Borrow
An ‘Australian Death Check’ is about to be a thing
The fallout from the banking royal commission is continuing, with the launch of an “Australian Death Check” — or ADC — being heralded as a way for the financial services sector to better manage consumer data.

An ‘Australian Death Check’ is about to be a thing
The fallout from the banking royal commission is continuing, with the launch of an “Australian Death Check” — or ADC — being heralded as a way for the financial services sector to better manage consumer data.

According to GBG, a global technology specialist who is acting as a data service broker for the new initiative, the “Australian Death Check” will be a new data cleansing service that will match customer data with more than 2.5 million government registry death records on a daily basis.
The service is a joint initiative from state and territory registries and will provide “the only official source of death data in Australia”.
Trials for the service are currently underway thanks to Queensland's Registry of Birth, Deaths and Marriages as part of a nationwide soft launch, prior to the ADC’s launch to the wider market later this year.
GBG has noted that in the face of an ageing population, Australian businesses will need to remain proactive in ensuring customer data remains accurate.
The company’s regional general manager Australia, Carol Chris, has commented on the “critical” nature of ensuring customer data is accurate and up to date, particularly with respect to deceased persons.
This is also important in light of a regulatory crackdown on the practice of charging fees for no service to deceased persons, a practice that was uncovered in, and consequently condemned by, the banking royal commission.
“The damage that can ensue from transacting with or marketing to a deceased person can be devastating to the family left behind, as well as result in significant brand and reputational damage,” she flagged.
“To date, death data in Australia has lacked a single source of truth, but the ADC will close this gap in the market, making this data easily accessible and always up to date.”
Speaking to the companies that ADC could assist in this regard, Ms Chris considered that as well as clearly being “the right thing to do, cleansing and decluttering your database can also help businesses to significantly improve the customer experience, reduce operational costs by eliminating waste, and reduce the financial impact of identity fraud and money laundering”.
About the author

About the author


Banking
Banks report $14.4bn profit amid pressure on net interest margins
Australia’s major banks have reported a significant boost to their bottom lines and returns in the first half of the 2022 financial year, signaling sector-wide resilience despite persistent pressure...Read more

Banking
Major banks report rising profits
NAB and ANZ announced their half-year results this week. ...Read more

Banking
Modernisation of direct debit system suffers setback
According to the Reserve Bank (RBA), several major banks will not be able to meet the current timeline for the launch of the PayTo service. ...Read more

Banking
Australians' trust in digital providers has decreased in last five years
Australians have little trust in organisations keeping their information secure, but the financial services industry still sits atop the list. ...Read more

Banking
Commonwealth Bank chairman to retire in August
The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) board has announced a successor. ...Read more

Banking
Westpac responds to $113m penalty
The big four bank has responded to the penalty handed down last week. ...Read more

Banking
Westpac ordered to pay $113m for ‘widespread compliance failures’
Westpac has been ordered to pay penalties in the amount of $113 million for widespread compliance failures across multiple businesses, including Westpac’s banking, superannuation, wealth management ...Read more

Banking
Big bank-backed start-up raises $12.75m
A landmark fundraise by Australia’s biggest banks has secured a war chest of $12.75 million to the sector’s blockchain consortium, Lygon, to bolster its research and development into helping banks...Read more

Wrapping up an eventful 2021
Listen now

What Omicron means for property, and are units right for first-time buyers? What is equity crowdfunding? Are industry super funds tapping into member funds to save their skins?
Listen now

Will housing affordability improve in 2022? Will buy now, pay later become the norm? Why are Aussies staying in failing super products?
Listen now

Who really benefits from crypto ETFs? How will the RBA respond to rising inflation? Could a mandate help address unpaid super?
Listen now

Banking
Banks report $14.4bn profit amid pressure on net interest margins
Australia’s major banks have reported a significant boost to their bottom lines and returns in the first half of the 2022 financial year, signaling sector-wide resilience despite persistent pressure...Read more

Banking
Major banks report rising profits
NAB and ANZ announced their half-year results this week. ...Read more

Banking
Modernisation of direct debit system suffers setback
According to the Reserve Bank (RBA), several major banks will not be able to meet the current timeline for the launch of the PayTo service. ...Read more

Banking
Australians' trust in digital providers has decreased in last five years
Australians have little trust in organisations keeping their information secure, but the financial services industry still sits atop the list. ...Read more

Banking
Commonwealth Bank chairman to retire in August
The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) board has announced a successor. ...Read more

Banking
Westpac responds to $113m penalty
The big four bank has responded to the penalty handed down last week. ...Read more

Banking
Westpac ordered to pay $113m for ‘widespread compliance failures’
Westpac has been ordered to pay penalties in the amount of $113 million for widespread compliance failures across multiple businesses, including Westpac’s banking, superannuation, wealth management ...Read more

Banking
Big bank-backed start-up raises $12.75m
A landmark fundraise by Australia’s biggest banks has secured a war chest of $12.75 million to the sector’s blockchain consortium, Lygon, to bolster its research and development into helping banks...Read more