New API expands Berwyn Death Intelligence, giving organizations one trusted death database for every use case
INDEPENDENCE, OH / ACCESS Newswire / November 10, 2026 / Berwyn Group (Berwyn) today announced the launch of BerwynAPI, a real-time death confirmation service that organizations call directly from their own systems. BerwynAPI checks a person against Berwyn's database of more than 250 million death records at the moment the transaction happens, such as when an account is opened, a claim is filed or a payment is released, and returns an answer in milliseconds.
Payments, claims and accounts tied to someone who has died are costly to recover and a frequent target for fraud. Most organizations learn of these deaths weeks or months later, through periodic files or audits, after the money has moved. BerwynAPI closes that gap by answering before the transaction goes through.
"Organizations like Financial institutions, insurers and healthcare organizations can't afford to wait to learn that a customer, policyholder or member has died. With the government's Death Master File now capturing only 15% of U.S. deaths, organizations that rely on it are making critical decisions with most of the picture missing, and other sources often compound the problem by flagging living people as deceased. BerwynAPI delivers comprehensive, verified decedent identification in real time, at the moment of the transaction, so our clients can stop fraud and improper payments without disrupting the customers they're meant to protect," said John Bikus, President of Berwyn Group.
Built for the moment the transaction happens
BerwynAPI is designed for the industries where a missed death carries the highest cost:
- Financial services: Banks, credit unions, fintechs and core providers can stop deceased identities at account opening and check before address, bank or beneficiary changes, where account takeover attempts occur.
- Insurance: Carriers can confirm the claimant and the insured at first notice of claim and before annuity or benefit payments are released.
- Healthcare: Payment integrity teams can flag claims for deceased patients before they are paid, rather than recovering the payments afterward.
Expanding Berwyn Death Intelligence
BerwynAPI is now part of Berwyn Death Intelligence, a suite built over nearly 40 years of aggregating death data and working alongside the organizations that depend on it. Each product grew from a specific client need, and each draws on the same database of more than 250 million records, many of them available nowhere else.
With the addition of the API, the suite now covers the full range from decades of history to real-time confirmation:
- Obituary Data, the nation's largest obituary source, for organizations without Social Security numbers or permissible use, and for research and estate work.
- BerwynDMF, a one-way data file that drops into existing Death Master File workflows with 4 to 5 times the coverage of the DMF and no client personal data exchanged.
- CertiDeath, a human-reviewed, audit-ready death validation for fiduciary compliance, fraud prevention and reclamation across an entire population.
- BerwynAPI, real-time confirmation for one person at the moment of transaction.
The products can be used on their own or together. A common pairing is CertiDeath or BerwynDMF to screen an organization's full population on a schedule, with BerwynAPI checking every new transaction in real time, so the same trusted data covers both what is already on the books and what comes in the door.
"For nearly 40 years, organizations have trusted Berwyn Group as the gold standard in death audit services. BerwynAPI is the newest addition to Berwyn Death Intelligence. As our clients' needs have grown beyond periodic audits to real-time decisions, we've continued to expand our offerings so that industries such as financial institutions, insurers and healthcare organizations can access the same trusted data in whatever way works best for their business," said John Bikus.
That approach is captured in the suite's guiding principle: "Done right. Your way." Clients can choose the balance of speed and comprehensiveness they need, and every option draws on the same database thousands of organizations already trust.
About Berwyn Group
Over nearly 40 years, Berwyn has built the industry's most complete death database, with more than 250 million records, many not available anywhere else. Through Berwyn Death Intelligence, which includes Obituary Data, BerwynDMF, CertiDeath and BerwynAPI, financial services firms, insurers, healthcare organizations and retirement plans use Berwyn data for historical research, ongoing screening, validated audits and real-time checks. Learn more at berwyngroup.com.
Media Contact
Karlene Gilmore
Director of Marketing, Berwyn Group
kgilmore@berwyngroup.com
SOURCE: The Berwyn Group
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/computers-technology-and-internet/berwyn-group-launches-berwynapi-bringing-real-time-death-confirma-1249132
