Precision-driven Death Audits for Financial Institutions
Because getting it right means everything.
Since 2016, the SSA’s Limited Access Death Master File (LADMF) has been in steady decline. Once considered the gold standard for death data, it now accounts for only 16% of reported deaths, leaving organizations exposed to risk and unable to rely on it as a true source of truth.
For more than 35 years, Berwyn has been at the forefront of LADMF research and application. No other provider matches our depth of expertise. Leveraging decades of analysis, we’ve built proprietary sources that close the gap, achieving 96.5% coverage of decedents with 99.9% accuracy. We identify abnormalities in the LADMF and deliver the most reliable data in the market, empowering financial institutions to safeguard their operations with confidence.
Strengthen Fraud Detection
Fraudsters utilize the personal information of deceased individuals (such as SSN) to produce a new identity to open accounts, creating costly risks for financial institutions. Every year, thousands of these identities are created or misused, leading to fraudulent accounts, bad loans, fraud losses, and misdirected government payments. CertiDeath® protects against these threats with unmatched 99.9% accuracy, giving banks confidence that SSNs tied to the deceased are flagged before fraud occurs. The result? Stronger fraud protection, fewer losses, and greater trust with customers, while meeting regulatory requirements.
Reduce Reclamations and Associated Losses
The accuracy of Death Notification Entries (DNEs) sent to financial institutions is unreliable and often incorrect, whether through the core software or direct from the Treasury. In addition, the payments subject to reclamation are more than just SSA, but include SSI, DoD, VA, RRB, and any federal retirement money. The process of accurately identifying deceased customers and appropriately returning overpayments generally requires manual intervention and can be time consuming and lengthy. Financial risk increases the longer the overpayments continue, as the financial institution is liable for all benefit payments received after death. Reputational risk for financial institutions is significant if payments are returned due to DNE errors. CertiDeath removes the guess work – providing financial institutions with accurate and timely death notifications. This product is the most reliable death audit in the industry and identifies 96.5% of decedents with 99.9% accuracy. It ensures Financial Institutions have reliable data, reliable results, and reliable outcomes.
Improve Dormant Account and Escheatment Efficiencies
Stay Connected with Customers
Every year, one in eight people move, leaving behind forgotten accounts and making it harder for financial institutions to stay connected with customers. Tracking individuals requires multiple steps, significant resources, and accurate data, creating a costly burden for financial institutions.
CertiCensus® takes that lift off the organization. From sending required mail and managing returns to updating addresses, identifying deceased individuals, and even locating beneficiaries, CertiCensus streamlines the entire process by:
Identify and Locate Beneficiaries
For financial institutions, accurately identifying and locating beneficiaries isn’t just about meeting regulatory requirements, it’s also about protecting trust, ensuring accuracy, and upholding financial integrity. Missed or misdirected beneficiary payments can cause costly delays, compliance challenges, and reputational damage.
BeneSearch® eliminates this risk by helping financial institutions confidently identify and locate even the hardest-to-find individuals. With proven results of finding 80% of spouse beneficiaries and a first-degree relative 95% of the time, BeneSearch ensures payments are accurate, obligations are met, and customers are served with care. The result: stronger compliance, reduced risk, and lasting trust with customers.
What we do matters. Why we do it matters more.
“I wanted to send you a quick note to express my satisfaction with the CertiCensus process we began last year. I have been very happy with how easy you both have made the process from the initial data loads, setting up the confirmation request letter, weekly reporting and troubleshooting. At each step Matt has been very responsive to questions and provide practical solutions. We have been able to use the search results to identify potential beneficiaries, refresh contact details for former employees and reestablish connections with plan participants. Thank you to you both and the extended teams.”
– Large Corporation
“Using CertiCensus paid for itself quickly. Not only does the service eliminate overpayments, but it also allows us to have a different type of relationship with our pension participants.”
– Corporate Pension
“This is so much more than we expected. I am so impressed with the reports that we get including the frequency and the amount of information provided. The CertiCensus beneficiary search is amazing.”
– Corporate Pension
“We started using CertiCensus last year and I have been very happy with how easy the process is from the initial data loads, setting up the confirmation request letter, weekly reporting and troubleshooting. We have been able to use the search results to identify potential beneficiaries, refresh contact details for former employees and reestablish connections with plan participants.”
“I cannot image what we would have done without CertiCensus. Staffing changes left us with less visibility into pension plan management, which could have led to overpayments and compliance issues. CertiCensus saved us hours of time we would have spent working on this manually.”
– Multiemployer Pension