> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.iafcertsearch.org/verifiers/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://support.iafcertsearch.org/verifiers/release-notes/release-announcements/release-notes-june-16-2026.md).

# \[Release Notes] June 16, 2026

#### **See Why a Match Scored What It Did**

Match results now include a `match_factors` object showing exactly which of your submitted fields contributed to the match, so you can see why a company matched and decide whether to trust it.

**What's New:**

* **A `match_factors` object on every result**, with a true or false flag for each of six fields:
  * `company_name`, where your submitted name matched the Certified Entity name
  * `company_english_name`, where it matched the English name
  * `company_trading_name`, where it matched the trading name
  * `company_identifiers`, where one or more of your identifiers matched
  * `country`, where your submitted country matched
  * `city`, where your submitted city matched
* **Published score bands** so you can read a score at a glance. A score of 94 to 100 returns `exactly_matched`. Anything from 30 to 93 returns `loosely_matched`. Below 30 is not treated as a match.
* **Casing no longer affects results.** Upper, lower, and mixed casing now return the same match across all endpoints.<br>

To know more about this feature, go to: [Verification Users API Developer Guide](https://support.iafcertsearch.org/verification-users-api-developer-guide/api-integration/verification-apis)

## Frequently asked questions

<details>

<summary>What does a match factor actually tell me?</summary>

Each flag shows whether that piece of information matched the Certified Entity we returned. A result matching on name, country, and city is a stronger proposition than one matching on name alone, even where the two scores are close together.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Have the scores themselves changed?</summary>

No. The scoring weights are unchanged in this release. What is new is that the reasoning behind the score is now visible to you.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Which endpoints return match factors?</summary>

All three matching endpoints return the object on every result: `POST /company`, `POST /bulk-companies`, and `POST /match-companies`.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Why does a `loosely_matched` result still come back at all?</summary>

So you can review it rather than have it silently discarded. What that costs you depends on the endpoint. On `POST /company` and `POST /bulk-companies`, **an `exactly_matched` result consumes a credit and saves to your company list**, while a `loosely_matched` result does neither. On `POST /match-companies`, nothing is charged and nothing is saved, whatever the match type.

</details>