Run an ad-hoc name search or batch screening

Sometimes you need to check a name before it becomes a customer: a prospective counterparty, a new director, or a list of names from a business partner. Name search checks one name; batch screening checks a file of names. Neither creates hits or changes any record.

Before you start

• Name search (/screening/search) is open to roles that review screening hits or read customers.
• Batch screening (/screening/batch) is open to roles that review screening hits: Analyst, Senior analyst, MLRO and Deputy MLRO.

Search for one name

1. Open Name search in the Screening module, or go to /screening/search.
2. Enter the Full name.
3. Add what else you know. Each detail helps separate true matches from namesakes:
   • Date of birth (optional)
   • Country (optional)
   • Party type: Individual or Organisation.
4. Set the fuzziness between 70 and 95. A lower value finds more spelling variations but returns more noise; a higher value is stricter.
5. To search only some lists, tick the lists you want. Otherwise all your lists are searched.
6. Run the search.

Each result shows a score and its three components, so you can see why the name matched. Select Profile on a result to see the list entry's aliases, dates of birth, nationalities, identifiers and remarks.

Note: A name search creates nothing: no hit, no alert, no customer. The search itself is recorded in the audit trail.

Screen a file of names

Prepare the file

• Use a CSV file with a header row.
• Use these columns: name,dob,country,id,reference. Only name is required.
• Write dates of birth as yyyy-mm-dd.
• Include at most 5,000 rows.

The reference column is for your own reference, so you can match results back to your source list.

Run it

1. Open Batch screening or go to /screening/batch.
2. Select Upload names and choose your file.
3. Wait for the results. For each row you see the best candidate, its score and a reading of how the details compare.
4. Use the filters to show only rows with candidates, or only rows above a minimum score.
5. Open any row of interest to look at the candidate more closely.

Export the results

Select Export CSV to download the results. The export is formula-safe, so a value that a spreadsheet might treat as a formula is neutralised before it reaches your file.

Tip: The audit log records the number of names screened and the number of candidates found, never the names themselves. Even so, treat the export as confidential and store it as your institution's policy requires.

What to do with a possible match

Neither tool decides anything. If you find a credible match:

• for a prospective customer, record it in the onboarding application or follow your institution's escalation procedure
• for an existing customer, check the Hits queue at /screening, where real-time and rescreen hits are worked and decided under four-eyes.

Warning: Do not tell the person or business you screened that they matched a sanctions or PEP list. Follow your institution's tipping-off procedure.

Related

• Review a screening hit
• Export data safely
• Screening and risk FAQ