There are many companies that provide databases of Criminal and Sexual Predator records. While these databases are very handy as a backup tool, there are not sufficient by themselves--for several reasons.

• It takes a while to compile and input a database, so in most cases they are not up to date

• They rarely provide any identifying information other than a name and maybe a date of birth. If you are searching a common name, you can't tell if the results apply to your applicant.

• There is no way to go back and investigate any discrepancies, so using a database alone makes it difficult to comply with the FCRA.

These are some of the many reasons that all database searches must be followed up with a Primary Source Search