Tracesmart, a leading provider of data driven solutions, has announced the launch of a new self-serve website that provides access to its identity verification product, IDU. The site allows businesses to buy smaller credit packages online, providing a convenient method of purchasing for those companies conducting low volumes of identity checks.

Combining convenience with flexibility and competitive pricing, the site enables organisations to instantly purchase between 100 and 1,000 credits for Tracesmart's identity check and due diligence solution, IDU. A fixed cost per credit (which allows for one identity check), ensures customers understand what they are purchasing.

IDU is a powerful electronic identity verification tool, which facilitates the screening of individuals against a wide variety of datasets and the verification of hardcopy identity documents. Utilised widely for fraud prevention, anti-money laundering and due diligence processes, IDU will now be more readily available to the lower usage user. Mike Trezise, Managing Director at Tracesmart, highlights why the company decided to provide a self-serve option:

"The feedback we received from clients that wished to purchase smaller packages was that they desired convenience when purchasing. Whilst a consultant led purchasing process is vital for our higher volume users, those buying smaller volumes indicated that they valued convenience over consultation.

We therefore decided to develop a self-serve website which allows these users to manage the purchase process themselves, quickly and easily."

In addition to releasing the self-serve website, several upgrades have been made to IDU itself including data matching enhancements and access to invoices via the product interface. To support those users who wish to conduct identity checks on a bulk basis, Tracesmart has also developed a batch version of the product, which allows users to screen individuals en masse - particularly useful for those companies who wish to perform retrospective checks on existing clients or conduct ongoing due diligence.

Now in its third version iteration, Tracesmart is continually improving IDU to ensure that user expectations are surpassed - something which Chris Rothwell, Sales Director at Tracesmart, is extremely passionate about:

"Updating, improving and enhancing our services are fundamental processes in our year to year business strategy. Our clients demand the most up-to-date and cutting edge solutions available and we are committed to providing them.

The launch of the new IDU self-service site illustrates not only this commitment, but highlights that we take into consideration the full customer experience, not just the time spent in-product."

The IDU Portal is now live at http://idu.tracesmart.co.uk

The latest version of the online data cleansing bureau, Smartcleanse v2.1 has been released by Tracesmart, one of the UK's foremost specialists in data intelligence. Unique in the market place, the Smartcleanse bureau enables the remote management of data cleansing and enrichment processes via a secure web portal.

There are currently fifteen products accessible via the highly secure self-serve bureau; servicing various target markets and providing differing levels of batch tracing, mortality screening, de-risking, data cleansing and data enrichment processes. Large volumes of data can be processed rapidly at the click of a button and the results subsequently returned along with supporting MI (management information).

As part of Tracesmart's commitment to release quarterly updates following the portal's inauguration in 2012, the latest Smartcleanse upgrade includes two levels of a brand new email-appending product called Emailmatch. Following the database screening, the service outputs email addresses linked to any of the names and physical addresses provided. As more businesses turn to email as a medium for communicating with their customers, the results this service provides will have broad applications across many industries.

Further enhancements within the bureau have been made to Smartlink, the batch tracing product; Phonematch, the telephone appending process; and Risk MSP, a unique solution developed specifically for the Life and Pension industry that allows companies to determine the potential risk within their scheme attributable to the marital status of its members.

Mike Trezise, Tracesmart's Managing Director commented on the Smartcleanse upgrade, "The online bureau is becoming a very popular option for our customers. More and more of our existing clients are moving over to the self-serve portal, which is accessible 24 hours a day.

As Smartcleanse evolves with the addition of further products and enhancements, we anticipate a substantial increase in demand. The system is currently able to process 400,000 records every hour, and we will continue to deliver improved capacity and speeds. Smartcleanse is at the vanguard of data management, providing powerful client led products, conveniently available every minute of every day."

Emailmatch is now available and whilst the data it supplies can be used for a wide range of applications, its use in direct marketing is strictly prohibited.

Consumer data specialists, Tracesmart, and mortality screening experts, Mortascreen, have again joined forces to provide the marketing industry with a powerful new intelligence tool. Designed to help companies retain the business of gone away customers, Smartlink is a powerful, new forwarding address link database.

Containing over 23 million records, the Smartlink file calls upon Tracesmart's proprietary address linking database to provide its users with forwarding address links for their 'gone away' customers. Those who choose to utilise this powerful data source will be able to locate forwarding address details for their customers who have moved home and forgotten to inform them, with a view to keeping their custom.

Developed by Tracesmart, the file will be marketed by Wilmington Millennium, who own the deceased suppression file Mortascreen. Smartlink is available for purchase on a standalone basis, or can be bought as part of a data intelligence bundle along with Mortascreen and Smartdepart (the recently launched gone away suppression file).

Mike Trezise, Managing Director at Tracesmart, commented on the importance of not losing customers through home moves,

"It's commonly known that retaining an existing customer, or winning one back who has lapsed, is more cost-effective than recruiting a new one. Marketers have known this for some time and therefore place great value in databases that allow them to reconnect with customers who have moved.

Smartlink will be a breath of fresh air to those professionals who have been using the traditional bureaux databases, as it calls upon our unique address linking database and will provide links that other files will miss.'

Karen Pritchard, Product Director at Wilmington Millennium, reaffirmed the market's appetite for managing customer data effectively,

"The overwhelming response to the launch of Smartdepart has proven that there is a real need within the industry for a verified, more robust gone away file. Progressing our partnership with Tracesmart, we're now delighted to bring to market, Smartlink. This unique database completes the portfolio by providing over 23m forwarding addresses, thus reuniting businesses with customers they may otherwise have lost.

As impressive in quality as it is competitive in price, we're confident that Smartlink will be well received by those seeking a more intuitive way to manage data."

Continually enhancing its product range, consumer intelligence provider Tracesmart has announced the launch of version 2.3 of its flagship tracing and investigation software; TraceIQ. This latest release incorporates an email database which powers a reverse search function that will allow its users to locate a person's contact details from an email address. Additionally, the system's address linking capability has been significantly enhanced and millions more landline and mobile numbers are also now available.

The ability to locate an individual's physical contact details from a digital identity is a powerful tool - from a single piece of data TraceIQ users will now be able to locate an individual's name and address. Powered by Tracesmart's newly acquired email database, the reverse search calls upon millions of consented records to locate name and address data for the individual associated with the supplied email address. This tool is particularly useful when a user has limited information available on a subject.

Chris Rothwell, Tracesmart's Sales Director, reinforces the importance of this piece of new functionality;

'When developing TraceIQ one of the fundamental qualities we insist upon is the ability to retrieve the maximum amount of information from the smallest input. It is often the case that users will have scant data relating to a subject, so being able to recover a full TraceIQ report from a single piece of information is of great value.

The reverse search feature in TraceIQ - which calls upon consented email addresses and associated information - is a very powerful tool which will considerably enhance our users tracing and investigation productivity.'

In addition to the reverse email search feature, TraceIQ's address linking functionality has been notably enhanced, providing a greater ability to both locate a new address for a subject and identify links between individuals.

Version 2.3 also provides a higher volume of landline and mobile telephone numbers; TraceIQ users now have access to over 100 million telephone numbers.

Tracesmart further demonstrates its commitment to data security and management with the addition of the DataSeal award. The leading consumer data specialist has substantiated its high standards in Information Security Management System (ISMS) following confirmation of its DataSeal stamp of approval to accompany its ISO27001 certification achieved in 2010.

The mark confirms and underlines Tracesmart's affirmation to establish, operate, review and improve its ISMS processes. This provides the business with a trusted framework that ensures its data - and those of its clients - is kept secure and confidential.

Issued by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), DataSeal is the only recognised standard for ISMS other than ISO27001. The standard has been refined and developed to reflect the specific information security challenges of both data controllers and data processors. Tracesmart is audited externally every six months to ensure on-going adherence, allowing the company to provide additional confidence to its clients, staff and stakeholders, and that all its data processing is in-line with these standards and the Data Protection Act.

The award strengthens Tracesmart's warranty and current product offerings, which include identity verification, existence checks, volume based people tracing and consumer data cleansing. These services are employed by a large and diverse range of businesses, from SME to FTSE 100 companies, and are prominent within the financial services, pensions and collections industries.

Commenting on the DataSeal certification, Tracesmart's Technical Director, Paul Weathersby, stated: "It has become a prerequisite for many of our clients that we can substantiate our ISMS proficiency. Our staff and management work tirelessly to ensure we successfully pass all our audit inspections and maintain our high standards. DataSeal and ISO27001 certification is testament to that."

Smartdepart, a new gone away suppression product is being launched to offer marketers a verified, more cost effective solution to identify with customers and prospects that have moved house.

The new file comes from the highest pedigree; a collaboration between consumer data specialists, Tracesmart and deceased suppression experts, Mortascreen*.

Smartdepart enables organisations to identify which of their customers have moved house and flag them as gone away on their marketing database. The majority of the seven million people that move home every year forget to advise the companies that they regularly deal with of their relocation, resulting in organisations wasting up to £150 million pounds mailing people that no longer live at an address. The Smartdepart file is built from verified address movement data including Electoral Roll, Rolling Register, property ownership changes and gone away and new address verifications.

Drawing on Tracesmart's heritage and expertise in consumer tracing, Smartdepart consists of 70 million records aggregated over a timeframe of more than a decade. The file will be marketed by Wilmington Millennium, owners of Mortascreen, and can be purchased individually or as a suppression bundle alongside Mortascreen.

Mike Trezise, Tracesmart's Managing Director, commented, "Smartdepart revitalises gone away suppression, a market that has been stale for a long time. Our solution brings verified data so that organisations can be sure that their customers have moved. Additionally with an extremely cost effective and competitive price tag, our suppression product is a very compelling prospect for marketers. This, coupled with the credibility of the Mortascreen file and early feedback from bureaux suggests the launch will be welcomed."

Wilmington Millennium's Karen Pritchard, Product Director for Mortascreen, Smartdepart and Smartlink further stated, "The aim has always been for Wilmington Millennium to offer its clients a bundled deceased and gone away suppression solution, however, until now, we have been unable to find a gone away file that stood up to scrutiny and the high standards set by Mortascreen. Smartdepart is the product we've been searching for and we're delighted to be working with Tracesmart to give marketers a verified, quality, cost effective way to identify home movers."

*Mortascreen the deceased suppression product from Wilmington Millennium.

Tracesmart, leading supplier of consumer intelligence solutions, has launched version 2.3 of its identity verification suite of products, IDU. Featuring a scorecard customisation and management facility, IDU products now provide users with the ability to create and manage bespoke scorecards for identity verification and due diligence purposes. This update allows IDU products to be tailored further to meet clients' needs.

Whilst products in the IDU range have been developed around the core theme of identity verification, each is designed to support specific activities. IDU AML's primary function is to help clients meet their anti-money laundering obligations in terms of both due diligence and identity confirmation, whilst IDU KYC supports general identity verification for anti-fraud purposes. Via the scorecard customisation facility, Tracesmart clients are afforded more flexibility and are able to diversify the products' functionality even further by creating activity specific scorecards that can be assigned to products and users.

The customisation facility enables users to select which datasets they utilise in checks and also allows them to weight each of the datasets, by assigning scores which can be both positive and negative. The resulting scorecard can then be assigned to an IDU product and utilised in any screening conducted. This flexibility allows for the IDU products to be moulded around specific business needs and enables clients to create and assign specific scorecards, built to support particular business activities.

Tracesmart's Sales Director - Chris Rothwell - highlights why the company believes in providing clients with solutions that offer a greater degree of customisation.

"We have a very wide and varied client base and whilst many of their core needs will be universal, differing industries often have vertical requirements applicable only to their sector. The solution to us is simple - create a strong range of products which meet the common aims, but provide enough flexibility to further meet their specific needs.

Whilst we are a very customer centric organisation, we'd never presume to know our client's business better than they do. By providing software which is customisable, our clients are able to use our products for applications we haven't even thought of and the end result is a one size fits all solution."

By providing the facility to create and assign bespoke scorecards, IDU v2.3 is allowing the user to create product templates - this is extremely beneficial for those clients whom have multiple users, or even teams of users, who are using IDU for different activities. A scorecard can be created and assigned dependent on the specific user and business function requirements, providing a highly adaptive solution.

Leading provider of identity verification and fraud prevention solutions, Tracesmart is offering members of the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) a free consultation with one of their specialist advisors. The company is making its consultants available to IMRG members to help them identify how they can improve their fraud prevention practices and further protect their organisation from such crime.

As fraud continues to grow - CIFAS, the UK's fraud prevention service, reported 5% growth in the overall level of fraud in 2012 - Tracesmart is well positioned to advise businesses in a variety of sectors on their fraud prevention processes and procedures. The company has a diverse portfolio of solutions designed to prevent, detect and investigate fraud, which have been developed by its experienced management team. Chris Rothwell, Sales Director at Tracesmart, believes this knowledge will be of great benefit to IMRG members,

'The members of our team come from a wide variety of backgrounds - from data analysts to fraud investigators to software developers - and this array of skillsets, coupled with our extensive commercial experience, allows us to provide practical insights into third party fraud processes. We are keen to impart IMRG members with our knowledge.'

Tracesmart is also offering IMRG members 20% discount on their first agreement if they chose to utilise one of the company's solutions.

Following on from its summer and autumn releases, Tracesmart, leading supplier of tracing, investigation and identity verification solutions, has recently launched v2.2 of TraceIQ, its flagship tracing and investigation software. The new version incorporates edited Electoral Roll 2013 data which will improve tracing activity through the creation of many more address links.

Version 2.2 is the third significant TraceIQ upgrade, and the release features a range of updates including the ability to acquire information on individuals without using an address, search results preview enhancements, speed improvements and, most significantly, the inclusion of new Electoral Roll data.

The addition of records from the latest annual electoral canvass is one of the most significant data updates of the business year for TraceIQ. The Electoral Roll provides a comprehensive overview of the UK adult population and allows for the creation of a multitude of new address links, helping TraceIQ users to quickly locate the individual they are searching for.

Chris Rothwell, Sales Director at Tracesmart, highlights the importance of this update, "One of our key aims with TraceIQ is to provide as much data as possible via a single interface, helping to create a single customer view for our clients. To achieve this we source data from a multitude of reliable sources, which ensures the information returned is diverse, comprehensive and reliable. The Electoral Roll is one of the datasets employed within TraceIQ, playing a crucial role in the confirmation of residency and the creation of address links."

Functionality and efficiency are also enhanced with the launch of version 2.2. Speed is always a key concern for users of TraceIQ and Tracesmart has optimised the system further to make acquiring reports even quicker. New search functionality which allows for key data, such as county court judgments and mortality records, to be retrieved searching by name and date of birth only, will help users to find the information they need even when they don't have an address for the subject.

The launch of version 2.2 rounds off an exceptional period of software releases for the Cardiff based company as Mike Trezise, Tracesmart's Managing Director, comments, "We are committed to providing our clients with a market leading product containing features and data not available anywhere else. To fulfil this we have developed a product roadmap that will facilitate numerous releases per year.

We added many significant upgrades to TraceIQ last year such as a mobile and landline verification tool, CIFAS data and a wealth of additional consented phone numbers. The incorporation of Electoral Roll 2013 data in version 2.2 of TraceIQ is a fitting start to another productive year."

Tracesmart, leading supplier of consumer data intelligence, has released the latest update to its online automated data cleansing and batch tracing portal. Smartcleanse is a unique product in the market place that allows complete control of data management processes, permitting users to conveniently upload, map and process their data in their own time, 24/7.

The self-serve portal is housed in a secure web based environment; delivering recently developed data cleansing and tracing services to varying industries. Large volumes of data can be processed and the results subsequently returned along with supporting management information (MI).

Following on from Tracesmart's initial launch of Smartcleanse in 2012, the recent quarterly update includes increased security, improved MI reporting, product enhancements and the introduction of new products such as Smartlink, the company's new batch tracing service. Smartlink screens data against a collection of key authoritative tracing industry databases; NCOA Update from Royal Mail, Autotrace from Experian, Locate from Equifax and Tracesmart's proprietary Smartlink database.

Further advancements on the portal include an upgrade to Risk MSP, a product developed specifically for the Life and Pension industry. The marital status prediction process now provides additional key information in the output results. Risk MSP is an unequalled data enhancing product that allows companies to determine the potential risk within their scheme attributable to the marital status of their members.

Developments to the technical infrastructure of the Smartcleanse facility including server upgrades have also been implemented, delivering significant improvements in performance, generating greater processing capacity and increased speeds. Paul Weathersby, Tracesmart's Technical Director commented, "As demand for the portal escalates, we need to be confident that the facility can meet our clients' growing requirements. The upgrade allows us to process 400,000 records per hour, offering vastly reduced delivery times for screened data. The new suite of products within Smartcleanse is at the cutting edge of data management."

UK data specialist, Tracesmart, has released a new volume based tracing solution specifically for alumni development professionals at schools, colleges and universities. 'Smartlink Alumni' allows educational establishments to reconnect with their lost alumni by cleansing and updating contact data, enabling the continuity of communication between institutions and their past students.

The recently launched service allows alumni records to be verified, lost members to be located to their new address and the socio-economic profile of the entire database to be established. This provides institutions with the opportunity to invite past students to events, tailor correspondence and target potential major donors.

On completion of the cleansing process, alumni records are segregated into verified, unverified, gone away, traced and deceased, allowing alumni administrators to minimize wastage. New contact numbers can also be appended via Tracesmart's Phonematch Alumni product. These screening services are available within Tracesmart's online portal, Smartcleanse or as a managed solution.

Smartcleanse is a newly launched online data cleansing bureau that caters for many markets and is at the cutting edge of data management. The online service provides a highly secure and easy-to-use portal that enables Tracesmart clients to maintain and cleanse their data themselves and in their own time. Following a recent data cleansing exercise, Cardiff Metropolitan University's Director of Development, Andrew Walker stated, "With a mailing list of around 30,000 magazines every year, we have to be confident that the data we hold on our former students is correct. Tracesmart identified and updated a large number of invalid addresses within our database, ensuring our magazines were delivered to the right alumni to the right place, generating considerable savings."

Based in Cardiff, Tracesmart, provide people tracing, identity verification and data cleansing solutions to a large and diverse range of companies and sectors. An established data solution provider in many fields with strong working relationships with large blue chip companies, Tracesmart continues to break new ground, producing brand new products and delivery methods for ease of use and promptness.

Tracesmart's founder and Managing Director, Mike Trezise commented, "Our new online portal is proving to be a great asset, not only for us as a business but also for our users. It provides a quick and reliable means for our clients to cleanse and search for missing alumni members without the intervention of our staff. The highly secure, self-serve online batch-processing portal is receiving enthusiastic reviews. Smartcleanse is the way forward for data management."

Leading consumer data specialist, Tracesmart has further substantiated its high standards in Personal Information Management Systems following confirmation of its alignment with BS10012:2009. The benchmark reaffirms Tracesmart's already high standards following its ISO27001 certification in November 2010 which provides a model for establishing, operating, reviewing and improving Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). This delivers the business with a trusted framework that ensures its data - and those of its clients - are kept secure and confidential.

BS10012 is a British Standard for Data Protection. Written in 2009, it provides an infrastructure for maintaining and improving Data Protection Act compliance. Tracesmart is audited externally on a 6 monthly basis to ensure on-going adherence, allowing the company to provide additional confidence to all its clients, staff and stakeholders, and that all its processing is in-line with the Data Protection Act.

The standard strengthens Tracesmart's warranty and current product offerings, which include identity verification, existence checks, people tracing and consumer data cleansing. These services are employed by a large and diverse range of businesses, from SME to FTSE 100 companies, and are prominent within the financial services, pensions and collections industries.

Tracesmart was audited externally by Parker Business Development Limited to verify alignment with BS10012:2009, and they issued this statement, "Following an audit involving sampling exercises, we confirm that Tracesmart Limited has created a Personal Information Management System as required by BS10012:2009 and has aligned its data protection operations to the principles of this Standard."

Commenting on the standard, Tracesmart's Technical Director, Paul Weathersby, said: "Our clients are very mindful of the importance of quality data management, which is why ISO27001 and British Standards are important to us. We are extremely proud of the diligent work our employees have demonstrated to ensure we successfully pass all our audit inspections. We can now offer our existing and potential clients further assurance in our management systems, while demonstrating that we are committed to protecting data."

Committed to providing its customers with the latest data at the earliest possible opportunity, Tracesmart has integrated the 2013 Electoral Roll data into its systems, making it the first company to supply the pivotal information within its tracing and identity verification products.

The release will allow Tracesmart's clients to utilise the latest electoral canvass, which provides the most accurate overview of the UK's population and is deployed within Tracesmart's products to help trace people, verify an individual's identity, conduct employee background checks and find lost account holders.

UK electoral data exists in two formats, the 'full' Electoral Roll, which contains the entire electorate and can only be used for limited purposes and the 'edited' Electoral Roll which is the resultant version following opt-out and may be utilised for many different commercial activities. In contrast to the preceding years when the opt-out rate was increasing steadily, the last three years have witnessed a fall.

The opt-out rate for this year to date is 39.7%, a reduction of 0.6% compared to last year; however, there are significant variances across the country. The biggest change nationwide so far comes from the Vale of Glamorgan with a significant opt-out reduction from 92% to just 17.5% this year. Tracesmart understands that this local authority issued last year a pre-ticked opt-out option to all canvass recipients but removed the pre-ticked option this year, which had a dramatic impact on their opt-out rates. The lowest opt-out rate so far for the year also comes from Wales, with Merthyr Tydfil at 10.5%.

The most prominent rise was seen in West Somerset, which increased its opt-out rate from a low of 36.4% in 2012 to 51.6%, an uplift of 15.2%.

Over many years Tracesmart has amassed in excess of 3 billion records including more than ten years of historic Electoral Roll information. Data is continually updated to ensure the company's systems generate the most relevant and productive information available. Upload of the 2013 Electoral Roll is nearing completion and to ensure it remains up-to-date, Tracesmart will integrate the Rolling Register, a monthly update of approximately 250,000 records to reflect the continual changes that occur in people's personal circumstances.

Commenting on the latest upload, Tracesmart's Technical Director, Paul Weathersby remarked, "We strive every year to be the first to upload the newly released Electoral Roll data. The more current the information, the better the results we can provide. Businesses nowadays demand the most current and authoritative residency data available and our commitment to constantly update our data is one of the reasons we can boast a near 100% client retention rate."

Origo, the standards and services body for the UK financial services industry has renewed its preferred supplier agreement with Tracesmart for its tracing, identity verification and fraud prevention solutions. The services will continue to strengthen and enhance Origo's Data Matching service. The partnership facilitates a continual data screening resource, which allows Origo's customers to scan their customer information against key data, including consumer residency information and records of the deceased. This in turn, helps companies manage reserves and payments in-force, and assists in positively identifying customers.

Tracesmart, one of the UK's leading consumer data specialists, provides people tracing, identity verification and data cleansing solutions to a large and diverse range of companies and sectors. It is also one of a small number of companies to receive a weekly update of the Disclosure of Death Registration Information as supplied by the Registrars General. This information, along with Tracesmart's vast consumer database, drives the company's powerful proprietary facility 'Existence Alert' which uniquely fulfills Origo's requirements for its data matching service.

Commenting on the continuing partnership, Paul Pettitt, Managing Director of Origo said, "Our Data Matching service provides the financial services industry with a very cost-effective way to improve the accuracy of customer data. It enables millions of pounds worth of savings through reduced annuity write-offs and release of reserves, and reuniting customers with their accounts and policies by tracing 'gone away' customers who have moved from their last known address. This service further underlines Origo's industry role to address common cost and efficiency issues, and by partnering with Tracesmart, we are well positioned to offer a 'best of breed' solution to an ongoing industry issue."

Following the agreement update, Mike Trezise, Tracesmart's Managing Director, commented, "We are extremely proud of our ongoing partnership with Origo. Our relationship is based on close collaboration and interaction with Origo's Data Matching service customers by way of regular user groups, providing a strong platform to deliver a range of intuitive products. We are delighted to be continuing our association, and will continue to work hard, to invest heavily in relevant and current consumer data to further prolong our alliance."

UK data specialist, Tracesmart, has created a new de-risking product for the pension industry. Risk MSP (Marital Status Prediction) is a data-enhancing product for companies that might need to identify the potential added risk within their pension schemes attributable to the marital status of their members.

Scheme members' spouse usually receive benefits upon the demise of a partner and as a consequence the existence of a spouse could materially increase the cost of providing pension benefits – strong grounds to establish who within a database is single or married. Risk MSP is to be launched at the Professional Pensions Show 2012 on the 3rd and 4th October.

Tracesmart, one of the UK's leading consumer data specialists, provide people tracing, identity verification and data cleansing solutions to a large and diverse range of companies and sectors. An established data solution provider in the field of life and pensions with strong working relationships with the majority of the industry's third party administrators, Tracesmart continues to break new ground, producing brand new products and delivery methods for ease of use and promptness.

Risk MSP along with other data solutions is available on Tracesmart's newly launched online data cleansing bureau, Smartcleanse. The bureau was developed within scope of The Pensions Regulator's record keeping guidance and is at the cutting edge of pension scheme data management. The online portal is also to be showcased at the Professional Pension Show.

Following a recent Risk MSP trial, Barry Hawkins, Group Pensions Manager for the Hoover Candy Group provided feedback, comparing traditional and electronic processes for a marital status prediction, "There are numerous benefits to Risk MSP - it greatly reduces time and effort, negating the need to write to members. The process is totally unobtrusive and comparatively immediate. The cost comparison is quite marked. I would estimate that the electronic version is 50% the cost of the traditional paper method."

Mike Trezise, Tracesmart's founder and Managing Director added, "As a result of in-depth consultation with our pension sector clients, we are proud to be introducing our unrivalled self-serve and secure online batch-processing portal, delivering new automated data cleansing and tracing products specific to the industry. I'm confident the Smartcleanse portal and its products are going to prove very popular. These are exciting times for Tracesmart."

Furthering its commitment to fraud prevention, Tracesmart, leading supplier of consumer intelligence, has announced its identity verification solution – IDU version 2.1 – is now live. Tracesmart's latest release incorporates an updated version of IDU KYC, a web based solution which provides an enhanced ‘Know Your Customer' identity check and allows users to build identity and risk profiles in a method most suitable to their business needs.

There are also a variety of upgrades and features in addition to the updated IDU KYC product. These include a landline telephone number verification tool which confirms the status of a telephone line, additional matching logic incorporating fuzzy and alias matching, a significant uplift in dates of birth data and general system optimisation to improve response times.

The improved IDU KYC product is however the most notable update. It has been designed specifically to help businesses protect themselves from fraud and the latest version features a new user interface designed for both flexibility and ease of use. Credit reference data has also been added to IDU KYC for the first time, helping to enhance the products already high identity verification rate.

Sharing similarities with IDU AML – its sister product – IDU KYC allows users to submit a subject's personal details for verification; however, instead of running a set search (which IDU AML requires to meet anti-money laundering standards prescribed by law) the user can build an identity and risk profile piece by piece using datasets and checks most pertinent to the transaction. Sales Director at Tracesmart, Chris Rothwell, explains the importance of releasing this updated version:

"We are committed to providing the fraud prevention fraternity with a toolkit which enables them to prevent, detect and investigate fraudulent activity in a way most suitable to their needs.

IDU KYC is a key part of this offering and provides the assurance of a robust identity check coupled with flexible functionality, allowing users to tailor the screening of individuals to meet specific needs. Whilst there is of course a minimum level of checks which must be passed to verify identity, IDU KYC allows users to incorporate additional checks as and when the situation dictates."

Tracesmart is committed to updating its IDU suite on a quarterly basis and IDU v2.1 follows hot on the heels of June's version release. Mike Trezise, Managing Director at Tracesmart, comments on the company's release schedule:

"Data and technology are fluid entities and our services rely heavily on both. As such, to ensure we are providing our customers with the most up-to-date, accurate and powerful solutions, it is vital that we continually develop and enhance our services.

I believe the release of IDU v2.1, just three months after the previous version, demonstrates our commitment to this methodology."

IDU v2.1 can be accessed via a web-based application for manual searches or integrated into existing systems via the IDU web service.

Tracesmart, a leading provider of identity verification and fraud investigation software, has announced it is now a CIFAS Direct Agency. The South Wales based company provides access to the CIFAS Portal Service which will be supplied via its TraceIQ tracing and investigation software. The provision of this service will aid Tracesmart customers in the prevention, detection and investigation of fraudulent activity.

As a CIFAS Direct Agency, Tracesmart can now supply CIFAS Members with access to the National Fraud Database which contains details of each fraud identified by contributing CIFAS Members. Through searching the National Fraud Database alongside the multitude of other datasets TraceIQ provides access to, users are able to attain a holistic view of individuals and evaluate the risk associated with them. Mike Trezise, Managing Director at Tracesmart, highlights why the inclusion of CIFAS data into TraceIQ was an organic progression:

"Since its launch, TraceIQ has attracted a lot of customers from the risk management and fraud prevention communities who utilise it for a variety of activities in the fight against fraud. Due to the amount of data it pools into a single view, it naturally lends itself to anti-fraud processes – allowing its users to identify discrepancies and anomalies in an individual's claims.

As a company, we're always looking for robust and relevant data sources to complement our already extensive database and providing access to the National Fraud Database was the logical next step. We have many CIFAS Members already using TraceIQ who we are sure will find its addition of great use, and hope to welcome many more in the future."

Access to the National Fraud Database via TraceIQ follows on from the inclusion of CIFAS flags within Tracesmart's identity verification product – IDU – earlier this summer. Through an arrangement with one of CIFAS' Participating Agencies, Tracesmart are able to supply CIFAS Members who use IDU with flags indicating the individual being screened has a listing on the National Fraud Database. Tracesmart's Sales Director, Chris Rothwell, comments on the importance of providing access to CIFAS information through multiple services:

"The information within the National Fraud Database can be applied at various stages in the customer lifecycle and as such we will be looking to introduce the CIFAS data into all of our relevant services, which themselves have been designed for use at specific points in the customer lifecycle. We are committed to ensuring our clients have access to the data they require in the method they require and I believe the inclusion of CIFAS data at multiple access points is proof of this."

Tracesmart is currently one of only two companies to provide access to the CIFAS Portal Service and is confident that customers who utilise this service in conjunction with its powerful consumer data software will be able to tackle fraud more effectively. Richard Hurley, Communications Manager at CIFAS comments on the significant role third party agencies can play in providing access to the National Fraud Database:

"CIFAS was founded in 1988 upon the principle that fraud is a non-competitive issue. We are delighted that Tracesmart is able to deliver data on confirmed cases of fraud to CIFAS Members through their product and thus strengthen the ability of organisations to prevent fraud effectively, and minimise the damage this causes to businesses and individuals alike."

Tracesmart, leading supplier of consumer data intelligence, has announced the launch of version 2.1 of its online tracing and investigation application, TraceIQ . Providing access to a wealth of new data and enhanced features, TraceIQ v2.1 is set to improve its users tracing success rates and provide an extensive array of additional information to aid investigations.

Following on from the successful launch of TraceIQ v2.0 earlier this year, version 2.1 provides three major enhancements. The addition of a variety of new data combined with the company's proprietary matching logic has seen Tracesmart swell its Smartlink database (the company's in-house address link database, which powers the Smartlink section within TraceIQ and helps users to find people quickly and easily) by more than 100%. Chris Rothwell, Sales Director at Tracesmart, highlights the importance of this particular update:

"The latest release of TraceIQ has seen the amount of available address links double and therefore is one of our most significant launches to date. We are anticipating our client's productivity, in terms of both positive traces and establishing associations between individuals, will increase dramatically.

TraceIQ is used by a range of organisations that have a variety of different needs and use it for distinctly different purposes, which range from debtor tracing to conducting background checks. Version 2.1 builds on the solid foundations of version 2.0 to enhance the success rates of all our clients, whatever they are using the system for."

In addition to supplying access to many more address links, TraceIQ v2.1 also features an additional 20 million dates of birth which will aid users in terms of both good practice and compliance. As one of the most valuable personal identifiers available, a date of birth helps users to verify that the information they have located through TraceIQ relates to the individual who is the subject of their enquiries.

TraceIQ v2.1 also incorporates one further significant upgrade – access to the CIFAS National Fraud Database. As the UK's Fraud Prevention Service, CIFAS maintains the most comprehensive fraud database in the UK, access to which is now available to approved CIFAS Members via TraceIQ. Tracesmart's Managing Director, Mike Trezise, believes the addition of this data solidifies the system's versatility:

"When originally developing TraceIQ, our primary consideration was the creation of an industry leading tracing tool, however we knew that it would be able to support a variety of applications. As such, we future proofed TraceIQ by ensuring that it was possible to easily develop the system with a view to further servicing these additional requirements.

I'm pleased to say this foresight paid off. Since launch, TraceIQ has proven very popular within the fraud investigation community; the addition of CIFAS data has brought the system closer to being the one-stop shop for fraud investigators and those tasked with managing risk and tackling fraud."

TraceIQ provides access to the National Fraud Database via the CIFAS Portal Service. In order to supply access to CIFAS data Tracesmart became a CIFAS Direct Agency, and is one of only two companies to have done so.

Leading consumer intelligence provider, Tracesmart, has announced that version 2.0 of its identity verification and know your customer product – IDU – now utilises credit reference data in the screening process. The inclusion of this multi-source data will provide users of IDU with additional confidence when conducting identity and due diligence checks for anti-money laundering and fraud prevention purposes.

IDU is Tracesmart's flagship identity verification solution. It employs a wealth of consumer data including current and historic electoral rolls, mortality records, property information and insolvency data amongst numerous others. The system screens an individual's details against these datasets and provides a score to help evaluate whether or not the individual is who they say they are, in turn allowing Tracesmart customers to protect themselves from the threat of money laundering and identity fraud.

Now further enriched with the addition of credit reference data, IDU is even more powerful as Mike Trezise, Managing Director at Tracesmart, notes:

"IDU already provides high match rates [whereby an individual's details match to information within the system] due to the extensive consumer intelligence the product utilises. The addition of credit reference data will further enhance these match rates, providing our customers with the ability to screen even more individuals than before.

We are confident that the combination of data we already hold – much of which is proprietary to Tracesmart, and the addition of credit reference information, will make the spectrum of UK individuals IDU can verify one of the broadest in the marketplace."

Credit reference data is one of numerous upgrades incorporated in the second generation version of IDU. The system now features an intuitive new user interface which makes the identity check reports even easier to digest and users who are members of CIFAS will now be able to screen individuals against the CIFAS fraud database via an IDU check.

As well as being one of the most powerful identity verification and due diligence systems available, Tracesmart is ensuring that IDU is positioned extremely competitively, as Chris Rothwell, Sales Director at Tracesmart, highlights:

"We not only aim to provide the most powerful and robust identity checks available, but also to adopt a commercial position which betters that of our competition.

IDU will be available via a compelling fee structure that will make the overall proposition one which is hard to ignore and as such, we are expecting to achieve a high level of penetration into numerous new vertical markets over the next 12 months."

Tracesmart, leading providers of consumer data intelligence, have announced the launch of TraceIQ v2.0. Incorporating a range of new features and enhanced datasets, the latest version of the company's intuitive tracing and investigation software is set to improve productivity for businesses operating in a wide variety of industries; in particular the debt collection and fraud investigation sectors.

Version 2.0 of the web based application features many enhancements on its predecessor, two of the most notable being the uplift in consented telephone numbers – TraceIQ now provides access to over 80 million consented landline and mobile numbers (which takes the total number available through TraceIQ to over 95 million) – and its new mobile and landline verification feature. These key upgrades will not only improve the likelihood of TraceIQ users being able to contact an individual by tracing their telephone number, but will also allow them to save time by confirming numbers are valid prior to calling them.

More numbers, and the ability to verify them, are only a couple of the modifications in TraceIQ v2.0; the system also has an upgraded preview results screen (which allows users to view a co-habitant information summary prior to opening a full report), enhanced business data (making it easier to extract business information from the business trace tool) and is quicker than ever, reducing the time it takes to get results. This combination of features makes it even easier for users to trace debtors or conduct background checks. Many of the improvements to TraceIQ have been directly influenced by the system's users as Chris Rothwell, Sales Director at Tracesmart, noted:

"Ensuring TraceIQ meets the needs of its users is our primary concern when we commence development. As such, we have a client feedback process in place which allows us to identify any pain points our customers may have in their day to day processes, with a view to providing a solution that will make them more productive.

This knowledge has driven our TraceIQ development roadmap – many of the upgrades within version 2.0 have come about as a direct result of client feedback."

In addition to engaging with the client to drive the development process, Tracesmart are also committed to ensuring that product enhancements are available to TraceIQ users at the earliest possible time, as Tracesmart's Technical Director, Paul Weathersby, highlighted:

"Through dialogue with our customers it became evident that as well as having a set of particular requirements, the speed at which they could get new features was important to them. It is this need that has seen us commit to a continual release program; our team is constantly developing new features and integrating fresh data to enable us to launch updates on a regular basis.

This methodology means we can provide our clients with new features and data at the earliest possible opportunity."

The continual release program will see updates and upgrades to TraceIQ being launched on a quarterly basis.

Cardiff based data specialist, Tracesmart has reached a significant milestone for its accumulated wealth of UK mortality records. The company recently hit 3 million records within its Disclosure of Death Registration Information (DDRI) and 8 million records within its Halo database. The information is used in conjunction with the 18 million General Register Office (GRO) records from 1976 to 2006 previously amassed to help its clients mitigate fraud and further retained within its 'know your customer' solutions.

Tracesmart has, since its inception in 1999, aggregated innumerable volumes of consumer data, which is securely stored and applied to deliver a range of powerful and authoritative data solutions. The information can be used to improve the integrity of data held by Tracesmart's clients.

Mortality screening can be employed as part of a data cleansing process, to highlight within a database, the records of individuals that have died. This procedure is increasingly used by businesses and organisations in their battle against fraud and as part of their due diligence procedures.

Both DDRI and Halo are pivotal databases that are used within a mortality screening process. The DDRI data originates from a scheme launched in January 2008 to provide licensees with a weekly feed of electronic files of deaths registered in the UK as supplied by the Registrars General for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The data has been collected from January 2007 and covers the entire UK and can only be accessed by approved organisations and for reasons permitted by law; its purpose is prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of offences. Tracesmart was one of the first organisations to receive the data and continues to be one of a limited number of companies to be given access to the weekly update of approximately 12,000 deaths.

Halo contains information compiled since 1989 from probate and funeral records, insurance companies and deceased preference services.

Tracesmart has long established itself as one of the UK's leading consumer data specialists and employs DDRI and Halo data in its electronic identity verification and mortality screening services within for example, its pension products. Commenting on the company's recent milestone, Mike Trezise, Tracesmart's founder and Managing Director said, "We aim to deliver the best products and services in our industry. Our customers are accustomed to quality data, past and present, which is why we have accumulated a vast amount of information and why we will continue to do so. It's vital that we provide the best tools to counteract the increasing level of deception perpetrated by criminals within the financial industries, especially impersonation of deceased, a fraud that has rapidly grown over recent years."

Leading providers of consumer data intelligence, Tracesmart have announced a long term cooperation agreement with CRIF Decision Solutions Ltd, a company specialising in the provision of decision support, fraud detection and fraud prevention solutions. Based in the UK, it is part of the CRIF Group, which operates across Europe, America, Asia and Africa. CRIF Decision Solutions Ltd has been supporting the UK insurance industry for over 15 years and is a provider of the Claims and Underwriting Exchange Register (CUE).

The partnership will see Tracesmart provide CRIF with their UK identity verification and consumer profiling solutions, which will enable CRIF to enhance their current product offerings and complement their existing portfolio. The integration of Tracesmart's IDU service into the CRIF platforms will provide the company's customers with a broader set of tools to support the "know your customer" cycle, including quotation, underwriting, claims, and fraud prevention stages, as well as supplying powerful subject verification and anti-money laundering applications to a wide range of users, including insurance companies.

Sara Costantini, Director at CRIF Decision Solutions Ltd, explained the rationale behind the partnership with Tracesmart. "On identifying the need for a provider of United Kingdom identity checks it became apparent that Tracesmart would be able to provide us with a well rounded suite of products in a technological environment that met our criteria. In addition to providing products that are in the vanguard of identity verification, their service, support, commercial proposition and ease of establishing a good working relationship made them the ideal partner."

The IDU service is a robust identity verification and due diligence solution which calls upon an extensive collection of consumer information, including public data, to verify identity and analyse the risk associated with an individual. Mike Trezise, Managing Director at Tracesmart, believes IDU's wealth of data helped propel it into the winning position, "At Tracesmart we've long believed that the more reliable data our identity solution can interrogate, the more robust the identity check, and have therefore invested heavily in a continual data procurement program. This commitment has helped us secure the contract, as both breadth and integrity of data were key concerns for CRIF."

Tracesmart has a long history of partnering with companies who exhibit synergies and these types of relationships continue to help nurture the company's success. This developmental process has been driven by senior management at the Cardiff based business, and one of the key members, Chris Rothwell, Tracesmart Sales Director, believes the partnership is a positive reflection of IDU.

"We are delighted that CRIF have signed an exclusive agreement to use our IDU service. It is a testament to the product and team behind it that we have been able secure this contract, and we are very much looking forward to working with CRIF over the coming years."

Tracesmart and its subsidiary, Peopletracer have reaffirmed their sponsorship of Norcap, the UK organisation that supports adults affected by adoption. Tracesmart will continue to give practical support and open access to its professional online people tracing facility to help the charity to find relatives of adults affected by adoption.

Tracesmart is one of the UK's leading data solution providers, its substantial resource of consumer information allows the company to provide facilities to trace people, reunite clients with their customers, conduct ID checks and perform high volume data cleansing.

Commenting on the charity's continuing partnership with Tracesmart, Norcap's CEO, Jean Milsted said; "Thanks to Tracesmart's unbroken generosity, Norcap will be able to continue with its highly successful rate of locating and reuniting adults separated by adoption. We use Tracesmart's online facility to help us find hundreds of people every year."

Elaborating, Owen Roberts, Tracesmart's Head of Communication added, "Norcap was the first charity Tracesmart chose to collaborate with, our partnership has grown stronger and we are pleased to be able to assist such a worthy charity, to extend our resources and ultimately help so many people affected by adoption. Norcap is now engrained within our corporate social responsibility program providing business advantage to both partners."

Tracesmart has upgraded its Woking based data centre using the latest in virtualisation technology to deliver a cutting edge solution to meet its growing requirements. Tracesmart has chosen Dell as its technology partner of choice and has installed a solution using PowerEdge R710 servers and Dell Equallogic PS6000 SANs. The environment is entirely virtualised using VMWare vSphere 5.

The Equallogic solution was chosen as it offers superior performance, reliability and scalability. The ability to mix different types of storage, SSD, SAS and SATA allows an Equallogic solution to provide a single storage platform that is self-managed by the Equallogic software. VMWare vSphere 5 provides a number of powerful management features such as the ability to move virtual machines from one host to another and one storage area to another whilst the machine is turned on. This allows Tracesmart to provide a very reliable service as hardware maintenance and problems can be resolved without any loss of service.

Established by leading tracing experts, Tracesmart provides online solutions to help businesses trace people, reunite clients with their customers, conduct ID checks and perform high volume data cleansing. Paul Weathersby, Tracesmart's Technical Director, commented, "Our products and services require vast amounts of consumer data to deliver results and a robust and dependable data storage facility is crucial. The upgrade gives us further confidence as our clients demand and deserve to be able to search the most favourable information available - 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year."

Tracesmart has also opted for a virtual server backup system using Veeam. This allows the business to hold complete daily backups of all virtual machines for 6 months. Veeam permits a server restore to be initiated directly from the backup disk, which allows faster recovery and the ability to restore individual files and database records.

The upgrade follows a similar improvement a year ago to the Newport data centre, which means the entire Tracesmart network is virtualised and fully redundant across two data centres. Under normal operating conditions both data centres are used to provide an improved performance. If a fault or network failure occurs at one of the data centres all of the traffic is automatically transferred to the other within two minutes.

Tracesmart, a leading provider of fraud prevention and anti-money laundering data services, is to receive and integrate into its system a further update to its Disclosure of Death Registration Information (DDRI) as supplied by the Registrars General for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The latest addendum is the 'Scottish gap data', a list of mortalities registered in Scotland and covers the period between January 2007 and September 2008. The information is only made available to registered licence holders.

The DDRI scheme was originally launched in January 2008 to provide licensees with a weekly feed of electronic files of deaths registered in the UK. The data can only be accessed by approved organisations and for reasons permitted by law; its purpose is prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of offences. Tracesmart were one of the first organisations to receive the data and continues to be one of a limited number of companies to be given access to the weekly update.

The information along with their existing mortality data will enhance and further help Tracesmart's customers in their battle to mitigate fraud and in particular, preclude impersonation of the deceased (IOD) fraud.

Tracesmart has long established itself as one of the UK's leading data specialists and employs Death Registration Information in its electronic identity verification and mortality screening services within its pension products. Commenting on the company's recent acquisition, Mike Trezise, Tracesmart's Managing Director stated, "Scams and deception affect us all; we are committed to offering the highest possible level of service and quality of data to protect our clients against the activity. Unfortunately, fraud and in particular IOD fraud is escalating and mortality data is vital to counteract the increasing level of deception perpetrated by criminals within the financial industries."

Leading data solutions provider, Tracesmart has been shortlisted in the Welsh Company of the Year category of the South Wales Chamber of Commerce Business Awards. The winner will be announced at a forthcoming Gala Dinner at Cardiff's City Hall.

Following a sustained period of growth and expansion, Tracesmart is not only encountering increasing demand for its products and services but is receiving recognition for its continuing development. Tracesmart's short-listing for a similar category in the recent Institute of Welsh Affairs' awards, and the company's Fast Growth 50 listing for the second consecutive year, is testament to a productive and rewarding period for the data business.

Tracesmart delivers both online and offline solutions, providing cost effective access to industry leading consumer data. Its B2B products are utilised by a large and diverse range of businesses from SME to FTSE 100 companies across a wide range of industries. The company provide organisations with the means to trace people, find lost account holders, conduct employee background checks and confirm customer identity.

Mike Trezise, Tracesmart's founder and Managing Director commented, "We begin 2012 as we ended 2011, at the forefront of Welsh business. It's always pleasing to be shortlisted for any award, we now see ourselves repeatedly being recognised. The business will continue in the same vein, we still have much to do, we aim to develop and launch further products and services in the coming months for the UK market and despite the economic climate, we believe 2012 will be another strong year for our business."

Leading consumer data specialists, Tracesmart, are pleased to integrate and make available the first tranche of the 2012 Electoral Roll. The information offers the largest and most accurate summary of the UK population, and ensures Tracesmart's customers benefit from the most current and authoritative residency data available in the country.

The information exists in two formats, the 'full' Electoral Roll which has qualified and conditional usage and the 'edited' Electoral Roll; these are key datasets utilised by a growing range of Tracesmart's products and services.

Established by leading tracing experts, the company provides online B2B solutions to help businesses trace people, search information, find lost account holders, conduct employee background checks and confirm an individual's identity. The information provided within the Electoral Roll is fundamental to many of these products.

Paul Weathersby, Tracesmart's Technical Director, commented on the latest data to be uploaded, "Every year we strive to be the first to utilise the newly released Electoral Roll data. Our customers need and deserve to be able to search the most favourable information available at the earliest possible moment, it has always been our aim to deliver a customer-centric solution and we constantly work to extend both the quantitative and qualitative capacity of our data."

Over recent years the trend has seen the edited Electoral Roll diminish as opt-out rates increased. However, last year the opt-out decreased for the first time, falling 1% to 45% when compared with the preceding year. Absent data is generally bridged in the industry by the integration of other publicly available data.

Tracesmart holds data approaching a billion records including historic Electoral Roll information. Data is endlessly updated to ensure their systems will scan the most relevant and productive information available. Tracesmart will shortly complete uploading the new 2012 Electoral Roll and to ensure it remains up-to-date, they will also utilise the Rolling Register, a monthly update of approximately 250,000 records which amends Electoral Roll data to reflect changes in people's personal circumstances.

Tracesmart, one of the UK's leading data specialists, is pleased to announce that JLT Benefit Solutions Ltd (JLT) has signed a three year renewal to utilise its pension services. JLT, a globally recognised organisation, was one of the first Third Party Administrators (TPA) to trial Tracesmart's services. The renewal of this contract reinforces Tracesmart's position as the preferred supplier of data solutions within the pensions industry.

Commenting on their decision to continue utilising Tracesmart's services, Lorraine Harper, Head of Governance Services at JLT stated, "Tracesmart continues to develop products and services which meet the diverse needs of its clients. There is an increasing focus on the quality and completeness of data within our industry and Tracesmart has been proactive in recognising this. The levels of innovation are market leading and we are delighted to be renewing our contract with Tracesmart for a further three years."

Tracesmart has enjoyed rapid growth over recent years and extended its service portfolio to supply a growing number of pension schemes and third party administrators with the specialist pension tracing, mortality screening and identity verification services. The company is one of a limited number of companies to receive a weekly feed of current Death Registration Information from the Identity and Passport Service (IPS). As an IPS licence holder, Tracesmart has been able to integrate the recently released 'gap data' – the list of deaths registered in the UK from January 2007 to September 2008 – into its database, helping it to enhance the coverage of mortalities in England and Wales.

Discussing Tracesmart's growing success within the pensions industry, Catherine Dunn, Tracesmart's Life and Pension Services' Client Relationship Manager commented, "We believe in fostering strong relationships with our clients to help us understand the changing demands of the sector and how we can overcome these. Our Existence services were born from the need to mitigate fraudulent activity at the earliest possible time. We're extremely pleased that these along with our pension tracing services, have proved invaluable to companies such as JLT."

As the clock ticks steadily towards The Pensions Regulator guidance deadline, data continues to be a hot topic. Tracesmart, one of the UK's leading data solution providers were prominent at both the Professional Pension Show and the NAPF Annual Conference to draw attention to the significance of maintaining quality data. Parading their new superhero marketing campaign along with their refreshed branding, Tracesmart raised considerable interest for data integrity amongst the event's delegates made up from trustees, administrators and other pension professionals.

Tracesmart's service delivery is of high significance to the industry due to the influence and impending deadline of tPR's record-keeping guidance; the service allows schemes to continually stay up-to-date with changes in member's circumstances. Employing constantly updated information, pension schemes stakeholders are able to safeguard the integrity of their data, mitigate fraudulent activity and benefit from improved communication with their members.

Mike Trezise, Tracesmart's Managing Director, commented, "We've had a very successful exhibition season, our superhero campaign raised a great deal of interest as the importance of protecting and maintaining data was highlighted to existing and prospective clients alike. Despite the approaching deadline, it's surprising the number of schemes that still need to tackle their data issues. The conference and exhibition season is crucial to raise awareness and understanding within the industry in addition to our direct interest of highlighting the importance of appropriate, clean and current data. We aim to be back again next year."

During the conference season, Tracesmart invited attendees to participate in a survey which involved completing a questionnaire for a chance to win the new iPad2. In response to the survey, Catherine Dunn, Client Relationship Manager remarked, "We received a sizeable and interesting reaction to our market research, and would like to thank everyone for their comments. The results have given us worthwhile insight into scheme's requirements which enables us to develop and target our services accordingly."

Feedback to surveys undertaken by Tracesmart during recent pension industry exhibitions included the following: when asked about data accuracy, 31% of delegates responded that their data was 'very accurate', 29% said 'accurate' and 34% thought their data was about 'average', whereas 6% replied they had 'poor data' or 'did not know'. Asked how prepared the delegates were for the tPR's record-keeping guidance deadline, 30% responded they were 'absolutely prepared', 63% were 'nearly there', while 7% were 'unprepared'.

Tracesmart has announced its support of The Salvation Army, providing its tracing services to the globally recognised charity to help trace people. The partnership will assist The Salvation Army's Family Tracing Service by improving their tracing capacity and effectiveness and increase the number of families they reunite.

Recognised for their work with vulnerable people – largely those who are homeless and older people – the Salvation Army has more than 800 social services centres and churches in the UK and Ireland. The charity also runs more than 120 drop-in centres, which offer support and help for people in need and serves around 3 million meals every day at community and residential centres. In contrast to this largely publicised charitable work, the Salvation Army's Family Tracing Service is relatively unknown, yet provides an important provision that currently helps to reunite over 10 families in the UK every day.

Following the recent introduction of the facility, Major Graham Kinsley, The Salvation Army's Director of Family Tracing Service gave a statement about Tracesmart's operational support: "Our searches for long lost family members are now much faster, which is very important given that we handle around 2,500 new enquiries each year. More families will be reunited and more lives made whole again, thanks to the service from Tracesmart."

Established in 1999 by leading tracing specialists, Tracesmart has since become one of the UK's leading data solution providers. Its constantly updated consumer data, and key services which include trace, data cleansing, mortality screening and identity verification are utilised by a wealth of organisations from SMEs to FTSE 100 listed companies to help find, identify and profile customers to improve communication.

Commenting on the company's recent commitment to The Salvation Army, Owen Roberts, Tracesmart's Head of Public Relations stated: "The Salvation Army is an inspiring global organisation that has helped so many people at difficult times in their lives. When we became aware that the charity provides a family tracing service, it was an obvious partnership with clear synergies. We understand the impact that reconnecting with a loved one can have on someone's life, so we are particularly happy to offer our support."

Leading data specialists, Tracesmart are listed in the 2011 Fast Growth 50 Awards as the 25th fastest growing company in Wales. Joining a diverse range of businesses, Tracesmart took part in the award ceremony held in Cardiff on 16th September. Now in its 12th year, the awards which champions companies in Wales and the positive effect they have on the economy, has grown in stature and is now considered a highlight in the business calendar. Tracesmart were nominated for the fastest growing company within the Creative and Knowledge Industry category and competed for the overall title of Wales's Fastest Growing Company. This is the second successive year for Tracesmart to be listed.

Reflecting on the recognition, Mike Trezise, Tracesmart's Managing Director and founder commented: "It's another satisfying milestone in our history, and has drawn emphasis to what has proved to be a momentous year for Tracesmart. Since last year's awards we've celebrated 12 years of trading, experienced staff growth, moved into brand new headquarters and re-branded to reflect our innovative and progressive objectives. To be listed two years running is quite an achievement".

Tracesmart provides online data solutions in both the B2B and B2C sectors; their B2B products are utilised across a wide range of industries, including life and pension which has enjoyed considerable growth within the last 3 years. Tracesmart's B2B services enable companies to trace people, find lost account holders, conduct employee background checks and confirm identity. The company's access to industry leading data ensures that organisations are able to keep accurate consumer information, which helps to prevent fraud while improving administration and customer communication.

Also founded in 1999, the Fast Growth 50 Awards celebrates the progression of the Wales's most successful privately owned companies. Its founder, Professor Dylan Jones-Evans commented: "I am delighted that Tracesmart is on the Wales Fast Growth 50 list for the second year in succession. Its growth is remarkable and is testament to the individuals within the team who add valuable knowledge and drive the business forward, allowing it to maintain a competitive edge".

Tracesmart are constantly seeking talented people to join its progression. If you would like to work for one of Wales's fastest growing companies, please visit www.tracesmartcorporate.co.uk/recruitment

Celebrating twelve years since inception and twelve years’ continuous growth, leading data specialists, Tracesmart, are commemorating their anniversary by launching their new corporate brand identity. Developed in-house, the new brand incorporates a distinct logo, designed to demonstrate the company’s contemporary and progressive attributes, it will also provide further creative options and a point of focus as the business moves forward in its current and prospective markets. The new branding and website launched on the 1st August.

Tracesmart was established by leading tracing specialists in 1999, and has since become one of the UK’s leading providers of consumer data solutions. Their services and facilities are utilised by a large number of organisations within a diverse range of sectors. In the case of the Life and Pension industry, large volumes of data is cleansed and screened by Tracesmart to protect data integrity and to mitigate fraud. Further key services include tracing and identity verification for ‘know your customer’ and ‘anti money laundering’ processes.

Commenting on their anniversary and subsequent rebrand, Mike Trezise, Tracesmart’s founder and Managing Director stated: “We have chosen to celebrate our anniversary with a revision to our identity. Success within our industry relies upon a commitment to being up-to-date and forward thinking, and as such we need to reflect our progressive and dynamic characteristics. I firmly believe that our new branding achieves this; twelve years is a significant milestone for us, and the rebrand is a fitting acknowledgment to our recognised and anticipated achievements and goals.”

Heavy investment in technology and employees has led to cutting-edge data solutions which have strengthened Tracesmart’s market position. The company now employs over 80 staff and recently relocated to modern, environmentally-friendly headquarters in Cardiff Bay. This, along with their top twenty listing within the Wales Fast Growth 50 awards, is testament to the company’s development strategy.

Tracesmart, a leading provider of fraud prevention and anti-money laundering data services, are to receive and integrate into their system what is generally known in the industry as the ‘gap data’. Following a review by The Identity and Passport Service, the list of deaths registered in the UK from January 2007 to September 2008 has been made available to licence holders under the Disclosure of Death Registration Information (DDRI).

The DDRI scheme was originally launched in January 2008 to provide licensees with a weekly feed of electronic files of deaths registered in the UK. The data can only be accessed by approved organisations and for reasons prescribed by law; its purpose is prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of offences. Tracesmart were one of the first companies to receive the data and continues to be one of a limited number of companies to be given access to the weekly update and now the newly released records.

The information along with their existing mortality data will enhance and further help Tracesmart’s customers in their battle to fight fraud and in particular, prevent impersonation of the deceased (IOD) fraud - a rapidly increasing crime within the financial sector.

Founded in 1999, Tracesmart has become one of the UK’s leading data specialists and utilise Death Registration Information within their electronic Identity verification and mortality screening services within their pension products. Commenting on their recent acquisition, Michael Trezise, Tracesmart’s Managing Director stated: “IOD fraud can affect a wealth of businesses and organisations; we remain committed to offering the highest possible level of service and quality of data to protect our customers against this type of fraud. Unfortunately, fraud is on the increase and mortality data is vital to counter-act the level of deception perpetrated by criminals within the financial industries.”

Tracesmart, one of the UK's leading consumer data providers, have announced the launch of the first web service in a new suite; CCJ web service. Unique to Tracesmart, CCJ web service went live in tandem with the company's new supporting website - developer.tracesmart.co.uk - the combination of which aims to provide organisations with the ability to access and incorporate a variety of consumer data and Tracesmart services into their business systems.

County Court Judgements (CCJ's) are issued by County Courts in England & Wales when a debtor fails to pay money they owe, with the judgements requiring the debtor fulfil their obligations to the creditor. As this information is a solid indicator of an individual's financial standing, it is invaluable to many organisations and can be used in a variety of business applications such as credit vetting, employee background checks and debtor profiling.

CCJ web service provides the ability to access all live CCJ records for England & Wales and also the equivalent records for Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Jersey. Providing comprehensive UK coverage of court judgements, this web service is unique to Tracesmart.

Chris Rothwell, Tracesmart's Sales Director, details the drivers behind the development of a suite of web services;

"Many of our customers have highlighted the fact that they would like direct access to data through their own systems; at Tracesmart we pride ourselves on meeting customer needs and whilst lots of our clients enjoy the benefits of having data presented to them in a predetermined fashion, as is the case in our online software, others simply want raw data to interpret themselves.

As such, we've instigated a program that will see a whole host of web services developed which will provide access to both raw data and also provide a gateway to some of our online services. Substantial requests for swift and easy access to CCJ data resulted in the CCJ web service being developed first; this will be followed by an array of other web services."

To ensure that their suite of web services will be well supported, Tracesmart have launched a website - developer.tracesmart.co.uk - which details how a user can setup their systems to utilise the Tracesmart web services. The site highlights how to send a request to the CCJ web service, what response can be expected, data that will be returned and also provides code examples. Craig Strong, Head of Product Development, elaborates on the efforts made to make the service easy to use;

"When developing the CCJ web service we ensured that it would be extremely efficient, robust and secure, however we knew that if it wasn't simple to access and well supported, all of its plus points would count for nothing.

As such, in addition to the service itself, we also developed a website aimed at the web developers who will integrate the service into third party systems. developer.tracesmart.co.uk provides web developers with clear guidance on how to integrate with the CCJ web service and highlights the various channels through which they can get help and support.

We understand that any product or service is much more than just an isolated element; it incorporates a complete experience, and it's therefore essential that we support our suite of web services effectively."

In addition to the supporting website, Tracesmart have also set up a dedicated Web Services team, who are on hand to assist and support users of the service and ensure they get the most out of the system.

Tracesmart, the UK's leading data specialists took part in the Miles for Missing People 10K charity run, organised by the charity Missing People on Saturday 2nd April. With the largest team entry, Tracesmart further proved their commitment to the cause as the charity's official search partner.

Tracesmart provide online consumer data solutions that enable businesses from a wide range of sectors to employ its services for people tracing, ID verification and data cleansing. Missing People themselves benefit from the tracing facility as part of their wide ranging needs to search for people and information.

Speaking of their support of Missing People, Owen Roberts, Head of Public Relations at Tracesmart commented: "We're extremely pleased that we've been able to raise so much money, the sum demonstrates the determination of our staff and fundraising team who have really got behind the charity. As a company we're proud that our employees have embraced the important work that this charity undertakes - it's a testament to our company values and ethos."

Martin Houghton-Brown, the Chief Executive of Missing People, said "We're so grateful to Team Tracesmart for their fantastic support of Miles for Missing People. The company's extraordinary fundraising efforts will help us to improve and expand our services, so that we can be a lifeline when someone disappears."

Missing People provide a vital support when someone goes missing. At any one time, Missing People is searching for over 5,000 missing people in the UK, 3,000 of which are children. Their caring and highly trained staff and volunteers offer specialised support to the families that are left behind; they work hard to try and end the heartache and confusion. The charity is currently campaigning for the Government to give families of missing people the same basic rights as victims of crime.

Consumer intelligence specialist, Tracesmart has announced the recent appointment of a Client Relationship Manager. After considerable growth within the life and pensions sector, Tracesmart promoted Catherine Dunn to this recently created position. Dunn who has been with Tracesmart for two years, has brought a wealth of experience within the financial services industry to the company, which has given her a good grounding to the compliant nature of the life and pensions sector.

Tracesmart’s online solutions – Cleanse, Trace, Existence and ID – have been utilised by pension schemes to ensure their member records are highly accurate and compliant with The Pensions Regulator’s record-keeping guidelines. With the 2012 Pensions Reform approaching, schemes’ data is facing increasing scrutiny to ensure high accuracy of common data. This impending reform has helped to bolster Tracesmart’s roster of life and pensions clients, and the new role is crucial to the company’s development within the industry.

Mike Trezise, Tracesmart’s Managing Director, commented on Catherine Dunn’s recent promotion:

“I am delighted that Catherine has decided to take on this new role. Her analytical skills, commitment to the company and involvement in developing new products has proved invaluable to Tracesmart. I wish her every success in this new position, and believe that she will help strengthen our place within the pensions sector.”

Leading consumer data specialists Tracesmart, are pleased to provide their clients with access to an increased number of consumer records, thanks to the recent inclusion of 2011 Electoral Roll data into their database. As the most accurate snapshot of the UK population, the full Electoral Roll and the edited Electoral Roll are key datasets utilised by a range of Tracesmart's products, helping to ensure their clients have access to the most up-to-date information available.

Founded in 1999 by a leading tracing specialist, Mike Trezise, Tracesmart provide online B2B solutions which help organisations to trace people and information, find lost account holders, conduct employee background checks and confirm an individual's identity. The data provided by the Electoral Roll is integral to many of these products.

Paul Weathersby, Technical Director at Tracesmart, commented on the importance of providing clients with the latest records: "We strive to deliver customer-centric solutions, and continually work to extend the wealth of information that is available. Our clients rely on accurate and extensive information, so it's imperative that we're able to offer the most recent and accurate consumer data at the earliest possible time.

Making new Electoral Roll data available as soon as possible is part of this commitment. Encouragingly, in what is a first since the edited Electoral Roll was introduced, the opt-out rate dropped from 46% in 2010, to 45% in 2011, which should see more records being available. However, we are conscious that there is still a large portion of the populous unaccounted for in the edited Roll, and as such will continue to source alternative data to bridge the gap."

Including the Electoral Roll, Tracesmart holds data approaching a billion records in their aggregated datasets. The data they hold is regularly updated to ensure that their products supply the most productive and pertinent information available. Tracesmart will soon complete uploading the new 2011 Electoral Roll and to ensure it remains up-to-date, they will be taking advantage of the Rolling Register, a monthly update which amends electoral data to reflect changes in people's personal circumstances.

Highlighting the importance of these updates Weathersby added: "We will be ensuring our clients have access to the most recent electoral data, by updating our database on a monthly basis with the information we receive via the Rolling Register. These updates can amount to amendments of almost 250,000 a month, and will provide our customers with the consumer intelligence they need for their business."

Cardiff-based consumer data specialist Tracesmart, has relocated to Global Reach following recent significant growth. The company has transferred its 80 employees from three office locations to a single headquarters; a brand new, high-tech and environmentally friendly office complex in Cardiff Bay, providing a centralised workforce and further scope for expansion.

Located within Cardiff's Celtic Gateway Business Park, the Global Reach office space has been completed to Grade A specification, and includes a solar shading system, which reduces the building's running costs and carbon emissions. Rhiannon Wilcox, Tracesmart's Financial Director, elaborates on the reasons for choosing Global Reach:

"We're extremely pleased with the new office, this dynamic building reflects Tracesmart's innovative nature, and will be the perfect environment for us to strengthen our product offering. We're looking forward to being able to reinforce our working relationships, whilst gaining the opportunity to develop further."

Tracesmart offers an invaluable source of consumer information to a vast and varied range of companies, from SMEs to FTSE 100 corporations. Delivering a powerful data cleansing and mortality screening service, an online provision to perform identity checks and an authoritative facility to trace people, Tracesmart's client portfolio boasts a wide variety of industries including the pension, collection, media and financial sectors.

Their growth strategy has clearly been a huge success; investing heavily in new technology whilst expanding their pool of expertise has enabled the company to strengthen its position in the market place and add to their impressive portfolio of clients. Tracesmart has also recently gained entry to the Fast Growth 50 list, securing a position within Wales's top 20 fastest growing companies.

Commenting on their relocation, Tracesmart's Managing Director, Mike Trezise stated: "Our staff numbers have increased considerably, which is a testament to the success of our business strategy. However, in order for the company to build upon this and progress our product offering, we needed to bring the business expertise together. We look forward to the next stage in our development."

Tracesmart, a leader in the field of consumer intelligence, reinforced its stringent data security management with the successful accreditation of the globally recognised ISO 27001:2005 Information Security certification. The standard provides a model for establishing, operating, reviewing and improving an Information Security Management System (ISMS) - providing Tracesmart with a trusted framework which ensures their data - and that of their clients - is kept secure and confidential.

This accreditation strengthens Tracesmart's warranty and current product offerings which include identity verification, existence checks, people tracing and consumer data cleansing. These services are utilised by a large and diverse range of businesses, from SME to FTSE 100 companies, and are prominent within the financial services, pensions and collections industries.

Commenting on the company's successful certification, Tracesmart's Technical Director, Paul Weathersby, stated:

"Data is our business; we take security and confidentiality very seriously. Our clients are also mindful of the importance of quality data management, which is why ISO 27001:2005 is very important to us. We are proud of all the hard work and effort our employees demonstrated to ensure we successfully passed our audit inspection.  We can now offer our existing and potential clients a further assurance in our management systems, while demonstrating that we're committed to protecting data."

Having been officially accredited, Tracesmart is one of less than 500 companies in the UK to have achieved the high standards required for ISO 27001:2005 certification. As well as demonstrating a commitment to the highest level of data security, it will provide Tracesmart's clients with confidence that the company will keep data security at the forefront of the business - the ISO 27001:2005 requires that regular audits take place to ensure that information management security duties are fulfilled and continuously improved.

Tracesmart recently kick-started their initial three-year agreement to support the charity Missing People with a staff fundraiser. Tracesmart has pledged to give practical support and financial investment to help Missing People provide a lifeline to the 250,000 people who run away and go missing each year.

Commenting on the charity’s new partnership with Tracesmart, Missing People’s Chief Executive Martin Houghton-Brown said: ”Thanks to Tracesmart's generosity, Missing People will continue to act as a lifeline to the 250,000 people that go missing every year and support the heartbroken families left behind. There is such a great synergy between our organisations and we are looking forward to working together.”

Elaborating, Owen Roberts, Tracesmart’s Head of Public Relations said: “When we learnt that currently one in four calls made to Missing People’s helplines could not be answered, we were particularly eager to offer our support to enhance the charity’s resources. We’ve already discussed future events that we can help promote and look forward to working with Missing People to support the fantastic and vital work that it provides.”

The charity is currently campaigning for the rights of families of missing people. As well as having to cope with the emotional upset of losing someone, these families also have to deal with a huge financial strain. Due to current laws, closing someone’s financial accounts can cost a family up to £25,000; Missing People are campaigning for a change in current legislation. Tracesmart recognises the stress and frustration that these families experience, and is providing Missing People with financial support to ensure this change in legislation becomes a reality.

Tracesmart’s Sales Director, Chris Rothwell, has joined a host of industry leading professionals on the judging panel at this year’s Debt Collection Awards. Held at The Nottingham Belfry Hotel, on 18^th November, the award scheme is the only event to specifically celebrate the achievements of those working in the debt collection industry. In its fourth year, the ceremony marks the efforts and talents of teams and individuals within this highly challenging sector.

With a wealth of financial services experience behind him, Rothwell brought his inside knowledge to Tracesmart ten years ago and helps develop their range of services aimed at the collections industry and public services sector. Originally heading up Tracesmart’s in-house tracing team, his sharp business acumen and commitment was recognised by the company’s directors and he was appointed to the board; charged with leading the sales team and strengthening Tracesmart’s position in the marketplace.

Speaking of his place on this year’s panel of judges, Rothwell commented:

“It is an honour to judge the merits of teams and businesses within the debt collection industry. Having joined Tracesmart to head up the tracing division, the collections industry is one that I am extremely au fait with; I understand the expertise that is required to enjoy success within this tough business sector.”

Tracesmart provide online solutions to the collections industry, helping businesses to cleanse debtor data, and trace individuals. Their new intelligent tracing tool, TraceIQ, is also sponsoring the Trace Team of the Year award. Giving businesses the means to locate the information they are looking for in a swift manner, the product fits well with an award which promotes excellence in tracing.

Elaborating on his company’s involvement with the award ceremony, Rothwell added:

“I am extremely proud of Tracesmart’s involvement with this year’s awards; it’s a great honour. I feel that being asked to participate in the essential judging process, alongside some of the biggest names in the industry, highlights how far Tracesmart has come.” 

Tracesmart, one of the UK’s leading consumer data specialists, attended the highly regarded Welsh Fast Growth 50 annual award ceremony at the Holland House Hotel, Cardiff, on 29th October. Nominated for the fastest growing company within the Creative and Knowledge Industry category, and competing for the title of Wales’s Fastest Growing Company, it was a satisfying moment for Mike Trezise, Tracesmart’s Managing Director and founder:

“To see Tracesmart placed within the top twenty fastest growing organisations in Wales is a real highlight in the company’s history. Thanks to our investment in innovative technology and our pool of talented people, we have gone from strength to strength. Our maxim has always been ‘to be the best’, and we continually strive to improve our products and services so that we can offer real benefits, and strengthen our position in the marketplace.”

Founded in 1999, Tracesmart provide online solutions, which offer access to industry leading consumer data. Their B2B products are utilised by a large and diverse range of industries from SME to FTSE 100 companies across a wide range of business sectors. They provide organisations with the means to trace people, find lost account holders, conduct employee background checks and confirm peoples’ identity.

Also founded in the same year that Tracesmart was established, the Fast Growth 50 Awards celebrated its twelfth anniversary with Wales’s most successful privately owned companies. It aims to help Welsh businesses gain recognition and further support to help them develop, and bring further employment and opportunities into Wales.

Its founder, Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, said: “I am delighted that Tracesmart has qualified as one of Wales’s fastest growing firms in 2010. Through its continuous commitment to innovation and improving services, Tracesmart is exactly the type of business that the Welsh economy needs as we emerge from recession.”

Speaking of Tracesmart’s attendance at the Fast Growth 50 awards, Owen Roberts, Head of Public Relations added: “The Fast Growth 50 Awards is the high point in the Welsh business calendar; it remains a constant reminder of the entrepreneurial potential that exists in Wales. We’re extremely pleased that our recent rapid growth strategy has been acknowledged. This will give a real boost to all our employees, increase our profile and brand awareness and possibly help us enter new markets.”

Tracesmart are continually looking for talented people. If you would like to work for one of Wales’s top twenty fastest growing companies, visit their recruitment web page.

Tracesmart Corporate, a leading provider of data cleansing services, is extremely pleased to announce that Hewitt Associates has been added to its roster of international clients. Providing tracing, existence and anti-money laundering services, Tracesmart Corporate will enable Hewitt to trace people such as gone aways or executors of the deceased, to identify mortalities and to conduct identity checks as part of compliance and security measures. These services will ensure that Hewitt holds accurate member information; easing member record management and protecting their clients' schemes from fraud. 

With 70 years’ experience and a global reach into more than 30 countries, Hewitt is a leading human resources outsourcing provider, with more than 23,000 associates who work with some of the world’s most successful companies.

Mike Trezise, Tracesmart’s Managing Director commented, “We are delighted to be awarded with Hewitt’s three year preferred supplier contract.  Our stringent security measures, industry knowledge and innovative technology have again successfully delivered a major contract with a global organisation. We look forward to working with Hewitt, and will endeavour to deliver the best high quality, cost-effective service possible.”

Tracesmart is one of a small handful of organisations to receive weekly updates of registered UK deaths as part of the General Register Office’s (GRO) Disclosure of Death Registration Information (DDRI) scheme. This information enhances the company’s mortality screening facility - a key function of their Existence Alert service.  In addition to this service, Hewitt will also be utilising Tracesmart’s anti-money laundering system to confirm scheme members’ identities, screen individuals against politically exposed persons and sanction databases, and to demonstrate quality data governance.

Derek Morgan, European Benefits Outsourcing Lead at Hewitt Associates, said, "We are very pleased to be working with Tracesmart.  They provide us with services which go to the heart of successful administration, enabling Hewitt to set the highest standards in the accuracy and effectiveness of the services we provide to our clients."

Tracesmart – leading providers of debtor tracing systems and data cleansing services – have announced that this summer they will be launching the next evolution in tracing software; TraceIQ. The new system has been designed to provide the collections industry with much more than a simple tracing tool and will make its debut at an official launch in London.

Billed as 'The intelligent way to trace', Tracesmart have designed the system to provide not only the tracing functionality you would expect in a market leading product, but also added intelligence that will enhance the way in which businesses' trace and collections departments operate.

TraceIQ's brain is a powerful logic engine that will provide users with accurate trace results and additional pertinent information, allowing for swift decisions to be made and the productivity of trace and collections teams to increase dramatically. Whilst the logic engine is a highly sophisticated system, the key to users gaining value from the product is the simplicity of the search and reporting interfaces, as Mike Trezise, Managing Director at Tracesmart, highlighted,

"There is a simple ethos behind our new TraceIQ product – 'We'll do the hard work, so you don't have to.' So whilst the system logic is incredibly advanced and sophisticated, ensuring that the end-user is provided with the correct information, equally important is the method in which TraceIQ allows users to search for an individual and how resulting information is communicated back to them and presented.

The brain makes the decisions for the user, and the interface ensures the returned information is easily applied to the task in hand." Whilst precise details of TraceIQ's features and functionality remain a closely guarded secret, Tracesmart have revealed that the system has been designed to be highly user-oriented, with an array of customisable features that will allow businesses to mould the system to their needs. Chris Rothwell, Sales Director, elaborated,

"We have a long history of working closely with our clients in the debt collection industry and an abundant knowledge of tracing practice. TraceIQ is a child of that experience and is designed for the industry, with the end user in mind. It is simple enough for anyone to use, but provides the sophistication an experienced tracer or collections analyst requires. I know that it will make many heads turn on its launch in the summer."

Those who wish to find out more about the new system and its imminent launch can register their interest at www.traceiq.co.uk

The requirement for good quality, regularly updated data is crucial for the business community and none more so than when companies and organisations need to protect themselves from fraud. Impersonation of the deceased (IOD) fraud is a growing concern and industries continuously look for the best options to safeguard themselves and their consumers against the perpetrators.

Tracesmart Corporate, a leading consumer data specialist, is one of the few companies able to deliver an authoritative solution to protect organisations from IOD fraud and deception, offering a powerful mortality screening service which, through screening their customer databases, allows companies to identify deceased individuals. This process can save a diverse array of businesses – from pension providers to credit card companies – millions of pounds per year.

To further strengthen the scope of its data and services, Tracesmart has uploaded UK Death Index records from 1976 – 1979 into their mortality screening database. This data release is part of a larger project which will see Tracesmart digitise Death Index records held on microfiche spanning 1960 – 1983, and is the latest tranche of data to be uploaded subsequent to the digitisation and integration of 1980 – 1983 death data in June of last year.

In addition to assisting anti-fraud measures, the historical mortality data will also enhance Tracesmart’s data cleansing, anti-money laundering and tracing solutions. Historical mortality information is also employed within Tracesmart’s asset reunification services and dormant account tracing; it helps tracers to confirm an individual is deceased and can also provide a lead to help locate the next of kin or executors of the deceased’s estate.

Tracesmart’s Managing Director, Mike Trezise, commented, "As part of our commitment to providing the best possible service, we need to utilise as much relevant data as possible; the greater the scope of information, the greater the results. The digitisation of this crucial information can only improve our mortality screening, identity verification and tracing portfolio; providing a further improved service to our client base. We have worked hard to build up an industry-leading database, which is unique to Tracesmart and outperforms the competition.”

Rhiannon Wilcox FCCA has joined the board of directors at Tracesmart, one of the UK's leading consumer data specialists. Previously the company accountant, Wilcox will strengthen the board at a time when the organisation is experiencing rapid growth and transition due to sustained high demand for its data cleansing, anti-money laundering and debtor tracing services.

A graduate of Loughborough University, Wilcox trained with RSM Bentley Jennison followed by spells with Citigroup in Sydney and KTS Owens Thomas in Cardiff. Having established her own successful business operating within a diverse range of industries and commerce in South Wales, Tracesmart became one of her principal clients. As a recognised and respected figure within the company, the transition to board member has been seamless.

Wilcox remarked, "I am delighted to have joined the board at Tracesmart as we embark on a new financial year and I look forward to the opportunities and challenges that will arise as the company diversifies and grows. These are exciting times for the business, management and staff."

The scope of online data driven services provided by the company's B2B arm, Tracesmart Corporate, offers an invaluable source of consumer information to a vast and varied range of companies, from SMEs to FTSE 100 corporations. Delivering a powerful data cleansing and mortality screening service, an online provision to perform identity checks and an authoritative facility to trace people, Tracesmart's client portfolio boasts a wide variety of industries including the pension, collection, media and financial sectors.

Mike Trezise, Tracesmart's Managing Director, commented on his new board member,
"I would like to offer Rhiannon my personal congratulations on her new role and wish her all the very best. Her unfailing commitment and hard work has served the company extremely well over recent years. We are currently going through an important phase in our expansion and I'm confident she will make a major contribution during this stage and to the future success of the company. The management team is delighted that Rhiannon has agreed to join the board of directors."

Tracesmart Corporate has been appointed by Apex Credit Management to provide their proprietary data cleansing and online tracing services. The intuitive web based tracing system offers a single source solution, which permits the rapid and confident tracing of gone aways and absconded debtors. The facility will provide Apex with the means to conduct their tracing activities, both efficiently and ethically.

Apex Credit Management is a rapidly growing credit management provider. Headquartered in Stratford-Upon-Avon, the business is focused exclusively upon providing debt management services to the financial services sector; notably early arrears outsourcing, debt collection, debt purchase and tracing services. The company was established in 2000 as a specialist UK based consumer debt collection agency.

Apex recently created a new division, Apex Discovery Solutions, which provides dedicated tracing solutions to the financial services sector. Based in West Malling, Kent, the new enterprise boasts a large team of tracers to fulfil the recent uptake in demand from this sector. Head of Trace is Jamie McGrath, who with over twenty years of experience in the debt recovery and debt purchase sectors has extensive knowledge of tracing and compliance. Commenting on the company’s new partnership with Tracesmart, McGrath remarked, "Forging an alliance with Tracesmart enables us to broaden our data cleansing and tracing services across our client base, which will assist us in our goal of becoming a data led, ethical and compliant trace provider."

Tracesmart is one of the UK's leading data specialists, providing debtor tracing and consumer data services to a vast number of the country's credit management companies. In addition to people tracing, the company also offer identity checks and anti-money laundering services to a varying and growing legion of businesses and industries.

Commenting on the new partnership, Chris Rothwell, Tracesmart's Sales Director remarked, "We are delighted that Jamie and his recently established Apex division have chosen Tracesmart for their tracing and data solutions. Our debtor tracing facility is industry leading; we are confident we can provide increased productivity and efficiencies to any credit management organisation. We look forward to providing a first-rate and cost-effective service to our new partner, Apex."

The end of the calendar year is the period when local authorities make available their amassed edited Electoral Registers, and again Tracesmart is at the forefront following the announcement that they have already started incorporating the newly released 2010 data into their extensive catalogue of consumer information. As one of the UK’s leading data specialists, Tracesmart maintains its position and reputation by ensuring the data they hold is the most up-to-date possible, providing their clients with access to the latest information obtainable.

The UK electorate populate two registers which are collated by local authorities. The first is the full Electoral Register, which is utilised to facilitate local and national elections and is also employed by credit reference agencies. The second is the edited Electoral Register which holds the data of those individuals who did not ‘opt-out’ whilst completing their registration form. This list is held in the public domain and is commercially available. Tracesmart utilises this information, along with previously accumulated data, to provide identity checks, data cleansing and tracing solutions to the nation's businesses and industries.

Tracesmart Corporate has a diverse and constantly growing legion of companies employing their online facilities to trace people, and verify individuals as part of fraud prevention procedures. Edited Electoral Register records provide indispensable information for both identity checks and tracing exercises, as they contain names and addresses of UK citizens; key information needed to identify or locate an individual.

Commenting on the release of the newly uploaded Electoral Register data, Paul Weathersby, Tracesmart's Technical Director, remarked, "Once again, Tracesmart leads the way in delivering Electoral Register information. We have uploaded millions of new records to our system in a very short period and they are already fully searchable. We pride ourselves on this rapid integration which guarantees our customers early access to the best data available."

Loading of the 2010 edited Electoral Register data into Tracesmart's systems will continue throughout December and January; it is anticipated that the edited register will be fully integrated by the end of January 2010.

Following an assessment of their clients' member screening procedures, JLT Benefit Solutions Ltd (JLT) established the distinct advantages of Tracesmart's Existence checks facility. JLT were one of the first companies to employ Existence Alert in conjunction with Tracesmart's tracing service and are able to quantify fully, the benefits of comprehensive screening and batch pension tracing.

Commenting on the service, Andrew Marson, Head of Administration Consulting, JLT said, "All JLT clients using this service are benefiting from the improvements it brings. A number have saved significant sums of money as a result. Our relationship with Tracesmart is well established."

Tracesmart Corporate provide a broad spectrum of data intelligence services to the financial sector, including a multi-tiered consumer tracing solution utilised by a growing number of FTSE 100 companies. Tracesmart is also one of a small number of companies to receive a weekly feed of current UK Death Registration Information (DRI) from the General Register Office, crucial data which is employed to enhance the mortality screening functions of its anti-fraud services.

Established as the preferred choice within the pension industry for conducting existence checks, Tracesmart's Existence service can boast the vast share of the relevant market. The process utilises DRI, historical death indexes and commercially aggregated mortality data to flag any deaths in the UK, whilst also confirming residency and identifying gone aways. This is carried out on a continual basis, permitting appropriate action to be taken to mitigate risk at the earliest possible moment.

Remarking on Existence and his company's performance within the pension sector, Tracesmart's Managing Director, Mike Trezise remarked, "Tracesmart's combined existence checks and tracing services are industry leading. We are the principal player in this market now because we essentially understand the needs of the sector. As JLT has confirmed, our existence service delivers significant advantages. The process appreciably benefits all concerned, except that is, the fraudster."

Leading suppliers of identity checks and anti-money laundering services, Tracesmart, are to expand their workforce which will help manage the increasing demand for their services. The expansion will specifically involve the administration, sales and IT teams.

Tracesmart is currently active in a number of industries however the key B2B markets in which it operates include pensions and debt collection. Both these sectors use the company's data cleansing and consumer location services to trace people in order to re-establish contact. The pensions industry further utilises Tracesmart's Existence suite of services which can be used to identify scheme members who have relocated or are deceased, this helps pension schemes better manage their member payments, and protect themselves and their members against fraud.

Demand for Tracesmart Corporate services has already prompted the company to recruit seven new members of staff over recent months. They now plan to recruit a further eight to strengthen their numbers and continue their expansion within their core and new commercial arenas. Tracesmart's employee levels will soon total sixty, and the company headquarters still has capacity for further growth as their Business Support Manager, Rebecca Westlake, commented,

"We recently completed the refurbishment of our newly expanded Cardiff head office. In line with our expansion plans, the improvements have allowed us to develop and deploy individual teams efficiently and effectively to optimise our work environment."

With close ties to both his front line staff and the company's major clients, Tracesmart's Managing Director, Mike Trezise, is fully aware of how and when the company will continue to expand. Commenting on his company's development Trezise stated,

"We continue to reap the rewards of our ongoing marketing and sales campaigns within our core sectors. Demand has further led us to increase our staff to meet current and new client needs. We will continue to ensure our clients receive the best possible service and I'm confident that we'll experience sustained growth in 2010."