NASD's CRD maintains the qualification, employment and disclosure histories of the more than half a million registered securities employees of member firms through its automated Web CRD system. NASD has partnered with Equifax to offer NASD firms the ability to request the Equifax PERSONA PLUS report. The PERSONA PLUS report provides identification information and the financial history of an individual from Equifax's database of more than 200 million records.

PERSONA PLUS reports offer firms a convenient and economical way to validate current and prospective employees' Form U4 information, and can help firms make more informed hiring decisions. PERSONA PLUS retrieves information on current and former addresses, past employers and financial history. In addition to verifying application information, PERSONA PLUS provides insight into how an existing or potential employee manages financial relationships and captures information that may be omitted from a job application or resume, such as former names or addresses.

"Offering PERSONA PLUS through NASD is a great example of leveraging technology to deliver information when it's needed, where it's needed," said Dann Adams, group executive, Equifax North American Information Services. "This relationship streamlines the process of conducting background checks for existing and potential employees for the securities industry."