This user-friendly application allows small financial firms, law offices and other small businesses to automate the screening of their clients. The filter, named Pythagoras, is immediately available to World-Check Data File users.

"World-Check knows many smaller customers wish to move away from manual client checking and towards automated screening," said David Leppan, CEO and founder of World-Check. "Many of those institutions - including law firms, trusts and foreign bank branches - simply do not have sufficient financial or IT resources to deploy the automated solutions now required by regulators. The World-Check filter enables these smaller institutions to adopt the same processes run by the largest financial institutions in the world." World-Check's 1,000-plus clients include 17 of the world's 20 largest banks.

Recent regulatory requirements compel firms to systematically screen new and existing clients. Over the last 18 months, severe fines have been levied against members of the financial industry, making the move to automated screening a critical consideration for all smaller entities that currently perform manual screening.

World-Check's filter, created in conjunction with Swiss compliance software developer Antax AG, is a complete compliance risk management solution built around client information. Adapted to meet World-Check's specifications for ease of use, Pythagoras quickly downloads, self-installs, and requires minimal user training and IT support. Pythagoras allows users to follow five simple steps, including filtering their customer base, analyzing the results and documenting the results - all within minutes of installation. The filter, which updates automatically with a single mouse click, can operate on a single stand-alone PC.

"World-Check's filter provides smaller institutions with the enhanced ability to detect risky relationships," said Werner Blum, Director of Antax. "World-Check has built a very unique knowledge base from supporting over 1,000 customers. Many of these institutions will benefit from their ability to now easily upgrade to an automated filtering solution at a very low pricing point. We are honored to work with World-Check on servicing its rapidly growing client base." More than 40 Swiss institutions currently use Pythagoras to screen clients in conjunction with World-Check.

"Most software vendors have focused on large and mid-sized institutions, with robust functionality and pricing that reflects those markets," said Leppan. "By providing the Pythagoras Client Screening application to Data-File users free of charge, World-Check is helping smaller financial firms and other entities comply with Know Your Customer (KYC) and Politically Exposed Person (PEP) requirements - as well as to bring their operations into line with the Financial Action Task Force 40 Recommendations (FATF 40)."