KYB & Business Verification
KYB and business verification for lenders, inside underwriting.
Stop jumping between 12 browser tabs. Kaaj verifies the business and its owners in one workflow: live Secretary of State records in all 50 states with screenshots, EIN checks, driver's license authentication, OFAC screening, liens, judgments, and bankruptcies, web presence, address, industry, and negative news, cross-checked against the rest of the credit file.
Book a demo50
states covered by Secretary of State checks, from the state's own record
2–4 min
for a live state-website lookup with a time-stamped screenshot
125+
business data points available for rules and models
44
states supported for driver's license authentication
Every check, with the evidence behind it
One report per deal: each check verified or flagged, and the state's own record captured as a time-stamped screenshot for auditors and credit committee.
Instant Secretary of State checks and live screenshots
Cached business databases go stale. Kaaj screens every application with an instant match, then visits the state's website for a live record and screenshot when the deal matters.
| Mode | Speed | Returns | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instant match | Seconds | Business match, registration status, and registered details | Screening every application at intake; knocking out dead or mismatched entities cheaply |
| Live state-website lookup | about 2–4 minutes | Structured filing data plus a time-stamped screenshot of the state's own record | Files that reach credit review, audit trails, and states where cached data goes stale |
125+ business data points, one workflow
Each check below draws on many underlying data points (web presence and online footprint alone contribute a large share), and every one can feed your credit policy rules or scoring model.
| Category | Check | What it confirms |
|---|---|---|
| Entity | Secretary of State status | Registration and standing in all 50 states, from the state's own record. |
| Formation date vs. years in business | Whether the stated time in business matches the filing history. | |
| Entity type and legal name | LLC, corporation, or sole proprietor and exact legal name match the application. | |
| Officers and principals | Owners named on the application appear on the state filing. | |
| Tax ID | EIN verification | The EIN and legal business name belong together. |
| Owner | Driver's license authentication | License validity and details in 44 states, matched to the applicant. |
| Identity cross-check | Owner name, date of birth, and address agree across the ID and application. | |
| Location | Address verification | The business address exists and looks like an operating location (maps and street imagery). |
| Web presence | Website and domain age | A real, established website rather than a days-old domain. |
| Reviews, listings, and social | The business shows consistent activity across directories and review sites. | |
| Industry | NAICS classification | Industry predicted from the business's footprint, checked against the stated industry and your exclusions. |
| Risk | Negative news and regulatory alerts | Adverse media or regulatory actions tied to the business. |
| OFAC and sanctions screening | The business and its owners are screened against OFAC sanctions lists. | |
| Liens, judgments, and bankruptcies | Recorded liens, judgments, and bankruptcy filings surfaced before approval. | |
| Trucking | SAFER / FMCSA | USDOT and MC details, operating status, and fleet data for transportation borrowers. |
| Package | Cross-document consistency | Name, EIN, address, and account agree across application, bank statements, tax returns, voided check, and invoices. |
Pay for deep checks only on deals that survive
KYB is modular. Run the cheap, fast checks on every application and the expensive ones only when a file earns them.
- 01
Instant SOS match
Every application: is the entity real, active, and the one on the application?
- 02
Core KYB
EIN, officers, address, web presence, industry, negative news, and OFAC screening on files that pass.
- 03
Owner identity
Driver's license authentication and identity cross-checks on files moving to credit.
- 04
Records and live evidence
Lien, judgment, and bankruptcy searches plus a live state record with screenshot before approval.
Underwriting KYB vs. KYB data providers vs. manual research
Onboarding-focused KYB tools return business identity data. Lenders also need that data checked against the credit file and turned into a decision.
| Kaaj | KYB data providers | Manual research | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secretary of State | Instant match plus live lookup with screenshot in all 50 states | Database or API lookup | Visit each state website by hand |
| Owner verification | Officer match and license authentication in 44 states | Varies by provider | Separate searches |
| Web, address, industry, news | Included and scored | Often separate products | Browser tabs |
| Checked against the credit file | Application, bank statements, tax returns, voided check, invoices | No; returns data only | If the analyst has time |
| Output | Verified or flagged checks in the credit memo and your CRM or LOS | API response or report | Notes and screenshots in a folder |
| OFAC, liens, judgments, bankruptcies | Included, run where you choose in the waterfall | Often a core strength | Separate searches |
What Kaaj verifies
From Secretary of State to Street View — every source checked and cross-referenced.
Secretary of State entity status and filing history
Business website existence, quality, and domain age
Google Maps / Street View address verification
Yelp, Google, and industry-specific reviews
Ownership and principal name matching across documents
Business directory listings and online presence consistency
CLEAR, Emailage, and third-party risk data (where integrated)
Formation date vs. claimed years in business
Entity type consistency across application and SOS records
Document cross-verification
KYB and business verification FAQ
What KYB checks does Kaaj run for lenders?
Secretary of State status in all 50 states, formation date vs. stated years in business, entity type and officers, EIN verification, driver's license authentication in 44 states, address verification, website and domain age, reviews and listings, NAICS industry classification, negative news, OFAC and sanctions screening, lien, judgment, and bankruptcy searches, SAFER data for trucking, and cross-document consistency. Kaaj evaluates 125+ business data points that can feed policy rules or models.
Does Kaaj capture live Secretary of State screenshots?
Yes. Kaaj offers an instant SOS match for screening and a live lookup that visits the state's website and returns structured data with a time-stamped screenshot of the filing in about 2–4 minutes, for audit-ready evidence.
Can we run a cheap SOS-only check before full KYB?
Yes. Checks are modular and can run as a waterfall: an instant SOS match on every application, then full KYB, identity, and deeper checks only on files that survive screening, so you do not pay for applications that die early.
Does Kaaj verify the business owner as well as the business?
Yes. Kaaj matches owners to the state filing, authenticates driver's licenses in 44 states, and cross-checks the owner's name, date of birth, and address against the application and other documents.
Does Kaaj verify EINs?
Yes. Kaaj checks that the EIN and legal business name belong together and flags mismatches with the application and tax documents.
How is Kaaj different from Middesk?
Middesk is a business identity data provider with Secretary of State, EIN, lien, bankruptcy, and litigation data delivered by API. Kaaj runs KYB inside the underwriting workflow: it verifies the business alongside bank statements, fraud checks, and the rest of the package, and writes a source-linked credit memo into your CRM or LOS. Kaaj also runs OFAC screening and lien, judgment, and bankruptcy searches in the same workflow, so the results land in the credit file rather than a separate API response.
Does Kaaj run OFAC and lien searches?
Yes. Kaaj screens the business and its owners against OFAC sanctions lists and searches for liens, judgments, and bankruptcies. Because checks are modular, you choose where each runs in the waterfall, for example OFAC at intake and record searches once a deal passes initial screening.
Where do KYB results show up?
In the Kaaj KYB report with screenshots and pass or flag status for each check, and in your CRM or LOS such as Salesforce, where results can attach to the account and be reused within a freshness window you set.
Does Kaaj support trucking and transportation borrowers?
Yes. Kaaj pulls SAFER and FMCSA data (USDOT and MC details, operating status, and fleet information) alongside Secretary of State and owner checks.