Broker guide
Best Identity Verification Services for Brokers 2026
Compare identity verification services for broker workflows by online checks, applicant coverage, retained evidence, API fit and total cost.
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FrankieOne is the best identity verification service here for Australian mortgage brokerages managing document checks and customer exceptions. It combines Australian electronic identity checks with document capture and biometric options. Your operations team can review individual checks and their history in the same platform.
A simpler hosted document check can suit a small brokerage with fewer screening needs. The choices below differ in how much workflow configuration they require and what happens after a client completes verification.
Top Identity Verification Services for Broker Workflows in 2026
1. FrankieOne
FrankieOne leads for brokerages that need Australian data matching alongside document and biometric verification. Its electronic Know Your Customer (KYC) workflow checks personal information and government-issued document details against configured sources. These include Australia’s Document Verification Service (DVS) and credit bureaus.
The platform has hosted OneSDK onboarding and an operations Portal. An Australian passport is documented in its electronic-check example, while the form supports driver licences, passports, national identity cards and Medicare cards. A document appearing in a form doesn’t mean every configured check can verify it.
FrankieOne also has anti-money laundering (AML) screening and fraud monitoring products that can work with identity verification. Its Portal shows checks, outcomes and activity history for a customer. That makes it the stronger choice when a brokerage needs staff to investigate exceptions across several checks.
The trade-off is configuration. The selected workflow and underlying biometric provider determine the checks, country coverage and result handling. Global support requires country-specific configuration, and a brokerage still needs an owner for onboarding setup and manual review.
Commercial enquiries go through FrankieOne’s demo and sales route. Request a scope covering the actual checks and operational tools you need. A broader platform earns its cost only when the brokerage uses those functions.
2. Stripe Identity
Stripe Identity suits a brokerage that wants hosted photo-document verification with optional selfie matching. It is available to Australian businesses and supports identity documents from many countries, including Australia. Its documentation describes passports, driver licences and national identity documents, with acceptance depending on the issuing country.
Stripe’s no-code verification flows generate a reusable link. Clients enter their email and complete a verification session, while staff view results in the Dashboard. A client reference can connect the session to your file without building the whole capture interface.
For a custom workflow, Stripe’s application programming interface (API) returns session information and sends notifications when results change. Your developer must handle failed checks and requests for further input. Stripe bills document-and-selfie checks per successful verification and has a custom-pricing route for higher volume.
Stripe ranks second because its Identity workflow is a narrower starting point than FrankieOne’s combined onboarding and screening platform. Treat sanctions screening, ongoing AML monitoring and compliance case management as separate requirements when buying Stripe Identity. Document authenticity and selfie matching alone don’t complete those jobs.
Verification Methods and Applicant Coverage
Choose the verification method for your applicants’ documents and circumstances, then decide whether they can complete it without assistance. A hosted browser flow removes the need to build a capture screen. An embedded identity verification app still needs suitable permissions, hardware and a reliable route back to the client file.
| Requirement | FrankieOne | Stripe Identity |
|---|---|---|
| Australian documents | Australian passport electronic-check example. Form choices include driver licence and Medicare. Acceptance depends on the configured source. | Australia appears in document coverage. Supported types depend on country and session configuration. |
| Data matching | Configured electronic checks against sources such as DVS and credit bureaus | Document authenticity and optional selfie matching are the core comparison here. Its local ID-number lookup is for US Social Security numbers. |
| Biometrics | OneSDK combines document capture with a configured third-party biometric provider | Optional photo-to-selfie comparison |
| Global applicants | Country-specific global workflows and provider-dependent biometric coverage | International document coverage, with country and document restrictions |
| Assisted handling | Portal review and configured alternative-document paths | Dashboard review and a brokerage-defined alternative when capture or consent fails |
FrankieOne’s biometric providers have different document and geographic coverage. Its form supports an alternate identity document when a first document cannot be verified. A brokerage must choose a configuration that includes its common Australian documents and any overseas applicant groups.
Stripe’s document checks don’t extract fields written in some scripts, including Chinese, Arabic and Cyrillic. A supported issuing country therefore doesn’t guarantee that every document field will reach your client record. Keep document acceptance and data extraction as separate procurement criteria.
Accessibility affects completion too. A client without a suitable camera, a usable photo document or the ability to complete a selfie needs an assisted alternative. Define a staff-owned route for alternate evidence before rollout, using the receiving party’s accepted procedure.
A failed digital check can mean an expired document, a capture problem or unsupported evidence. Staff must distinguish these from a suspected impersonation. The related verifying a customer’s identity covers the customer-check process and exception handoff.
Identity Checks and Broader AML Tools
Identity verification establishes evidence about who the customer is. Broader AML solutions can also screen sanctions lists and politically exposed persons (PEPs), monitor changes and support risk assessment or case management.
FrankieOne has identity verification, screening and monitoring products within its platform, with scope determined by the purchased configuration. Stripe Identity’s document and selfie workflow requires a separate screening and monitoring arrangement when those functions are needed. Avoid buying a document check as a complete money laundering software system.
Consent, Evidence, Privacy and Retention
A useful verification record preserves the consent and checks behind the outcome, with access restricted to the people who need it. The file must explain which client was checked and what happened when the result required review.
| Evidence control | FrankieOne | Stripe Identity |
|---|---|---|
| Consent | OneSDK requires consent before its document-and-biometric flow starts. Its form has a consent screen. | Hosted collection includes explicit consent. Declined consent can produce a failed session requiring an alternative. |
| Events and outcomes | Portal activity history, workflow events and check results | Session status changes and verification reports. API notifications support automated handling. |
| Access | Portal permissions govern actions, including archiving. Client files can be assigned to users. | Restricted API keys can limit sensitive-data access. Dashboard and API routes expose permitted results. |
| Evidence transfer | Results and documents can be retrieved through the API for an owned records workflow | Collected images and extracted data can be accessed through the documented results route |
| Retention and deletion | Archiving retains a record. The current API includes document and individual deletion operations. | Programmatic deletion and redaction are supported. Keep the evidence required for your lawful records purpose. |
Export design matters as much as a visible pass result. Retain a file reference, check or execution identifier, consent record, outcome and reviewer decision where applicable. Decide whether the recipient requires images, source details or an audit record, then store only what that purpose requires.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) explains that automated biometric verification involves sensitive information. Its facial recognition guidance addresses consent and lawful collection. The brokerage must explain the actual use of biometric information and provide the agreed alternative when a client cannot use that method.
For a business covered by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), APP 11 requires reasonable security measures. It also requires destruction or de-identification when information is no longer needed, subject to lawful retention exceptions. Apply the OAIC’s security and retention guidance to provider-held copies as well as your own records.
A technical pass records the configured checks’ outcome. Lender acceptance, property verification of identity (VOI) and credit approval each have separate requirements. Property evidence belongs in the VOI guide, including the relevant transaction process.
The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) says outsourcing doesn’t remove a reporting entity’s obligations. A service result alone doesn’t establish compliance with an applicable anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) duty. The reporting entity must own its risk-based procedures and oversight.
Broker Workflow, Integrations and API Fit
A hosted service is the practical starting point when your operations team owns verification and your brokerage has no integration developer. A custom API build suits a brokerage with an engineering owner who can maintain results handling and protect client data.
| Route | Classification | Implementation owner and evidence handoff |
|---|---|---|
| FrankieOne hosted OneSDK with Portal operations | Provider-hosted onboarding | Operations owner agrees the workflow. A technical or implementation partner handles the required setup and record transfer. |
| Stripe Identity flow link with Dashboard review | Native provider-hosted, no-code flow | Staff match each session to the client file and retain the required results. Transfer to broker software is manual unless connected. |
| FrankieOne API with configured workflows | Custom API integration | Developer maps client details and consent, retrieves completed outcomes and sends review cases to an owned queue. |
| Stripe Identity API with event notifications | Custom API integration | Developer links sessions to files, validates notifications and handles further-input cases before updating records. |
An official provider API is not a native connection to your customer relationship management (CRM) system. A connector published by the provider or CRM owner is an official connector. Automation supplied by another company is third-party automation, and an export followed by upload is manual transfer.
Before a custom build reaches production, its owner must establish the consent flow and map the required data. They must also define the exception queue, support route and retained evidence. FrankieOne requires a completed workflow before its result is acted on, while Stripe results arrive asynchronously.
Keep provider and client identifiers together so support can trace a failure without circulating document images by email. FrankieOne publishes an account-support route, and Stripe provides session error codes for handling failures. Your brokerage needs a named person who resolves a stuck case when automated handling stops.
For a provider-specific implementation decision, the Onfido guide covers its own setup and evidence. A component available through an orchestration platform doesn’t establish a connection to your aggregator or lender.
Pricing, Implementation and Final Choice
Compare the cost of a completed client file, including extra checks and staff review. A low charge for one document check can leave the brokerage paying separately for screening or spending time resolving exceptions.
| Cost component | FrankieOne | Stripe Identity |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial route | Sales-scoped configuration and quote | Pay-as-you-go successful document-and-selfie verifications, with custom pricing for larger volumes |
| What to include | Selected data sources, biometric provider, screening, monitoring and Portal scope | Required Identity checks, separate screening tools and the chosen hosted or API route |
| Retries and environments | Agree chargeable attempts, test access and production environments in the order | Identify which sessions become chargeable and separate test activity from live use |
| Commitments and tax | Record the minimum commitment, contract term and goods and services tax (GST) basis in the quote | Use the Australian account’s billing terms and invoice tax treatment for the budget |
| Implementation and support | Include configuration, evidence transfer and the support arrangement | Include developer maintenance for custom API work and staff time for hosted-file handling |
For an illustrative brokerage processing 100 clients each month, budget for 100 completed files plus the checks repeated for exceptions. Include the staff time spent matching records, reviewing outcomes and following up unfinished sessions. A per-check bill and a completed-file cost measure different work.
Run a limited procurement pilot using authorised test identities or consented participants under the agreed process. Include your ordinary Australian documents and the overseas document types you actually receive. Add an applicant who declines biometrics and a case that requires human review.
The pilot must produce a retrievable record with the correct file reference and consent. A reviewer must be able to resolve an exception without confusing a timeout with a failed identity check. Record completion rate and staff review time using the same cases for each candidate.
Choose FrankieOne when Australian data matching, configurable screening and shared review work justify a broader platform. Stripe Identity is the simpler choice for hosted document-and-selfie checks with a defined evidence handoff. Approve the configuration only when its applicant coverage and retained records meet your brokerage’s requirements.