About Grid name matching
Moody's name matching technology and software analyze names submitted for screening to identify and retrieve records that are probable name matches from the Grid database.
The name matching engine relies on the Person or Organization entity type classification submitted with a screening request to determine and apply the appropriate cultural, linguistic, and reference-data resources during the analysis and matching process.
Although the name matching technology that underpins searches for persons and organizations is different, in both cases the results are probability-scored. Matches are produced based on a minimum name matching score range, filters, and other services created to achieve results that align with each firm's unique business and screening needs.
Entity type classifications for screening names
The Grid matching software, review services, and risk-based filtering logic require names within screening submissions to be classified as one of the following entity types:
Person: Refers to an individual and might encode information that indicates social class, religious and political backgrounds, educational levels, ethnic or cultural backgrounds, and regional provenance. Grid screening logic evaluates each inquiry submission to determine the likely cultural and linguistic origins of that name.
Organization: Refers to a structured body of one or more persons that exists to perform some common function. Grid screening logic evaluates names based on whole words within strings, match scoring, and word order.
Unknown: Can be used as an alternative Grid screening logic. A name labeled with this entity type classifier is evaluated to determine if the name is a person or organization. This classifier is beneficial when a firm is required to capture and manage a larger number of results for compliance or regulatory purposes. This entity type classifier may not be suitable for all firms and Moody's recommends using the person or organization classifier when a name is known to be one or the other.