PBSA

PBSA Journal PAGE 7 JAN/FEB 2025 Except where otherwise indicated, articles are copyright © by PBSA 2025. All rights reserved. Better Know a Provider T he Provider Advisory Group is focused on broadening the understanding of the Provider Community and highlighting both the well-known as well as the unknown aspects of our work in support of Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs), background screening companies and the customers they serve. Through a volunteer process, we select individuals to interview representing various Provider disciplines. In this installment, we interview Izabel Stapleton, Vice President of Business Development and Seth Stapleton, Founder & CEO at SAS Data Retrieval, a wholesale public record retrieval company with a decade of industry experience. 1. What are some attributes to the Criminal Research Provider process that may not be readily known to the CRA population? Many CRAs rely on in-house teams, but ensuring consistency and accuracy across all states often requires partnerships with local experts who understand the ever-changing regulations and processes at the county and state level. Take Washington State, for example, which is undergoing a five-year overhaul of its system in a phased county-by-county approach, or Nevada, where recent legislation reclassified certain misdemeanors as traffic infractions. These changes can impact how searches are conducted as well as the turnaround times (TATs) for results. Our role is to stay ahead of these developments and proactively inform our clients to help them navigate this complex landscape. The local expertise involves managing a range of tasks, some within our control and others outside of it. This means that expectations must be aligned with how each county operates. For instance, Florida generally offers quick searches through online portals, provided you have the staff and processes in place to maintain a solid TAT. However, many counties still require clerk assistance or document requests, which can add delays if not managed effectively. Tennessee, on the other hand, mostly requires in-person courthouse visits, with clerk assistance often needed, even though some information may be publicly available on a public access terminal. In both cases, attention to detail and organization are key to avoiding unnecessary delays. CRAs depend on their providers for more than just completing searches—they rely on us for up-to-date information and guidance about the searches they order, which includes taking time to educate them about the nuances of each state's processes, and ensuring they understand how these factors can impact the accuracy and timeliness of background checks. 2. Can you provide some ways you have seen the background screening platforms evolve over the past few years as it pertains to Criminal Research Providers, their processes, and their requirements? What may be coming in the future that we should be noting now? Our industry has seen significant changes over the past few years. One of the most obvious trends is the wave of mergers and acquisitions, as larger players acquire smaller companies, often driven by industry leaders nearing retirement or pivoting to new roles. This trend is not unique to the background check industry and is expected to continue. As it does, we're seeing increased expectations from the larger companies, often demanding more for less. At the same time, the operational burden of conducting research has increased in many states, making it more difficult to maintain both efficiency and accuracy while meeting the lower price expectations of an increasingly smaller client base. Innovation is also playing a major role in shaping the future of the industry. We're seeing new services being discussed in spaces like credit and tenant screening, as well as new technological advancements that benefit both our operations and those of our clients. Many counties and even entire states are moving away from proprietary software systems to larger third-party providers. In our experience that usually means an increase in prescreened work. It is helpful to look for the opportunities in the changes. As technology advances, there may be opportunities to Presented by the U.S. Council Provider Advisory Group Continued on page 8

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