Customer Identification
Specify acceptable identity documents, verification methods, and information capture standards for individuals and legal entities to satisfy KYC requirements.
A written CDD policy reduces legal and financial exposure by standardizing identity verification, risk scoring, and recordkeeping. It demonstrates an auditable compliance program for regulators and helps staff apply consistent risk controls across onboarding and ongoing relationships.
Front-line and compliance teams rely on the policy to apply uniform KYC checks and escalate issues consistently.
The policy aligns roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths so each team knows when and how to act.
Responsible for adopting, updating, and enforcing the CDD policy. Typically drafts procedures, conducts periodic reviews, and signs attestations confirming implementation across business units.
Board-level or executive approval confirms organizational commitment. Senior management must review major revisions, allocate resources, and certify that required controls are in place and functioning.
Specify acceptable identity documents, verification methods, and information capture standards for individuals and legal entities to satisfy KYC requirements.
Require collection and verification of beneficial owners per applicable rules; detail thresholds that trigger ownership collection and how to document ownership chains.
Define a risk-rating methodology that assigns low/medium/high risk based on factors such as jurisdiction, product, transaction size, and customer profile.
Describe transaction monitoring, periodic reviews, red-flag criteria, and triggers for enhanced due diligence and internal escalation.
Set retention periods for identity documents, due diligence files, and monitoring records with references to federal and industry retention requirements.
Outline procedures for internal reporting, suspicious activity review, and filing regulatory reports where required, including roles and timelines.
| Field | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Identity Upload | Require PDF/JPG uploads; max file size and accepted formats. |
| Verification Step | Enable ID credential analysis or manual review flag. |
| Risk Scoring | Automatic calculation or manual entry depending on plan. |
| Approval Gate | Assign approver role and required number of approvals. |
Choose platforms that support secure upload, audit trails, and conditional workflows to match policy gates.
Ensure integrations with CRM, case management, and secure storage to enable automated routing and long-term retention.
Complete identity verification before account activation.
Conduct reviews at intervals defined in Review Frequency (commonly 12–36 months).
Initiate immediately when red flags or high-risk criteria appear.
File SARs per FinCEN guidance—typically within 30 days of detection.
Update policy at least annually or after material regulatory changes.
Collect baseline identity and entity documentation and run verification checks.
Apply scoring rules and categorize the customer for monitoring intensity.
Conduct transaction and profile monitoring, escalating red flags to compliance.
Reassess documents and risk rating per the Review Frequency schedule.
Optica centralized identity checks to reduce variability in onboarding.
A real estate firm digitized owner verification for remote closings.
| signNow | DocuSign | Adobe Sign | PandaDoc | HelloSign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $8/user/mo | $15/user/mo | $14/user/mo | $19/user/mo | $15/user/mo |
| Free Trial | 7-day free trial | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Varies by plan |
| Bulk Send | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Audit Trail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA Compliant | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Envelope Cap | No cap | 100 envelopes/user/year | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Varies by plan |