Backgrounds Online, a proud member of the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA), recently attended the mid-year conference to stay up-to-date on the latest developments and trends in the background screening industry. During the conference, our team had the opportunity to network with colleagues and attend presentations from leading professionals, including attorneys and screening experts. There was a big focus on a few major topics, and we’ve prepared some useful information to share with you.

Court Delays

One of the major topics discussed at the conference was ongoing court delays, which can cause extended turnaround times for background checks. The two most common reasons for recent delays are DOB redaction and modifications made to courthouse public access terminals.

• When performing a criminal background check, full name and DOB are generally the two most common identifiers used to validate that a record matches a candidate. Many courthouses throughout the country, primarily California locations, have limited the use of DOB for criminal research which has increased turnaround time.
• Many courthouses still rely on antiquated methods of maintaining case records. While this can slow things down in and of itself, the process of upgrading these systems can often halt research almost entirely. This is something we’re currently seeing in many counties throughout the state of Texas.

Artificial Intelligence

The conference also covered the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for employment decisions. Legislators are recommending laws that may limit the use of AI for screening purposes, such as requiring organizations to perform annual impact assessments of their AI technology to help determine if it might support potential biases. Backgrounds Online uses proprietary technology to complete background checks quickly, and our team is monitoring any updates related to AI legislation.

Compliance Forms

Compliance with current documents, such as Disclosure and Authorization forms was also emphasized during the conference. One document certainly took the spotlight, that being the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) newly published Summary of Rights Under the FCRA. Backgrounds Online recommends annual reviews of hiring and screening policies and compliance forms with legal counsel. We have current versions of these and more in our Resource Center.