Manage representatives for your Straddle accounts
Representatives are individuals who have legal authority or significant responsibility within a business entity associated with a Straddle account. Understanding how to manage representatives is crucial for maintaining compliance and ensuring smooth account operations.
Representatives in Straddle serve several key purposes:
Add multiple representatives to a single account
Specify different roles and responsibilities for each representative
Update representative information as needed programatically
Verified representative information is required to meet FinCEN compliance
A representative profile must be created for at least one individual with “control”— think a CFO, CTO, or Director — and every individual with >25% ownership. An account can have from 1-5 representatives associated with it.
Collect Accurate Information
Ensure you have a robust process for collecting accurate representative information from your clients.
Explain the Importance
Communicate to your clients why representative information is crucial for account setup and compliance.
Handle Status Changes
Implement logic to handle representative status changes, especially if a representative is rejected during verification.
Provide Update Mechanisms
Offer easy ways for clients to update their representative information when needed.
To add a representative to an account, use the Create Representative endpoint.
You must add at least one representative where relationship.control
= true
to an account before it can be onboarded.
When creating a representative, you can specify the following attributes:
Field | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
account_id | string | The unique identifier of the account this representative is associated with. |
first_name | string | The first name of the representative. |
last_name | string | The last name of the representative. |
dob | string | Date of birth for the representative in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD). |
ssn_last4 | string | The last 4 digits of the representative’s Social Security Number. |
string | The company email address of the representative. | |
mobile_number | string | The mobile phone number of the representative. |
relationship | object | Describes the representative’s relationship to the account. |
relationship.primary | boolean | Whether this is the primary representative for the account. |
relationship.control | boolean | Whether the representative has significant control over the business. |
relationship.owner | boolean | Whether the representative is an owner of the business. |
relationship.percent_ownership | number | The percentage of ownership, if the representative is an owner. |
relationship.title | string | The job title of the representative. |
external_id | string | Your own unique identifier for the representative. |
Here’s how you might create a new representative:
Representatives, like accounts, have different statuses that reflect their current state in the system. Understanding these statuses is crucial for managing representatives effectively.
Possible values:
created
: Initial status when a representative is first addedonboarding
: The representative is going through the verification processactive
: The representative has been verified and is activerejected
: The representative has failed verificationinactive
: The representative has been deactivatedThe status_detail
object provides more granular information about the representative’s current status:
Possible values:
unverified
: Initial state, pending verificationin_review
: Representative is being reviewedpending
: Waiting for additional informationstuck
: Issues in the verification processverified
: Successfully verifiedfailed_verification
: Verification process faileddisabled
: Representative has been disabledAlways “watchtower”, Straddle’s compliance monitoring system.
A specific code related to the status reason.
A human-readable message providing more context about the current status.
During the onboarding process, you may need to update representative information for various reasons. However, the ability to update a representative depends on their current status. Understanding when and why you might need to update a representative is crucial for smooth account onboarding.
Updateable Statuses
You can update a representative when their status is:
Non-Updateable Statuses
You cannot update a representative when their status is:
For representatives in these statuses, contact Straddle support for assistance.
There are several reasons why you might need to update a representative during the onboarding process:
Depending on the representative’s status, different fields can be updated:
Created Status
All fields can be updated when the status is ‘created’.
Onboarding Status
Most fields can be updated, but changes might restart parts of the verification process.
Active Status
Only non-critical information (like contact details) can typically be updated without triggering re-verification.
Here’s an example of updating a representative’s information during the onboarding process:
Follow these best practices when updating representative information during onboarding:
Updating critical information (like name or date of birth) for a representative in ‘active’ status may trigger a re-verification process. Only do this if absolutely necessary and be prepared for potential delays.
If you attempt to update a representative in a non-updateable status (rejected or inactive), you’ll receive an error response. In these cases:
Remember, the ability to update representatives is designed to ensure accuracy of information during the onboarding process while maintaining the integrity of Straddle’s verification procedures. Always prioritize providing accurate information from the start to minimize the need for updates and potential delays.
To view the details of a specific representative, use the Get Representative endpoint.
When working with representatives in Straddle, consider the following best practices:
Verify Information
Always verify the accuracy of representative information before submission. Incorrect details can lead to verification issues.
Multiple Representatives
Consider adding multiple representatives to ensure continuity of account access and management.
Timely Updates
Update representative information promptly when changes occur to maintain compliance and accurate records.
Privacy Considerations
Handle representative personal information with care, adhering to relevant data protection regulations.
If you’re a platform creating accounts on behalf of your clients, here are some key considerations for managing representatives:
Collect Accurate Information
Ensure you have a robust process for collecting accurate representative information from your clients.
Explain the Importance
Communicate to your clients why representative information is crucial for account setup and compliance.
Handle Status Changes
Implement logic to handle representative status changes, especially if a representative is rejected during verification.
Provide Update Mechanisms
Offer easy ways for clients to update their representative information when needed.
Remember, at least one representative must be added to an account before it can be onboarded. Ensure you add representatives promptly after account creation to avoid delays in the onboarding process.