Companies Get Instant Access To Companies House Documents
From Equifax Images On-Line
In today’s increasingly competitive climate, coupled with the growing threat of fraud, businesses have to find a balance between protecting themselves through increased security and retaining customers with fast and efficient verification processes. Equifax has responded to this pressure with its enhanced Images On-Line service, providing a new level of business authentication. By giving organisations instant access to the exact documents filed with Companies House, including Directors’ signatures, Images On-Line provides businesses with assistance in the fight against fraud.
Equifax has enhanced its Images On-Line service to provide access to every document that has been indexed and made available online by Companies House since March 1995, including Annual Accounts, Returns, changes in Directors and Registered Office, new incorporations and change of company name. Document images indexed before March 1995 can be ordered online.
Access to such a wealth of information means that organisations can verify the authenticity of a company and its Directors swiftly, helping them to identify fraudulent activity. The ability to authenticate Directors’ signatures will be particularly valuable, as will the ability to confirm precise details of any charges held over a company’s assets.
The depth of information available – including auditor’s notes and directors’ comments – also means that a company can create a much more detailed picture of the organisation with which they are doing business. And for legal actions, Images On-Line provides documentation that is admissible as evidence, saving the time and money that would otherwise be required to obtain original Annual Reports and Accounts.
Images On-Line also helps businesses comply with the ‘Know Your Customer’ requirement from the FSA, which applies to the acquisition of new customers and the monitoring of the transactions of existing customers.
Michael Shannon, Managing Director, Equifax, explains, “By providing images of the exact documents filed with Companies House, Equifax is giving businesses a vital tool in tackling fraud. With access to images of actual documents, businesses will find it easier to authenticate signatures, which is an essential part of minimising the risk of fraud.
“Because Images On-Line offers instant access to essential documents, the entire process is streamlined, saving time and enhancing the efficiency of our customer’s ID verification systems. Images On-Line will also improve internal credit procedures, whilst speeding up application processes to acquire and retain customers,” said Shannon.
Images On-Line can be accessed via www.equifax.co.uk/commercial .
ENDS
July 2003
For further press information please contact: Madeleine Roles, Sarah Samee or Justine Russell at HSL on
020 8977 9132 / Fax: 020 8977 5200 or Email: maddy@harrisonsadler.com
