UK building society Bristol and West is implementing GB Group's customer verification software, GB Authenticator, to detect and monitor identity (ID) fraud and comply with the Financial Services Authority's (FSA) anti-money laundering regulations.
The vendor is working with the Society to develop a customised version of the product, which allows users to access databases containing UK population information to confirm the identity of individuals.
GB says the software works by overlaying information from several databases - including its National Register database which contains information on 48 million UK citizens, as well as a pool of 28 million addresses supplied by the electricity industry.
Maurice Webb, fraud investigator, Bristol & West, says: "We have traditionally used online systems for identity verification but GB Group's software offers us a solution which is constantly updated and, therefore, far more accurate."
Webb adds: "The onus is on the bank or building society to make sure that the person it lends money to or allows to open an account is definitely who they say they are."