act imposes very stringent disclosure requirements upon the employer when the [...]

Credit reports are used as a component when evaluating financial capacity to repay loans, but they are also used as part of most background screening reports, such as resident and tenant screening, franchisee screening, country club membership screening, and often also for employee screening purposes. Many people struggle to read and understand the information that is contained in a credit report, plus not all credit reports provide the same information. Some of the features that are optional components of a credit report, and are not provided by every background screening company include: Year and State of Issuance of the Social Security Number [...]

Companies and organizations perform background checks for different reasons, and usually none of those reasons are to save money on their liability insurance costs. Nevertheless, performing thorough, best practices background checks should result in lower liability insurance expenses. However, it is important for companies and organizations to be proactive by contacting their insurance company to obtain their reduced insurance premiums. The more common reasons for background checks usually involve the following: Employee Screening – Protecting customers and employees, and shielding businesses against negligent hiring and retention liability.Volunteer Screening – Safety of the organization and its clients, members, donors, and employees.Country Club Membership [...]