Negative News (also known as Adverse media) refers to negative information about individuals and entities in the form of news articles, social media, court records, regulatory filings, and other open sources found across the world. These sources include materials related to financial crime, illegal money activity, money laundering, financial terrorism, corruption, fraud, and other illegal activities. By nature, media is faster-acting than official listings. Thus, Negative News is especially useful in identifying entities with financial scandals mentioned in international news but have not yet appeared on government lists. When searching individuals against negative news articles, one can extend searches and identify potential risks in an instant, the moment they appear in any media.
Why is Negative News acknowledgement important?
Negative news acknowledgement greatly benefits organizations when onboarding new customers/partners. Companies can identify whether their potential partners have been involved in money laundering activities, terrorist financing risks, and other threats. Moreover, negative news reveals individuals' and entities’ reputations, preventing organizations from being associated with illegal financial activities. Negative news is a part of Anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) compliance initiatives. Financial institutions are particularly responsible to follow these standards to avoid legal risks and liabilities.
Why Melissa?
Melissa offers an all-in-one service that includes Identity Verification, Proof of Address, contact data cleansing/validation, Watchlist Screening including Negative News, PEP, and Sanction lists. Our goal is to integrate solutions seamlessly into existing data flows and provide a comprehensive suite of identity and data quality solutions. Melissa’s 38 years of experience in address management, global identity verification and multisource global reference datasets have empowered businesses with better decision-making through better quality data.