CastleBranch Background Check Errors? We Help You Fight Back

Qualifying for an open job position isn’t enough. These days, you also need to pass a background check. Companies rely on organizations like CastleBranch to provide background screening services, ensuring that the candidates they hire have the right qualifications and credentials for specific jobs.

While CastleBranch does a good job most of the time, this organization is also known to produce and report occasional background check errors.

Unfortunately, even a single CastleBranch background check error can cost you a job opportunity or lead to other problems. Keep reading to figure out what to do if your background check has an error, as well as how Fair Credit can help you fight back and resolve the issue promptly. 

CastleBranch Explained

CastleBranch, Inc. is a third-party, specialized background screening agency. It was originally founded in 2000 and is now based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Today, CastleBranch provides background screening services to companies both in the US and in the international community.

As an industry leader in background screening services, it’s one of the largest background check companies overall. To date, it has worked with over 25,000 organizations, many of them colleges and universities. You may the more likely to encounter a CastleBranch background check mistake if you apply for a job at an educational institution.

What Does CastleBranch Examine in a Background Screening?

CastleBranch checks lots of different information for candidate backgrounds, including:

• Whether a candidate is on the national sex offender or global watchlist search lists
• Driving record checks, such as whether a candidate had a recent speeding ticket, has DUI convictions, etc.
• Drug screening checks and test results
• Credit checks and credit score examinations
• Employment and education checks at the national and international levels
• County and federal civil records checks
• Federal, national, state, and county criminal record checks
• Social Security number checks and tracing
• And more

On top of that, CastleBranch provides extensive and in-depth background checks for employment and educational records. Since CastleBranch does a lot of background checks for educational institutions, those institutions need to know whether a candidate’s credentials or degrees came from accredited institutions, known universities, etc.

Lastly, CastleBranch - along with Certiphi, Cisive, and a few other screening companies - does provide post-employment screening for companies and institutions. This can include things like employee audits, monitoring, random drug tests, compliance checks, and verification of candidate/employee identity and immigration statuses. Some companies use CastleBranch for all of their screening services, not just screening the backgrounds of new or prospective job candidates.

Your CastleBranch background check will be more comprehensive if it includes more responsibility or executive status, such as being a teacher. Your CastleBranch background screening will be less comprehensive if it's for a low-risk position, such as applying for a janitorial position.

Damage from a CastleBranch Background Check Error

When CastleBranch makes a background check error, it’s not necessarily a small deal. In fact, certain background check mistakes can have long-lasting and hugely negative repercussions for your job search and your career.

For instance, you might apply for a new job and think that the interview went perfectly well. You anticipate receiving a job offer in the near future. But even though you will fight for the position, you get denied because of erroneous or out-of-date information on your background check. 

In this way, CastleBranch is directly responsible for you having to return to the job hunt. But as you search for new jobs, the same erroneous background information might follow you the entire time.

Furthermore, some companies use CastleBranch for post-employment background checks. If CastleBranch makes an error after you have already been hired by a company, it might directly cause you to lose your job. You’ll have to scramble to stabilize your finances and explain why you were fired from your previous position.

In these cases and more, a CastleBranch background check error can have a materially negative effect on your well-being. That’s why it’s vital to both know how to spot inaccurate background check information and how to dispute inaccurate information with CastleBranch itself. That’s the only way you can fix the record and reclaim your job or re-qualify for a job offer you previously received.

Common CastleBranch Background Check Mistakes

CastleBranch can make a variety of background check mistakes because of factors like human error, the use of outdated software, or confusing your identity with someone else’s. That last problem is more likely if you have a common last name, especially for your local area. In that instance, CastleBranch might confuse you with someone else, resulting in their records and background information showing up on your background report.

Other common CastleBranch background check mistakes include but are not limited to:

• Sending duplicate, outdated, and/or negative information to your prospective employer. For instance, CastleBranch might say that you had a DUI conviction in your past, but you know that you were never convicted of a DUI despite what their erroneous records say
• Sending files with corruptions, such as typos, wrong or incomplete data, and other issues, to companies. This can cause your background information to be seen differently or even cause a company to come to completely inaccurate conclusions about your background
• Making a search, filing, or copying mistakes when researching information and sending it to prospective employers
• And more

Any and all of these mistakes can completely misrepresent your background and cause you to miss out on job opportunities, financial offers, and much more. Since there are many different types of background errors you might encounter, it’s a good idea to pour over your background report when you get it in an adverse action letter. 

Knowledgeable attorneys can also help you scan your background report and identify any inaccurate information that needs to be corrected.

What to Do if You Lose a Job Offer Because of a CastleBranch Background Check Mistake?

If a CastleBranch background check mistake causes you to lose a job offer, remember that you do have certain options you can take advantage of. In fact, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) guarantees various rights for you and all other American consumers.

Wait for an Adverse Action Notice

First and foremost, you should wait for an adverse action notice. In a nutshell, an adverse action notice is a legally mandated document explaining that you were denied a job or financial opportunity because of some element of your background information.

The company that denies you a job has to give you an adverse action notice if it makes a decision based on your background info. If a company doesn’t provide you with an adverse action notice, it’s in violation of the FCRA.

Note that if a company denies you on some other grounds, like simply finding a better candidate, it doesn’t have to provide you with an adverse action notice. Keep that in mind if you lose out on a job offer but don’t receive a notice in the mail sometime later.

Read Through the Notice

Your next step is to read through the adverse action notice in its entirety. The notice should include key information like:

• The fact that you were denied a job based on your background info
• The name and contact information of the company that provided the background screen – in this case, CastleBranch

Some companies may provide you with even more specific information, like what precise background information led to the denial. But companies aren’t required to get precise according to the FCRA. They may just say some info led to your denial without specifying what bit of information is the problem.

Therefore, it’s up to you to scan through the adverse action notice and your background screening results. If you know your background information, you should be able to find and point out any inaccurate information that may have led to a denial.

File a Dispute with CastleBranch

Now it’s time for you to file a dispute with CastleBranch. Fortunately, the FCRA allows all consumers to file dispute letters with background screening agencies.

CastleBranch has an online portal through which you can do this. Alternatively, you can mail a letter to CastleBranch by hand. In either case, your dispute letter should include:

• A breakdown of the erroneous information that you want to be corrected
• A request that CastleBranch fix the false information ASAP

According to the FCRA, CastleBranch will have 30 business days from receiving your dispute request to investigate the issue thoroughly. If it finds any erroneous information, it has to correct the false info immediately. Then CastleBranch has to notify you within five business days.

In most cases, background check agencies tell the employers they work with that they made a mistake. But in any case, you should contact your employer and tell them that CastleBranch fixed the issue – you may get another shot at a job that you were denied.

Can You Sue CastleBranch for Background Check Errors?

Because the FCRA outlines steps and actions you can take to resolve matters concerning incorrect background information, you can’t sue CastleBranch for making a simple mistake outright. However, there are some circumstances in which you can file a lawsuit against CastleBranch.

In the first instance, if CastleBranch violates your rights under the FCRA – such as by not correcting inaccurate information or not replying to your requests to investigate inaccurate information – it could be held liable for a lawsuit.

In the second instance, you may be able to sue CastleBranch if you can prove that its mistake materially damaged your well-being, such as by costing you a job opportunity that you were otherwise qualified for. In this case, CastleBranch prevented you from gaining employment, so it directly harmed your well-being.

In the third instance, you can sue CastleBranch if background check mistakes caused you to start employment at a later date. For lots of workers, this can cost them valuable time and money. Say that you qualify for a job, but a CastleBranch background check error means that you start the job three months after you should have. 

You might be compensated for those three months’ wages if you can prove that your hiring was delayed because of CastleBranch’s mistake.

Filing a lawsuit without knowledgeable attorneys on your side is never a wise idea, however. Fair Credit’s experienced attorneys are well-equipped and ready to provide a variety of assistance to your legal case, including:

• Helping you file a dispute letter at the beginning of the process. In some cases, having an attorney look over your dispute letter could be the difference between the letter being ignored and the letter resulting in a swift resolution to your problems
• Helping you gather the necessary evidence to substantiate a lawsuit or a dispute case, such as proof of inaccurate background check information
• Representing you successfully in court or during arbitration meetings. Good court representation is vital when trying to sway a judge to your side of a story

More broadly, experienced attorneys can provide you with the legal counsel you need to make the best choice for you and your family. Depending on the circumstances of your case, it might be wise to sue CastleBranch. Or it might be wise to pursue a different means of legal recourse, like arbitration. It all depends on your finances, your current job hunt situation, and more.

In addition, knowledgeable attorneys can provide you with peace of mind. It’s much easier to file a lawsuit against CastleBranch and pursue a resolution to your background check mistakes with legal experts providing guidance throughout.

Wrap Up

CastleBranch background check errors can be devastating and frustrating, but you do have options. Under the FCRA, you have the right to file a dispute letter with CastleBranch to point out inaccurate information and correct the problem so you qualify for an open job position once again.

Fair Credit can help with every step of this process, including helping you identify inaccurate information, acquire an adverse action notice, and file a dispute letter. We can also help you sue CastleBranch if the organization doesn’t follow FCRA regulations. Contact us today to learn more.