Fidelity Background Checks: Everything You Need to Know
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- Fidelity Background Checks: Everything You Need to Know
Fidelity Background Checks aren’t perfect. If an error in a Fidelity report has caused problems for you, let us know.
Employers, landlords, and lenders all rely on Fidelity Background Checks to screen applicants. When Fidelity makes an error in preparing a background check report, everyone is at risk. Here’s what to know about Fidelity Background Checks and what the individuals who have been injured by background check mistakes can do.
The background check attorneys at Consumer Attorneys have seen firsthand how important accurate, fair, up-to-date, secure, and error-free background checks are. This is true for both the individuals upon whom background checks are performed and the businesses who rely on the background checks to hire, rent apartments to, lend money to, and do business with the right people.
While errors in background check reports affect both the checker and the person being checked, errors in background check reports are especially devastating for individuals. Inaccurate background check reports can lead to significant harm and impact employment, housing, and financial opportunities.
This article covers everything you need to know about a leading background check company called Fidelity Background Checks, including the company's history, the types of background checks they conduct, and what you can do if you are affected by an error in a Fidelity background check.
Fidelity Background Checks, or Fidelity, has been a prominent player in the background screening industry for several decades. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the company offers various screening services to help businesses make informed decisions about their employees and tenants.
Types of Background Checks Conducted by Fidelity
Fidelity Background Checks conducts a variety of background checks tailored to meet the needs of different clients. The main types of background checks include employment background checks, tenant background checks, credit checks, and collections checks. Each type of check is designed to provide specific information to help clients make well-informed decisions.
Employment Background Checks
Employment background checks are crucial for employers to ensure they hire reliable, trustworthy, non-threatening, and qualified candidates. Fidelity’s employment background checks typically include:
| Category | Description |
| Identity Verification | Confirming the applicant's identity through comprehensive Social Security number validation and other means of identity verification to ensure the person is who they claim to be. |
| Employment History | Verifying the applicant's past employment details, including job titles, dates of employment, and reasons for leaving previous positions, to ensure the accuracy of the applicant's work history. |
| Education Verification | Confirming the applicant's educational background by verifying degrees earned, institutions attended, and any other relevant educational credentials. |
| Fidelity Criminal Background Check | Conducting a thorough check for any criminal records that may indicate a potential risk to the workplace, ensuring the safety and security of the work environment. |
| Credit Check | Reviewing the applicant's credit history to assess financial responsibility, especially important for positions involving financial duties, to gauge their financial reliability. |
| Reference Checks | Contacting references provided by the applicant to gather additional information about their character, work ethic, and overall suitability for the position. |
Tenant Background Checks
Tenant background checks help landlords and property managers assess the suitability of potential tenants. Fidelity’s tenant background checks typically include:
| Category | Description |
| Identity Verification | Confirming the tenant's identity through various means, including Social Security number validation and other methods, to ensure the tenant is who they claim to be. |
| Rental History | Checking the tenant's previous rental history, including any past evictions or issues with landlords, to ensure a history of responsible tenancy. |
| Credit Check | Reviewing the tenant applicant's credit history to assess their financial responsibility and ability to pay rent on time, providing insight into their financial reliability. |
| Fidelity Criminal Background Check | Ensuring the tenant applicant has no criminal history that could pose a risk to the property or other tenants ensures a safe living environment. |
Credit Checks
Credit checks are conducted to evaluate an individual’s financial responsibility. Like most credit checks, Fidelity’s credit checks review the individual’s credit report from major consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) to assess their creditworthiness. This typically includes several key components:
| Category | Description |
| Personal Information | Collecting and verifying personal details such as name, address, Social Security number, and employment information to ensure the accuracy of the individual's identity. |
| Credit Information and History | Examining the individual's credit accounts, including credit cards, loans, and payment history, to evaluate their financial behavior and reliability in repaying debts. |
| Credit Inquiries | Reviewing the list of inquiries made into the individual's credit history by various entities, which can indicate their recent credit activity and potential financial behavior. |
| Public Records | Checking for any public records such as bankruptcies, liens, or judgments that may impact the individual's creditworthiness and indicate financial distress or legal issues. |
Collections Checks
Collections checks are conducted to identify any outstanding debts that have been sent to collections. Fidelity’s collections checks typically include:
| Category | Description |
| Debt Verification | Confirming the existence and amount of any outstanding debts that have been sent to collections, ensuring an accurate understanding of the individual's financial liabilities. |
| Creditor Information | Identifying the creditors involved and the status of the collection efforts, providing detailed information about who the debts are owed to and the current state of collection. |
| Impact on Credit | Assessing how the outstanding debts impact the individual's overall creditworthiness, including their credit score and ability to obtain new credit or financial products. |
Fidelity Background Check Process
The Fidelity background check process is designed to be thorough and efficient, ensuring that clients receive accurate and comprehensive information. The process typically involves the following steps:
- Consent and disclosure. Before conducting a background check, Fidelity obtains the necessary consent from the individual being checked and provides them with a disclosure explaining the purpose and scope of the background check.
- Data collection. Fidelity collects information from various sources, including public records, credit bureaus, and previous employers or landlords. Fidelity uses this information to compile a detailed report on the individual.
- The Report. Once they collect the information, Fidelity generates a background check report. They then send this report to the client, who can use it to make a decision regarding the subject of the background check report.
Suppose the company takes adverse action based on the results of the Fidelity background check (e.g., denying employment or housing). In that case, that company must notify the person and provide them with a copy of the report, along with information on how to dispute any inaccuracies.
How Long Does Fidelity Background Check Take?
The time it takes to do a Fidelity background check can vary depending on its complexity, the volume of background check reports Fidelity must make, and the client’s specific requirements. Generally, Fidelity completes most background checks within 1 to 3 business days. However, more comprehensive checks, such as those involving multiple layers of verification or international records, may take longer.
What to Do if You Fail Your Fidelity Background Check Due to an Error
If you believe you have failed your Fidelity background check due to an error, it is essential to take immediate action to address the issue. Here are the steps you should follow:
- Step 1: Review the Report. Carefully review the background check report provided by Fidelity. Identify any inaccuracies or discrepancies, such as incorrect personal details, employment history, or criminal records.
- Step 2: Draft Letter and Gather Supporting Documents. Write a letter to Fidelity identifying yourself and identifying the error in the report they made. Collect any supporting documents that can help verify the correct information. This may include identification documents, pay stubs, employment records, or court documents that prove the inaccuracies in the background check report.
- Step 3: Contact Consumer Attorneys. Our attorneys have decades of experience doing this and are always happy to help. Doing this with a background check lawyer can make the process easier, less stressful, and quite often, more fruitful should a lawsuit with Fidelity be appropriate.
- Step 4: File a Dispute. Send Fidelity your dispute letter and evidence via certified U.S. Mail. Provide them with the details of the inaccuracies and any supporting documents you have gathered. Fidelity is required by law to investigate any disputed information and correct any errors within a reasonable timeframe. If Fidelity does not resolve the issue satisfactorily, your lawyer can help you with next steps, which may include a lawsuit.
The Importance of Accurate Background Checks…and Standing Up for Your Rights
Accurate background checks are crucial for both individuals and organizations. For organizations, inaccurate background checks can result in hiring unqualified or risky employees, leading to potential legal liabilities and financial losses. For individuals, errors in background checks can lead to lost employment opportunities, denied housing applications, reputational damage, and emotional and mental strain.
Even lawyers know that mistakes happen. A federal law called the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) provides the standards by which companies like Fidelity Background Checks should try to prevent or avoid mistakes and what it should do when mistakes do happen.
If Fidelity has made a mistake in your background check report, contact a background check attorney at Consumer Attorneys. We can look at the substance of the mistake and how it happened to determine if we should take legal action. If we determine that engaging in the traditional dispute process is the best strategy, we can guide you through that process and monitor Fidelity’s reply to determine if its handling of the dispute process warrants legal action.
Frequently Asked Questions
If there are errors or issues with your Fidelity background check, the first step is to obtain a copy of the report. Review it carefully for inaccuracies. Contact the organization or business for whom Fidelity was preparing the background check and tell them you are disputing the report. Then, file a dispute with Fidelity Background Checks. A lawyer at Consumer Attorneys can help you with this process to make sure you preserve your rights to sue if necessary. Regularly monitor your background and credit reports to maintain accuracy.
The business or organization that ordered your Fidelity background check from Fidelity Background Checks will let you know when your background check is complete. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires any organization that makes an adverse decision based on something in a background check to provide a copy of the background check report and identify the problematic information. If anything in your background check report is not 100% accurate, you should contact a lawyer at Consumer Attorneys to begin the dispute process. Sometimes background checks can take longer than expected for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with the subject’s suitability.
Fidelity background checks can take a long time - or longer than expected - for several reasons. The scope and the thoroughness of the check, the length and scope of employment history, the responsiveness of educational institutions, the availability or unavailability of online criminal records in states where you have lived, whether there are any international sources to be verified, and the number of background checks that need to be performed can all delay a background check. The complexity of the check and the accuracy of the information provided by the applicant also play a role. During peak hiring seasons, high volumes of background checks can lead to longer processing times.
Daniel Cohen is the Founder of Consumer Attorneys. Daniel manages the firm’s branding, marketing, client intake and business development efforts. Since 2017, he is a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates and the National Consumer Law Center. Mr. Cohen is a nationally-recognized practitioner of consumer protection law. He has a we... Read more
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