MIB The accurate way to identify deceased policyholders

MIB CROSS CHECK
The accurate way to identify deceased policyholders
in the search for unclaimed benefits.
MIB’s dual-match
methodology optimizes
accurate identification of
deceased insureds and
annuitants.
Cross Check’s
comprehensive database
provides insurers with 30%
more unique death notices
than using the Social
Security Death Master File
alone.
Accurate identification of deceased policyholders is a critical first step towards
streamlining an insurer’s search for beneficiaries in its efforts to comply with
unclaimed property obligations.
Mortality identification is a complex and tedious task. Inconsistent data,
typos, transposed alpha and numeric records, nicknames and insufficient
data sources all can easily flaw results. In the end it’s about balance — overinclusive matching unnecessarily extends your due diligence, while missing
records may result in fines and penalties.
MIB Cross Check’s dual-match methodology solves these issues, teaming the
life insurance industry’s most effective name matching technology from MIB,
together with “fuzzy-logic” comparisons on Social Security Number (SSN),
date of birth and other fields. Cross Check’s methods and technologies ensure
a low false positive rate, providing an accurate mortality match to help meet
regulatory requirements and demonstrate to regulators that your company
has made all reasonable efforts to identify deceased policyholders.
And now, Cross Check v.3.0 takes the Social Security Death Master File (DMF)
and adds a new resource that includes death notices from over 3,000 public
and private sources (ODS). Analysis shows the ODS database adds 30%
more unique death notices beyond the DMF as well as providing additional
1
match fields that improve results accuracy. In addition, Cross Check’s new
user interface is name centric, increasing the accuracy and efficiency when
applying rules-based filters to the results data.
n Dual-match methodology provides sharp identification of deceased
policyholders both with and without SSN.
n Sophisticated business rules filter results by match quality.
n Side-by-side field match comparisons at the policy level let you assess
match quality to establish thresholds for further due diligence.
n Termination flags for policyholders who predeceased policy effective
dates or died after policy cancellation dates.
n Screens death notices from comprehensive sources: DMF and ODS
databases. ODS data may contain vital clues for beneficiary location.
n Excludes previously reported match records from future submissions.
With over a century of expertise securely handling the industry’s most
sensitive data and the proven accuracy of MIB’s name search technology,
MIB Cross Check is the smart, accurate choice to streamline your company’s
compliance efforts and help meet your regulatory and audit requirements.
1
MIB study compared the ODS database vs. the DMF identifying unique death
notices during the 2013 reporting period.
The Industry’s Most Precise Name Search
Accurate name matching is the cornerstone of effective decedent identification. Older policy records may not
have SSN and those with SSN can frequently contain inaccuracies. MIB Cross Check incorporates MIB’s ‘best-inclass’ name search technology, relied upon by the industry for decades to accurately identify insurance applicants
when searching our Underwriting Services. MIB’s name search is a holistic approach to person identification. It uses
proprietary, attribute-based scoring algorithms in evaluating each component of a name when compared against
our extensive name dictionaries -- populated by the millions of applicant searches conducted annually by members.
Since most life policies in the industry have been searched against MIB, in all likelihood, our dictionaries will contain
an exact match of your policyholder, and if not, be able to decipher the name correctly.
MIB’s name search captures common keying errors, transpositions, misspellings, extra characters, first initial
matches, nicknames and English and foreign language translations including:
n Spelling variation
Smith/Smyth, Peterson/Petersen.
n Common usage
Barbara/Barbie/Bobbie, Kathi/Kathy/Kathleen, Richard/Dick/Rich/Ricky, Theresa/Terry/Tess.
n Complex foreign name equivalent
Santiago/James, Guillaume/William, Esteban/Stephen.
A technical document detailing Cross Check’s matching criteria is available from your MIB sales representative.
Comprehensive Source Data Ensures the Highest Accuracy
Since 2011, the number of individuals listed in the Social Security Death Master File declined by more than 1 million
names due to a provision in the Social Security Act2 that prohibited the SSA from disclosing “protected state
death records.” To effectively fill these gaps and maximize death notifications, MIB Cross Check v 3.0 incorporates
multiple additional data sources (ODS) providing a comprehensive death matching file to ensure that identification
of deceased policyholders is as accurate and complete as possible. Our ODS resource contains death records from
some 3,000 public and private sources including online obituaries, newspapers, funeral homes and hospitals. ODS
is updated with some 6,500 new records daily, and for 2012/2013 has nearly twice the number of reported deaths
than of that of the DMF. An MIB study showed ODS data was found to contain 30% (approx.) more unique death
notices beyond what is reported in the DMF in a side-by-side comparison of 2013 data. Importantly, the ODS
database includes the additional matching fields of native city and state of residence from the obituary, which can
enhance matching accuracy and may provide clues for beneficiary location.
Data Fields and Security
MIB Cross Check batch runs your policyholder records monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually depending on your
requirements. Cross Check uses MIB’s security infrastructure and frameworks which are capable of processing
millions of policyholder records efficiently and accurately. Our data coordinators facilitate record transfers either
through the secure Accellion® tool or direct computer-to-computer using Secure FTP. We perform a thorough
QA process to validate all supplied data prior to the start of each engagement. Minimal field requirements ease
your data gathering task; extracts from multiple disparate administration systems can be conveniently combined
into one enterprise-wide search. Custom fields defined at the start of an engagement let you easily filter and sort
results by groupings such line of business, distribution channels, subsidiary, etc. Similarly, policy record data such as
beneficiaries and contact information can flow through the Cross Check results set to facilitate due diligence in your
unclaimed property workflow.
2
Section 205(r) of the U.S. Social Security Act.
Establish Realistic Thresholds for Match Definition
MIB Cross Check v. 3.0 uses a series of 17 business decision rules that are name match / date of birth centric,
providing a quick and easy review of your results with progressive levels of granularity. All summary reports are
hyperlinked, enabling easy drill down to policy match results for rapid review. Cross Check reports are Excel® based
to minimize training and get your compliance staff up and running quickly. Rules-based summary reports allow you
to filter the results with your legal and regulatory compliance team, to best determine what close match records are
appropriate for distribution to your company. Results can either be securely delivered in an Excel workbook or as a
pipe delimited text file for import directly into your administrative systems. With the need to demonstrate careful
diligence, MIB Cross Check’s sophisticated decision rules give you the power to easily refine massive amounts of data
so you can balance effectiveness with efficiency.
Prepared For: ABC Life
Summary of results by name match quality. Click on the + symbols below to expand field information (Death Data Source and SSN Match). Double-click
on any count to view actual records in a separate tab.
Count of Name Rule
Description
Data Source
SSN Match
ODS
SSDMF
Name Match Quality
High Quality Match
Name
Rule
Number
1
2
3
4
5
6
Name Rule Description
Exact Match on DOB,LN,FN;
Exact Match on DOB,LN,MI; Fuzzy on FN;
Exact Match on DOB,LN; Fuzzy on FN,MI;
Exact Match on DOB,LN; Fuzzy on FN; Null on MI;
Exact Match on DOB,LN; Fuzzy on FN; No Match on MI;
Exact Match on DOB,LN; No Match on FN;
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Exact Match on DOB; Fuzzy on LN;
Exact Match on LN,FN; Fuzzy on DOB;
Exact Match on LN,FN; Fuzzy on DOB; No Match on MI;
Exact Match on LN; Fuzzy on DOB,FN;
Exact Match on LN; Fuzzy on DOB; No Match on FN;
Fuzzy on DOB,LN;
Exact Match on DOB; No Match on LN;
Fuzzy on DOB; No Match on LN;
High Quality Match Total
Medium Quality Match
Medium Quality Match Total
Low Quality Match
Low Quality Match Total
Grand Total
2
11
2
10
25
11
864
60
54
47
27
1,063
15 Exact Match on LN; No Match on DOB;
17 No Match on DOB,LN;
1,088
SSN 7
SSN
of 9
Submitted SSN Not
and
did not Submitted
Name
Match
SSN Match Match
919
2
209
29
14
1
36
3
4
1
11
72
1
1
7
9
43
2
958
3
368
35
13
38
50
845
7
2
80
1
1
151
8
49
2
76
1
5
37
3
26
3
74
1,302
22
25
1
4
29
1
1,061
4
1,670
57
Grand
Total
1,159
56
5
95
10
64
1,389
62
1,766
143
214
51
124
42
59
2,461
26
4
30
3,880
Analytic decision rules let you parse match results by the criteria you deem most acceptable. Rule 17 pinpoints records with only
exact matches against SSN for review to help meet your compliance obligations. All summary reports are hyperlinked to policy
level match details in a Cross Check results set.
Results Deliverable
An MIB Cross Check workbook contains reports that include:
n high-level summary match statistics
n results by death source (ODS vs. DMF)
n results by submitted name and policy number
n multiple policy matches with policy numbers
n side-by-side field comparison match records
n compound name results
n first / middle name swap
n record with SSN exact match only
n terminated policies flag
n data definitions
n results by decision rule summary
SSN Compare (SSDMF:Submitted)
n/a
183100148 : 183100418
534059002 : 000000000
413240450 : 000000000
-
DOB Compare (Matched:Submitted)
03301910 : 03311910
05251923 : 05151923
-
Last Name Compare (Matched:Submitted)
MASTROGIACOM : MASTROGIACOMO
LEONARD-GIOR : LEONARD GIORDANO
HANSEN : LAFFERTY-HANSEN
DIMPERIO : IMPERIO
CORRADETTI J : CORRADETTI JR
First Name Compare (Matched:Submitted)
Frieda : FREIDA
GLADSTONE : MALCOLM
JOSEPH : J
F : FLORINE
GIDEON : G
MARIA : MARIE
PATSY : PASQUALE
-
MI Compare (Matched:Submitted)
C:A
M : GLADSTONE
B : BERNARD
H:R
n/a
n/a
:AD
:J
The field comparison match report allows you to assess match quality of results by field data to determine follow-up strategy. A dash
represents an exact match and close matches are indicated by actual field / data comparisons.
MIB Cross Check is provided by MIB Solutions, Inc., a subsidiary of the MIB Group, Inc.
50 Braintree Hill Park, Suite 400 • Braintree, MA 02184-8734 • www.mibgroup.com
©2014 MIB Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Form: 20140714