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PEP Screening in HubSpot

sanctions.io for HubSpot screens your contacts not only against global sanctions lists but also against one of the world's largest Politically Exposed Person (PEP) databases, with over 1 million records. This article explains what PEP screening is, how it works within HubSpot, and how to manage PEP results effectively.

Topics Covered

→ How PEP Results Appear in HubSpot

→ Handling PEP and Sanctions Matches Separately

→ Adjusting PEP Screening Thresholds and Filters

 

How PEP Results Appear in HubSpot

PEP matches are handled in exactly the same way as sanctions matches. When a screening returns a PEP result:

  • A DoSanctions Result object is created in HubSpot and associated with the Contact
  • The result is visible on the App Card on the Contact record
  • A PDF is attached to the Contact's activity timeline
  • A HubSpot App Event ("Screening event completed") is logged to the timeline
  • The Contact's Sanctions Status property is updated to In Review

Each DoSanctions Result record includes a Source field that shows where the match originated. For PEP results, this will show as PEP, allowing your compliance team to see at a glance whether a result is a PEP match or a sanctions list match.

 

Handling PEP and Sanctions Matches Separately

In many compliance workflows, PEP matches require a different review process from direct sanctions hits, particularly where a contact is a PEP from a lower-risk jurisdiction and enhanced due diligence, rather than blocking, is the appropriate response.

sanctions.io for HubSpot supports this through the Source is PEP property on the DoSanctions Result object. This Yes/No property is automatically maintained and allows you to filter, report on, and route PEP results independently of other screening matches using HubSpot workflows and lists.

For organizations that have set up advanced automation, additional contact-level rollup properties are available:

  • sanctions PEP results new — count of PEP results not yet reviewed
  • sanctions PEP results in review — count of PEP results currently under review
  • sanctions non-PEP results pending — count of unresolved non-PEP matches

These properties allow workflows to treat an unreviewed PEP result and an unreviewed sanctions match as two distinct compliance actions, for example, routing PEP results to a senior reviewer while blocking a contact with a direct sanctions match outright.

These advanced properties are configured by the sanctions.io team as part of a custom implementation. To get this set up for your portal, reach out to your sanctions.io account manager or email help@sanctions.io.

Recording a decision on a PEP result

PEP results use the same decision workflow as all other screening results. From the App Card or the DoSanctions Result record, your compliance team can record one of the following decisions:

Decision Meaning
In Review Under active review — result remains open
Whitelisted / Allow Reviewed and cleared — contact is approved to proceed
False Positive Confirmed not a match — result dismissed
Blacklisted / Disallow Confirmed risk — contact is blocked

All decisions are logged to the HubSpot timeline with a timestamp and the name of the user who recorded them, creating a permanent audit trail.

 

Adjusting PEP Screening Thresholds and Filters

PEP databases are large, and because fuzzy matching is used to identify potential matches, common names may generate more results requiring review than more targeted sanctions lists. The integration provides two ways to help manage this.

Adjust the PEP match score threshold

The minimum match score controls how closely a contact's name must resemble a database entry before a result is returned. The default is 88%, and the maximum that can be set is 95%. 

Please note that setting a score of 100% is not permitted, as this would require an exact match and risk genuine matches being missed.

To adjust: Settings → Integrations → Connected Apps → sanctions.io for HubSpot → Screening Settings

Tip: If you are seeing a high volume of false positives, you can gradually increase the match score threshold and monitor results until you find the right balance for your organization.

Please note that adjusting the threshold is a compliance decision that should be made in accordance with your organization's risk appetite and internal policies. We recommend consulting with your compliance team before making any changes.

Filter PEP results by country

For organizations whose compliance obligations focus on individuals from specific jurisdictions, for example, where EU, US, and UK nationals are considered lower risk, it is possible to configure workflow logic that suppresses PEP results where the contact's nationality or citizenship field matches an approved country list.

This approach uses the Source is PEP property in combination with HubSpot's workflow filtering tools, and is available as part of a custom implementation setup.

 

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If you have any questions or require further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team.