[askbill]

Accurint, TLO and the big folks already all have API's for these. The tough part is getting access. The compliance checks are rigorous and typically it's not worth it for them to do this for people with low volumes.

It creates a nice gap in the market for someone like Checkr. As their volume grows, there's a great opportunity to shop around and even build your own.

In the TC article, Vince Wong mentions that the industry hasn't changed in several decades. The whole industry has really only existed for about 20 years, thinking back to Database Technologies and AutoTrack which was a pay by the minute dial up product into the 2000's. If he's referring to the innovation in terms of productizing an API, it's really the risk involved that's the challenge here.

I feel like it would be a lot easier for folks like LexisNexis and TransUnion to sell to someone creating this market than for them to manage the compliance that comes along with building it themselves.