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Instant Checkmate
Criminal-record and social-profile search option.
View RecordsBackground Checks
Companies That Do Background Checks
Distinguish a reporting company from the employer ordering a check, identify who issued a report, and choose a service matched to the screening purpose.
First identify which organization you are actually dealing with
| Role | What it does | Best next action |
|---|---|---|
| Requester or decision-maker | An employer or other end user orders or uses a report. In employment screening, the FTC says the employer must give a standalone disclosure and obtain written permission before a background reporting company runs the check. | If an order is pending, ask the requester for the exact screening-company name and order reference. Review the FTC employment background-check rights. |
| Background reporting / consumer reporting company | This company compiles a consumer report for an end user. It may combine data from several source types; it is not the court, police agency, school, or licensing board that created each underlying record. | Use the issuer name on the report or notice, then confirm its consumer-access and dispute channel. The CFPB company list is a directory, not a ranking. |
| Original record holder | A court, agency, licensing board, school, or other source holds the underlying record that may have been reported. That office can explain or issue its own record but does not control a screening company’s report workflow. | Use the source holder when you need the filed document or need to verify what the original record actually says. |
Background-check companies do not all have the same coverage
Employment screening is a specialty market
The CFPB describes specialty consumer reporting companies as companies whose data varies by industry. Employment-screening reports can involve employment history and other information, while other specialty reports focus on rental, insurance, banking, or different markets.
Even the federal directory is not exhaustive
The CFPB consumer reporting company list says it is not all-inclusive and relies in part on company self-descriptions that the Bureau has not independently verified. Inclusion on the list is therefore not an endorsement and absence does not prove a company is not operating in the market.
A company may have no file on a particular person
The CFPB’s employment-screening section explains that many screening companies may not have information on someone until an employer or other end user has authorized a report. That is one reason a “largest database” claim should not be treated as proof of identical person-level coverage.
Define coverage before comparing providers
For a buyer, compare the intended use, jurisdictions and source types, verification method, report-delivery process, and consumer dispute route. Do not rank a company merely because it markets more categories; a narrower service may be the one that matches the actual requirement.
Use a scope checklist instead of a provider ranking
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Name the purpose
Write down whether the task is employment screening, tenant screening, a personal record review, identity verification, or another authorized use. A product designed for one purpose should not be assumed suitable for another.
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Ask what sources are actually searched
Request a written description of jurisdictions, court or repository sources, employment/education verification, driving records, or other components that matter to the task. “Nationwide” should not be read as identical courthouse coverage everywhere.
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Confirm the consumer-access path
Ask how a subject can obtain a copy of the report, dispute inaccurate or incomplete information, and provide supporting documents. This matters when the service produces a consumer report used for a decision.
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Record the legal company name
Keep the exact issuer name, contact details, order/reference number, and date. Brand names and parent companies can differ, so the exact issuer shown on the report is the safest way to route a correction.
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Separate report quality from the source record
If a reported court case looks wrong, compare the report with the official case source. Correcting a court file and disputing a screening report are separate actions and may require contacting both organizations.
If an employment report was used against you, follow the report trail
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Get the report before the final decision
The FTC says that before an employer takes adverse action based on a background report, it must give you a copy of the report and a Summary of Rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
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Check the issuer and the disputed item
Compare your identifiers and the specific record or verification item. If the source record is wrong, contact the source holder; if the screening report is wrong or incomplete, use the reporting company’s dispute process.
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Use the final notice to identify the company
After adverse action, the FTC says the notice must provide the background reporting company’s name, address, and phone number and explain that the reporting company did not make the employment decision.
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Request the additional free report promptly
The FTC says you may request another free report from that background reporting company within 60 days of the employer’s decision. Keep the request and any correction response with the original report.