How Are Risk Levels Determined

🛡️ How We Determine Risk Levels

We know that understanding a background check requires context. Our Default Finding Level—what we call the risk level—is an automated scoring system that helps you quickly assess the severity and relevance of a finding.

The system is designed to be straightforward and logical, categorizing every record into one of three easy-to-understand groups:

High	These are findings that are adverse and highly relevant to a hiring or compliance decision. They often involve criminal, financial distress, or serious regulatory issues.	Adversary Proceeding Bankruptcy County Felonies, Judgments, Misdemeanors, Incarcerations County, State, and Federal Tax Liens Derogatory Press Federal Felonies, Judgments, Misdemeanors, Incarcerations Global and National Sanctions High Risk Jurisdiction Record International Criminal Regulatory Sex Offender State Criminal State Incarceration U.S. Tax Court
Moderate	These are findings that are adverse but less severe or may require additional context. They often include certain civil filings, minor financial records, or minor criminal/traffic offenses.	Adverse Affiliation Child Support Lien County and Federal Civil Records HOA Lien International Civil, Judgments, Litigation International Tax Lien Mechanics Lien Other Lien PPSA Record PPSR Record Sales Tax Lien School Lien Social Media Screenshot Record State Civil Record UCC Record
Informational	These are non-adverse records that simply provide important context or verify a subject's personal history. They are crucial for verification but do not indicate risk.	Aircraft or Vessel Ownership Bank Account Record Biography Record Brokerage Account Business Credit Company Ownership Consumer Credit Corporate Registration DMV Report Education, Employment, Professional Licenses Entity Affiliation Evictions & Foreclosures FAA Registration Federal Agency FHFA Record Fixture Filing ICIJ Record Management & Board of Directors Non-Derogatory Press Ownership Structure PEP Record Person Affiliation Pledge Record Political Donation Record Real Estate Ownership (international & domestic) Recent Income Record Social Media Platform Social Media Report Source of Wealth Subsidiaries and Affiliated Companies

🛠️ Customize Your Risk

We provide default risk levels to give you a solid foundation for evaluating findings, but we understand that every organization has unique needs and risk tolerance.

Our system allows you to customize the risk level for any record type. This means you can:

• Downgrade or upgrade any record risk level for your organization

• Align risk with compliance policies

To explore or modify your default finding levels, please contact your account manager for assistance.