Fewer false positives
on your terms
Set how closely names, dates and identifiers must match, once at organisation level, and every scan, batch and API request screens to your settings.
Settings that shape your results
Set once, organisation wide
One configuration applied across scans, batch scans and API requests.
See why a name returned
Match types, rates and scopes you can explain line by line.
Known false positives, gone
Whitelist decisions keep confirmed non-matches out of later scans.
Close name match rate
The match rate, made visible
Close Name Match Rate is a threshold from 1 to 100 percent. Only names scoring at or above it are returned, and 80 percent is the recommended default.
- 100%John
- 80%JohnnieJohnnyDefault
- 50%JonJoanJonah
- 1%JuneJaneJayneJuanand more
Name match types
Exact
First and last name match exactly, with spaces and hyphens ignored.
Exact (Including Middle Name)
First, middle and last name all match exactly, or the watchlist record has no middle name.
Close
Similar sounding names match by phonetic and fuzzy search of Latin-based names.
Higher rates return closer variations, lower rates wider ones. The rate applies to names only, not date of birth.
Organisation settings
Set your organisation's matching
A compliance officer sets scan settings once in Administration, and every scan, batch and API request applies them.
Open Individual Scan Settings
A compliance officer opens Administration, then Organisation, then Settings, and lands on the individual scan settings.
- Administration > Organisation > Settings
- Individual, Corporate, Watchlists and Monitoring tabs
- Other roles may edit, depending on rights
Set the match type and rate
Choose Default Name Match Type, and set Close Name Match Rate where Close is used.
- Exact, Exact (Including Middle Name) or Close
- Rate from 1 to 100 percent
- 80 percent is the recommended default
Give every field its own scope
Matching Scope narrows results field by field, so one field can be strict while another stays wide.
- Date of Birth: Matches and Blanks
- ID Number: Mismatches
- Also Gender and Nationality
Apply the whitelist and residence policy
Whitelist Policy Apply keeps past No Match decisions out, and the country of residence policy can apply to every category.
- Whitelist Policy: Apply
- Country of Residence Policy: Apply to All
- Whitelisting needs a Client ID
Keep domestic PEPs out
Set PEP Jurisdiction Policy to Apply and list your own country under Exclude from screening, so domestic PEPs are not returned.
- PEP Jurisdiction Policy: Apply
- Exclude from screening: Australia
- Leave Apply to PEP unchecked
Save, and leave choices to users
Saved settings become the preset for the organisation. Anything left as User Defined stays with the user at scan time.
- Per organisation or suborganisation
- A parent officer can edit suborganisations
- User Defined chosen at scan time
Open Individual Scan Settings. A compliance officer opens Administration, then Organisation, then Settings, and lands on the individual scan settings.
Open
Open Individual Scan Settings
A compliance officer opens Administration, then Organisation, then Settings, and lands on the individual scan settings.
- Administration > Organisation > Settings
- Individual, Corporate, Watchlists and Monitoring tabs
- Other roles may edit, depending on rights
Rate
Set the match type and rate
Choose Default Name Match Type, and set Close Name Match Rate where Close is used.
- Exact, Exact (Including Middle Name) or Close
- Rate from 1 to 100 percent
- 80 percent is the recommended default
Scope
Give every field its own scope
Matching Scope narrows results field by field, so one field can be strict while another stays wide.
- Date of Birth: Matches and Blanks
- ID Number: Mismatches
- Also Gender and Nationality
Policies
Apply the whitelist and residence policy
Whitelist Policy Apply keeps past No Match decisions out, and the country of residence policy can apply to every category.
- Whitelist Policy: Apply
- Country of Residence Policy: Apply to All
- Whitelisting needs a Client ID
PEP
Keep domestic PEPs out
Set PEP Jurisdiction Policy to Apply and list your own country under Exclude from screening, so domestic PEPs are not returned.
- PEP Jurisdiction Policy: Apply
- Exclude from screening: Australia
- Leave Apply to PEP unchecked
Save
Save, and leave choices to users
Saved settings become the preset for the organisation. Anything left as User Defined stays with the user at scan time.
- Per organisation or suborganisation
- A parent officer can edit suborganisations
- User Defined chosen at scan time
Matching Scope
How wide should each field look?
Every field you enter narrows the results by its own scope. One search with a date of birth shows the difference.
Matches only
Returns only profiles whose value matches. A true match with no value on record is eliminated.
- Ahmad Rashidi14/03/1985
- Ahmad Al-RashidiNot on record
- Ahmad Rasheedi09/11/1978
- Ahmed RashidiNot on record
- Mohammad Rashidi14/03/1985
Matches and Blanks
Also returns profiles that hold no value for the field.
- Ahmad Rashidi14/03/1985
- Ahmad Al-RashidiNot on record
- Ahmad Rasheedi09/11/1978
- Ahmed RashidiNot on record
- Mohammad Rashidi14/03/1985
Mismatches
Also returns profiles whose value disagrees, flagged as unmatched.
- Ahmad Rashidi14/03/1985
- Ahmad Al-RashidiNot on record
- Ahmad Rasheedi09/11/1978
- Ahmed RashidiNot on record
- Mohammad Rashidi14/03/1985
A profile holding a different value is returned only under Mismatches.
A scope applies to
Screening
Screen with your settings
Run a single scan and the settings you chose do the narrowing.
Enter the customer
Fill the individual scan form: names, client ID, date of birth and country of residence.
- First Name and Last Name
- Client ID and Date of Birth
- Country of Residence
Confirm the settings shown
Values set at organisation level show read-only. Anything marked User Defined can be chosen before the scan runs.
- Name Match Type
- Close Name Match Rate
- Whitelist Policy and Matching Scope
Close returns the variants
The scan returns the phonetic variant of the entered name, narrowed by scope and rate.
- Ahmad Al-Rashidi returned
- Category chip: PEP Tier 2
- Narrowed by scope and rate
Record the decision
Review the returned profile and record a due diligence decision against the client ID.
- Decision: No Match
- Recorded against the Client ID
- Decision retained
It stops coming back
With Whitelist Policy set to Apply, that entity no longer returns on later scans for the same client.
- Whitelist Policy: Apply
- Excluded from later scans
- Client ID required
Enter the customer. Fill the individual scan form: names, client ID, date of birth and country of residence.
Enter
Enter the customer
Fill the individual scan form: names, client ID, date of birth and country of residence.
- First Name and Last Name
- Client ID and Date of Birth
- Country of Residence
Confirm
Confirm the settings shown
Values set at organisation level show read-only. Anything marked User Defined can be chosen before the scan runs.
- Name Match Type
- Close Name Match Rate
- Whitelist Policy and Matching Scope
Scan
Close returns the variants
The scan returns the phonetic variant of the entered name, narrowed by scope and rate.
- Ahmad Al-Rashidi returned
- Category chip: PEP Tier 2
- Narrowed by scope and rate
Ahmad Rashidi
United Arab Emirates
Ahmad Al-Rashidi
PEP Tier 2Close match · phonetic variant
Decide
Record the decision
Review the returned profile and record a due diligence decision against the client ID.
- Decision: No Match
- Recorded against the Client ID
- Decision retained
Ahmad Al-Rashidi
Close match · phonetic variant
Whitelist
It stops coming back
With Whitelist Policy set to Apply, that entity no longer returns on later scans for the same client.
- Whitelist Policy: Apply
- Excluded from later scans
- Client ID required
Ahmad Al-Rashidi
No Match
Fine tuning
More ways to cut the noise
Beyond the name rules, these settings trim results further. They live in the same organisation settings.
Stopwords
Corporate words such as pty are ignored, and a reset restores the defaults.
Wildcard search
Add an asterisk to a company name when the suffix is uncertain.
Watchlist categories
Choose categories and subcategories, with List Access setting the scope.
Custom watchlists
Screen your own lists too, switched on per organisation or suborganisation.
Aircraft and vessels
Include or exclude both profile types in sanctions and adverse media search.
Monitoring scope
Monitoring carries its own Matching Scope, independent of the scan setting.
API
The same settings through the API
Organisation and suborganisation settings apply to API requests, and the scope in force is recorded against each scan.
User Defined per request
Where a setting is User Defined, the API client supplies the value during screening.
matchScopePolicy
Pass the matching scope with the scan. It replaces the deprecated ignoreBlankPolicy, which is still accepted.
Reproducible results
The scope used is recorded against the scan, so any result can be reproduced.
"matchScopePolicy": "Mismatches"Example request bodyRelated solutions
Narrow the noise across the programme
Configurable matching settings apply across these MemberCheck solutions.
MemberCheck
PEP & Sanctions Screening
Screen against PEP, sanctions and other categories with your match settings applied.
Learn moreMemberCheck
Ongoing Monitoring
Rescreen on schedule, with monitoring's own Matching Scope watching more widely.
Learn moreMemberCheck
Adverse Media Screening
Add recent news coverage to the picture your settings have narrowed.
Learn moreFAQ
Frequently asked questions
What can I configure to reduce false positives?
The settings that affect matching are watchlist category selection, name match type, close name match rate, whitelist policy, country of residence policy, default country of residence, PEP jurisdiction policy and matching scope. Customising them can significantly reduce false positive matches.
What is the difference between Exact, Exact (Including Middle Name) and Close?
Exact matches the first and last name exactly, with spaces and hyphens ignored. Exact (Including Middle Name) also requires the middle name to match, unless the watchlist record has none. Close matches similar sounding names using phonetic and fuzzy search on Latin-based names, and ignores middle names.
How does the Close Name Match Rate work?
It is a threshold from 1 to 100 percent, and only names scoring at or above it are returned. Under User Defined the rate defaults to 80 percent, which is also the recommended default. Higher rates return closer variations, lower rates wider ones. The rate applies to names only, not date of birth.
What replaced the Ignore Blank Policy?
Matching Scope. It is set per field for Date of Birth, Gender, Nationality and ID Number, and Registration Number for corporates, with options Matches only, Matches and Blanks and Mismatches. Matches and Blanks is the default, and existing settings were carried over so results did not change.
How do I stop a known false positive coming back?
Record a due diligence decision of No Match against the entity's client ID, then set Whitelist Policy to Apply. That entity is then excluded from future scans. Whitelisting requires a client ID on the person or company.
Can I exclude domestic PEPs from screening?
Yes. Set PEP Jurisdiction Policy to Apply and list the country under Exclude from screening in PEP Jurisdiction Countries. Make sure Apply to PEP is unchecked in the country of residence policy, as it would override the jurisdiction list.
Can a user change settings during a scan?
Only where the compliance officer set a setting to User Defined. Values set at organisation level show read-only during scanning. A parent compliance officer can also edit settings for suborganisations.
Fewer false positives, on your terms
See how MemberCheck Configurable Matching would work with your own names, lists and policies.