PEP Compliance

US PEP Screening API

PEP stands for Politically Exposed Person. It's a compliance category, not a criminal designation — PEPs aren't assumed to be doing anything wrong. The idea is that people who hold significant public office have greater exposure to bribery and corruption risks, and financial institutions are required to apply heightened scrutiny to those relationships.

Who counts as a PEP?

The definition varies somewhat by jurisdiction, but generally includes:

  • Current and former heads of state and senior government officials
  • Members of parliament or national legislatures
  • Senior judiciary officials
  • Senior military officers
  • Senior executives at state-owned enterprises
  • Immediate family members and close business associates of the above

The "former" part matters. Most frameworks apply a lookback window — typically one to four years after leaving office — because the corruption risks associated with public position don't disappear the moment someone steps down.

Why financial institutions screen for PEPs

FinCEN regulations in the US, the FCA in the UK, and equivalent bodies across the EU require financial institutions to identify PEP relationships as part of their AML programs. A PEP relationship doesn't mean you can't do business — it means you apply Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD): understand the source of funds, document the relationship, and monitor ongoing transactions more carefully.

Failure to identify a PEP and apply EDD is a regulatory deficiency. It shows up in examinations. It can contribute to enforcement actions.

What the raw data looks like

For US federal officials, the most comprehensive public source is the unitedstates.io congress-legislators dataset — a community-maintained repository of congressional and executive branch officials, including historical data. It's JSON, updated regularly, and covers Congress and the executive branch well. Using it directly means fetching multiple files, merging datasets, handling historical lookback logic, and building a search interface.

What the API does

Submit a name and receive fuzzy-matched results from the US PEP database — approximately 18,000 US federal officials.

POST /screen/pep { "name": "Jane Smith", "threshold": 85 }

Returns match status, match score, official title, chamber or department, and whether they're currently in office or within the 4-year lookback window.

Who uses this

Banks, credit unions, broker-dealers, and money services businesses with AML obligations. Crypto exchanges and fintech platforms subject to FinCEN rules. Any platform onboarding US customers where regulatory requirements include PEP screening.

Pricing

Free tier: 100 requests/month. Pro: $15/month for 5,000 requests.

Screen against 18,000 US federal officials

Congress, executive branch, and recent former officials. Free tier included.

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