A Matter of National & Personal-Security:
American DataBank's US Patriot Act Compliance Solutions

By Lindsay Raddemen
American DataBank's Staff Writer

After the tragic, shocking events of September 11th, Americans found themselves facing the aftermath of the devastation wreaked upon New York and Washington, DC and attempting to comprehend how something that horrible could have possibly happened. In a bipartisan effort to restore national security, the US Congress responded to the attacks by swiftly passing the US Patriot (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) Act to counteract terrorist activity in and directed toward the United States. Suddenly, businesses, educational institutions, healthcare facilities and other organizations across the country needed to comply with the act and its measures. A necessary-and very pressing-portion of Patriot Act compliance is confirming that potential employees do not appear on any of the debarred persons or watch lists maintained by the United States, other nations such as Canada, England, or Australia, and political and financial organizations across the world. American DataBank understood the grave repercussions of hiring, educating, or harboring an individual with terrorist ties, and recognized the need for a thorough, convenient Patriot Act solution.

While banks and financial institutions such as brokerages or mutual fund companies are required to verify that their potential clients and partners are not connected to terrorist organizations or sanctioned countries (such as Iraq, Iran, Sudan), businesses and organizations of all sizes and needs can benefit from searching the sanction or debarred persons lists accessible via the Patriot Act. For instance, car dealership owners and real estate agents regularly engage in large monetary transactions. If that car dealer or real estate agent sells a car or a home to an individual on a watch list, or who has channeled funds through a debarred country, the hapless seller finds himself in violation of the Patriot Act, facing harsh fines of between 50,000 to $10,000,000 and between 10-30 years of Federal imprisonment.

Retailers are not the only Americans placing themselves at risk by not complying with the Patriot Act. Educational institutions with large medical or healthcare programs and hospitals, clinics, or long term care facilities must exercise extreme due diligence when making admissions or hiring decisions. Verifying that your applicants-the same applicants with full access to medication, food or water supplies, and, most importantly, other people-do not threaten your organization with terrorist activity provides additional due diligence and protects your institution from the threat of bio-terrorism, physical attack, or worse.

American DataBank understands the grave repercussions of hiring, educating, or harboring an individual with terrorist ties, and recognized the need for a thorough, convenient Patriot Act solution, and American DataBank can search the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC)/Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List Search through the Department of the Treasury. If your organization desires a fuller, more inclusive search, we can perform a full Patriot Act Search, which compares applicant's names against individuals listed on the following lists of debarred persons and entities.

• Australian Reserve Bank Businesses
• Australian Reserve Bank Individuals
• Bank of England Sanctions
• Commodity Futures Trading Commission List of Regulatory and Self-Regulatory Authorities
• Defense Trade Controls (DTC) Debarred Parties
• FBI Fugitives 10 Most Wanted, Most Wanted Terrorists and Monthly Most Wanted
• Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Special Alert List
• Foreign Agent Registrations
• International Police Most Wanted
• Office of Foreign Asset Control
• OFAC - Enhanced Sanctioned Countries
• Office of Controller of Currency of Unauthorized Banks
• OSFI - Canada
• Palestinian Legislative Council
• Politically Exposed Persons
• State Department Terrorist Exclusions
• Terrorists Inside of European Union
• Terrorists Outside of European Union
• United Nations Named Terrorists
• US Bureau of Industry and Security - Unverified Entity List
• US Bureau of Industry and Security - Denied Entity List
• US Bureau of Industry and Security - Denied Person List
• World Bank Ineligible Firms

Given the vast scope of Patriot Act searches, American DataBank strictly follows the Office of Foreign Asset Control's guidelines for verifying a possible match. Our researchers will compare every available piece of the applicant's personal information, including, but not limited to his full name, Social Security Number or Alien Registration Number, Date of Birth, and address history, in order to confirm the match before submitting it to your organization.

Most Americans will agree that the world completely changed after September 11th, and ensuring the safety and security of our homes and workplaces became even more important. American DataBank's Patriot Act solutions provide your organizations with the additional security you need to make confident sales, hiring, or admissions decisions. For more information, contact us at 1-800-200-0853, or visit our Patriot Act web site, www.e-patriots.com.