What does Regulatory DataCorp do?

Regulatory DataCorp (RDC), the trusted leader in risk diligence, helps clients comply with Know Your Customer (KYC)/ Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws and related regulations by supplying enhanced due diligence and other risk-relevant data. RDC uses proprietary and commercial tools to aggregate public source data. We classify data by risk code and work closely with clients to package and deliver data from a customized menu of service options that best suit your existing business systems and work processes. RDC calls its database GRID™ - the Global Regulatory Information Database.

Because RDC houses the world's largest database of risk-relevant information, it is also an appropriate choice for other organizations that benefit from access to global risk data, such as public sector agencies, investigative research firms, legal service providers, not-for-profit organizations, NGOs, and remediation providers.

RDC also offers world class consulting services to assist clients across a broad spectrum of specialties with integrating compliance solutions into their work flows and to provide specialized services to address selected risk-based needs in which RDC has strong domain expertise.

Where does RDC get its information?

GRID™ accesses thousands of public information sources and databases from around the world. These include: disciplinary actions by the SEC, NASD, NYSE and CFTC dating back 30 years; lists of senior political figures from virtually every country in the world; international and U.S. government (OFAC) lists, terrorist sanctions, embargoes, Interpol, U.S. Commerce Department and criminal wanted and fugitive lists and the worldwide media. Information contained in GRID dates back further than most regulations require, offering added assurance that institutions have access to their clients' or potential clients' risk-relevant history. GRID presently contains more than 9 million records, with thousands of records added daily.

RDC is first-in-class in aggregation and coding of "negative media" from around the world. Moreover, our staff is dedicated to ensuring that GRID captures fresh sources of risk-relevant data as quickly as they are available. We constantly scan global media, regulatory information providers, business periodicals, think tanks, academic publications, and global law enforcement open sources to ensure that relevant data are captured and made available to our clients.

RDC is committed to data transparency. The processes underlying the collection and processing of all our data are defined, continuously scrutinized, and 100 percent transparent to our clients.

Was RDC formed in response to 9/11?

RDC originated in 1999. The regulatory, reputational, and financial risks that firms face and that RDC was created to address have existed for many years. The events of 9/11 and the significant regulatory requirements that arose soon thereafter catalyzed the formation of RDC.

Is RDC the right tool for primary dealers participating in TALF (Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility)?

Most definitely. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York requires primary dealers for its Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) to apply internal customer identification programs and due diligence procedures to each borrower and will be required to provide the New York Fed with information to describe the dealer's customer risk assessment methodology. RDC has the data and technology to address the most demanding due diligence requirements and is an ideal choice for primary dealers planning to participate in the TALF.

How current and complete are GRID data?

GRID data are as current as today, and have been carefully abstracted from more years of data than regulations require. Thousands of new risk-relevant data points are added to GRID daily. Since not all questionable activities are available in public records, we cannot guarantee that GRID addresses all the risks associated with any particular individual or organization, but we make every effort to aggregate all publicly-available data that may suggest regulatory, legal or reputational risk.

How secure is RDC's system?

RDC is built on data integrity, accuracy and security. Data transmission and storage are protected by proprietary and commercial procedures, all of which are subjected to testing and ongoing reviews by independent auditors. GRID is a fully redundant system that includes a state-of-the-art recovery plan in one of the world's most secure data storage facilities.

How will RDC data be transmitted to my organization?

RDC offers the broadest and most customizable menu of service delivery options in the marketplace. We work directly with you to find a solution that suits your organization best. You can: request that RDC's highly-trained analysts review matches for you with our RDC Review Service and have alerts delivered directly to your inbox; get immediate real-time raw query results with our RDC Search product; or purchase a GRID Data License to put behind your own firewall and use as you see fit.

What happens if risk-relevant data appears after my original check in GRID did not show any matches?

Because RDC was formed from the ground up by financial services leaders who recognized that issue, we offer an ongoing Portfolio Monitoring service that provides an seamless mechanism to send alerts to you on any entities whose status may have changed.

Are the data in GRID helpful for applications beyond AML/KYC?

Yes. RDC houses the world's largest, global, public source database on risk and is an essential and increasingly valued tool for a wide swath of businesses, nonprofit organizations, NGOs, investigative research services, and risk remediation providers. With over 9 million records, and growing, GRID is ideal for assisting with background screening, client and relationship monitoring, suspicious activity reporting, terrorism finance controls, CFIUS compliance, antitrust matters, political party and nonprofit contributor screening, internal and regulatory remediations, litigation discovery, and deferred prosecution agreements.

What differentiates RDC from other compliance data and risk mitigation vendors?

RDC offers more data, more quality, more transparency, more flexibility in delivery options, and more experience than any other risk data provider in the marketplace today.

With over 9 million risk-coded records and growing, RDC has assembled the most comprehensive international public-source risk database in the world. Its filtered records reflect continuous monitoring of: global sanction lists; hundreds of carefully screened websites; enforcement, and regulatory authority data; and over 6,000 global media publications that capture information on known or suspected money launderers, corrupt officials, organized crime figures, terrorists, fraudsters, narcotics traffickers, shell banks, sanctioned entities and a broad array of additional risk relevant categories including Politically Exposed Persons.

RDC's data is carefully screened by highly-trained data reviewers and analysts to ensure that every record in GRID belongs there. Additionally, a world-class data integrity team consisting of legal specialists and substantive experts consistently seek out and scrub new sources of information to feed the database and ensure it is: comprehensive and substantively relevant; timely; copyright compliant; completely public source; filterable; transparent; and quality-checked.

RDC is built on an unwavering commitment to offer product solutions that can be customized for each client. With our newest service option, RDC Search in real time, we continue our commitment to offering clients the most flexible menu of options in the business.

Our research analysts and reviewers - all with extensive experience in the regulatory, risk intelligence, and corporate compliance sectors - continuously seek out, evaluate, and incorporate new sources of global public-source data to feed our proprietary GRID database.

Finally, RDC is the sole compliance and risk mitigation data vendor created by the world's leading financial institutions. Its pedigree as the only compliance company created by the financial sector means that its data, quality control, information technology and service options were specifically engineered from the start to match the demanding standards of the compliance world and are directly applicable to a broad swath of constituencies such as government organizations, regulators, research investigators, not-for-profits, NGOs, background screeners, and remediation service providers.

Can RDC help set up a new compliance program for my organization?

Absolutely. With RDC Consulting Services, our team of veteran KYC/AML compliance specialists and substantive experts in risk issues can assess your organization's needs and design a customized protocol for all your due diligence, compliance, and risk mitigation needs.

Is RDC appropriate for government agency use?

RDC is an ideal solution for local, state, and federal law enforcement organizations looking for one-stop shopping for public-source risk-relevant data. Many of our senior managers come from the regulatory, enforcement, and intelligence world and have first-hand experience with public sector requirements for risk data and are experts at designing world class loss prevention programs. RDC’s transparent data collection, processing, and delivery align with investigative requirements for meticulously sourced lead information and rigorous analytic standards.

I have an idea for some risk data RDC may not have considered; may I make a suggestion?

Please do. RDC always welcomes idea for new, public-source information on risk. Please email our data staff with your idea.

What impact has RDC and its innovative approach to risk data technology had on intellectual property matters?

RDC is known and respected in legal circles as a thought leader on intellectual property matters since it was successfully heard on the question of patent-eligible technologies by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in 2007 in one of the most closely watched patent cases this decade. In a rarely invoked judicial procedure, RDC's brief was selected from over 40 others for oral arguments alongside the parties.

Is RDC a credit reporting service?

No, RDC is a risk data vendor and provides no credit reporting services, nor do we provide background checks. We focus on publicly-available data because that is what the regulations we address require.

How does RDC match the spelling of names my organization provides with those that appear on regulatory websites, in online periodicals, and in foreign publications?

RDC uses state-of-the-art name matching software and further refines it to meet the company's exacting standards. Additionally, clients who opt for our RDC Review Service can rely on the experience of our trained analysts to help weed out false positives.

Can my organization take RDC's raw data and run it through our own systems?

Absolutely. With a GRID Data License, our data is fully portable and updated for you daily.

RDC has over 9 million records - with all that risk data, will my staff be overwhelmed?

Because every record in GRID is filtered by risk code, you can specify that you will only receive "matches" based on risk codes that are relevant to your organization. Moreover, with the RDC Review service option, clients can increase their in-house efficiency by letting our analysts run the initial false positive screening of data.

What is the USA PATRIOT Act?

The USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act) was passed on October 26, 2001. Title III of the Act (International Money Laundering Abatement and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act of 2001) expands the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to regulate the activities of US financial institutions, particularly with respect to relations with foreign individuals and entities. The passing of the USA PATRIOT Act has increased the responsibilities placed on financial institutions and highlights the dangerous link between terrorist organizations and money laundering.

Is RDC data applicable to industries other than finance?

Yes. Increasingly, sectors other than finance are considering procedures to mitigate the financial, reputational, legal and potentially regulatory risk of questionable business associations, whether vendors, clients/customers or employees. We invite inquiries from any reputable business interested in risk mitigation.