USMA Theft Database Will Alert EBI's Retail Clients to Employee Theft Data Not Always Available in Criminal Searches

Owings Mills, MD, February 20, 2006  - For the first time ever, USIS is making its USMA National Retail Theft Database available to retailers nationwide through Employment Background Investigations, Inc. (EBI).

With this agreement, EBI and its clients gain access to USIS’ exclusive and proprietary USMA National Retail Theft Database product. The database, which was previously offered solely by USIS, contains client-contributed incident records of confirmed employee theft and shoplifting.  Through direct access to this database, EBI’s clients will benefit from unprecedented access to information key to employee hiring and loss prevention efforts.

The database houses information relating to theft and fraud (including employee theft, shoplifting, refund/credit card fraud and the passing of bad checks). According to the National Retail Security Survey, as much as 86% of retail theft is not criminally prosecuted. Retailers gain great value from the database because they're able to identify many of the individuals across the country who have admitted to stealing, but who may not show up in a typical criminal search, often because their crime was never prosecuted.

“The USMA National Retail Theft Database fits perfectly with our mission to provide comprehensive and innovative screening solutions to assist our clients in making the best possible hiring decisions,” said EBI president Rick Kurland. “EBI is committed to providing our customers with the information they need. By contributing to and accessing the data held in the USMA’s  Retail Theft Database, EBI clients will have access to a new layer of screening for even more comprehensive programs.”

The collaboration will also advance the growth of the database through contributions of information by both companies’ vast retail client bases, making the database an even more useful tool than ever to retail employers.

“With EBI’s large retail base and years of screening excellence, we're confident that they'll support the growth of the USMA National Retail Theft Database, as the retail industry expects,” said Tim Dowd, president of USIS Commercial Services. “Both companies understand and have shown tremendous commitment in this industry; we believe that our arrangement will provide tremendous benefit to all retailers who participate and share information through the database.”

About the USMA National Retail Theft Database
Started by retailers who decided to share theft data to prevent the hiring of known thieves, the database has grown exponentially. Today thousands of locations throughout the United States, including one-third of the nation’s largest retailers, contribute and share information through the USMA National Theft Database.


The USMA National Retail Theft Database operates on the following efficient and streamlined system:
Member companies submit theft information, then employers screen applicants against the database; if a search indicates that an applicant has a record of theft from a member company, the case information is re-verified before being disseminated, making it fully compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Employers then have a legally sound basis on which to make hire/no hire decisions.

Over the past few years, screening with the USMA National Retail Theft Database has identified nearly 45,000 applicants with records of theft; it’s reasonable to say that this simple screen has saved retailers many millions of dollars in losses.

About Employment Background Investigations, Inc.
Employment Background Investigations (www.ebiinc.com) is a single-source, premier provider of enterprise background screening services. Nearly 2,000 companies worldwide utilize EBI’s background screening, drug testing and occupational healthcare services every day to make better and safer hiring decisions. Given its state-of-the-art technology platforms, it’s safe to say that no one delivers background screening results faster or with a higher degree of accuracy. Personalized customer care has been the key reason for EBI’s remarkable growth over the last 11 years; this ascent has won them a recent acknowledgement as being one of the best and largest screening companies in the country (HRO Today Magazine).

About USIS
Established in 1996, USIS (www.usis.com) helps businesses, federal agencies and institutions protect critical assets, evaluate information, and identify and mitigate risk. USIS offers a broad range of services including business intelligence and risk management solutions, background investigations and drug screening solutions, security and related professional services (including national security related staffing and training), as well as critical program support for institutions, commercial businesses and federal agencies.

Contacts:
Richard A. Kurland, President
Employment Background Investigations
PO Box 629
Owings Mills, Maryland 21117
(800) 324-7700

Jennifer Daniels, Vice President of Marketing, USIS           
4500 S. 129th E. Ave., #200   
Tulsa, OK 74134   
(888) 338-8762 x2455

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