Berwyn Group

Death Audit & CertiDeath

How missing and inaccurate participant data impacts a death audit

The Death Master File (DMF) data continues to decline each year. In 2023, the DMF only provided 16% of death records. This degradation has caused conducting death audits for pension plans a much more complex task. Death audits now require the aggregation of thousands of data sources, primarily obituaries. [continue reading]

2025-06-16T16:14:26-05:00March 6, 2024|Death Audit & CertiDeath, Pension Industry|

What makes an industry leader, a true leader?

We see more and more companies who claim to be leaders in the death audit and locate industry. But what makes a company a true industry leader?  We believe a true leader is the company on the leading edge, who offers services above and beyond what anyone else offers. That’s [continue reading]

Death Audit vs. Death Data

The decline of data accessible via the Social Security Administration Death Master File (DMF) in 2011 redefined the Death Audit category. With this change, Death Audit providers became Death Data providers. This shift added complexities to death identification resulting in a significant number of missed deaths and associated overpayments [continue reading]

2025-06-16T16:14:53-05:00February 8, 2024|Death Audit & CertiDeath, Pension Industry|

How the demise of the Death Master File is a problem and an opportunity for insurance companies

More and more, insurance companies who rely primarily on the SSA Limited Access Death Master File (DMF) are missing huge numbers of unreported deceased policyholders. In fact, our Mortality Analyses we perform for prospective clients often reveal thousands of missed deaths. It’s not the fault of insurance companies. For [continue reading]

2024-06-26T15:49:08-05:00February 8, 2024|Death Audit & CertiDeath, Insurance Industry|
Go to Top