Shared research principles. Vertical-specific checks.

The six steps

Read these in order. Each step states what it means, what is included, and what is not claimed. Specialist hubs apply each step with industry-specific sources.

1. 01SOURCE

   Prefer authoritative public sources

   Each hub starts with attributable primary sources for its market — regulators, licenses, complaint systems, and other public records — not pay-to-rank feeds.

   What it means

   We prioritize official registries and public records that a careful consumer could re-check, over marketing claims or brokered “top lists.”

   What is included

   • Federal and state regulatory databases where applicable (FMCSA/SAFER, NMLS Consumer Access, state DOI / NAIC pathways)
   • Public complaint or enforcement datasets when used as pattern signals
   • Clear naming of source classes on hub methodology pages

   What is not claimed

   • That every public dataset is complete or real-time
   • That secondary review platforms replace licensing registries
   • That we have private regulator access beyond published public records
2. 02VERIFY

   Match identity carefully; admit what we cannot prove

   “Verified” means we attempted to match legal identity, license or authority identifiers, and jurisdiction against primary public records when available.

   What it means

   Verification is an attempt to ground claims in public identity and authority fields — not a guarantee of future performance or a seal of endorsement.

   What is included

   • Matching legal names, license numbers, and jurisdictions when records allow
   • Disclosing when matching fails (rebrands, lagging registries, incomplete fields)
   • Refusing to dress unverifiable claims as confirmed fact

   What is not claimed

   • That a listing is “guaranteed licensed forever”
   • That we inspected every vehicle, branch, or employee in person
   • That verification equals a recommendation to hire or apply
3. 03EXPLAIN

   Translate regulator language into consumer context

   We match and explain public regulatory records. Terminology differs by market; explanation is not a score.

   What it means

   Explain what a credential, observation, or filing actually is — and what it is not — without inventing a universal grade.

   What is included

   • Plain-language definitions of hub-specific records (authority, NMLS, CCN, Form ADV)
   • Keeping unlike evidence models separate
   • Routing consumers to the specialist hub that owns the record

   What is not claimed

   • A network Trust Score, rate, rank, or grade
   • That explanation replaces reading the primary source
   • That Ask generated the underlying regulatory fact
4. 04DISCLOSE

   Show limits, independence, and funding honesty

   Research tools without limitations language train false confidence. Disclosure is part of the product, not a footer afterthought.

   What it means

   We publish independence rules, revenue honesty, data lag expectations, and what scores or badges do not mean.

   What is included

   • Independence policy (no paid ranking placements)
   • How we make money (and what we will never sell)
   • Known data limitations and re-verify guidance

   What is not claimed

   • That disclosure alone makes a decision “safe”
   • That every edge case is listed on every page
   • That commercial tools never exist — only that they cannot buy organic order
5. 05UPDATE

   Freshness matters; records change

   Licenses lapse, authorities change, complaints accumulate, and companies rebrand. Hubs refresh data through automated and/or periodic processes where built.

   What it means

   We treat public records as living systems. Consumers should re-check primary sources before committing money or signature.

   What is included

   • Periodic refresh practices documented per hub where implemented
   • Guidance to re-verify on FMCSA, NMLS, DOI/NAIC, and the company itself
   • Corrections process for material factual errors

   What is not claimed

   • Instant synchronization with every regulator system
   • That our copy always reflects a change the hour it happens
   • That consumers can skip primary-source checks because we “already verified”
6. 06YOU DECIDE

   Directories support research; you confirm and choose

   Ask Trust Hub and the specialist hubs do not book moves, originate loans, or sell insurance. You confirm licenses and terms with primary regulators and the company itself before you commit.

   What it means

   We cite. You decide. Research infrastructure is not a marketplace transaction and not a fiduciary relationship.

   What is included

   • Clear separation of research tools from any commercial product
   • Reminders to confirm written offers, policies, and licenses yourself
   • No obligation to use a specialist hub directory to finish a decision

   What is not claimed

   • Legal, tax, medical, or investment advice
   • That using the network replaces professional counsel when needed
   • That we negotiate or guarantee outcomes with providers

Scoring is vertical-specific

There is no single universal Trust Score forced across moving, lending, and insurance. When a specialist hub shows a composite score, factors are defined on that hub’s methodology because the industries differ. What is shared network-wide is the rule that ranking position is not for sale — not a formula that pretends every market is the same.

What the network never does

• Sell ranking position, featured placement, or preferred display for money
• Originate loans, sell insurance policies, or book household moves
• Treat paid advertising as verification
• Present modeled or estimated figures as regulatory fact without labeling
• Force one universal numeric formula across unrelated industries
• Claim we verified a field when the primary record was missing or unmatched

How verticals inherit the Standard

Ask owns the shared framework. Each hub publishes industry methodology that cites this Standard, then documents sources, checks, scores, cadence, and limits for its market.

• Move Trust Hub

  movetrusthub.com

  FMCSA / SAFER authority, interstate mover identity, complaint and safety context, reputation composites, and review attribution rules for the moving industry.

  Vertical methodology

• Insurance Trust Hub

  insurancetrusthub.com

  State DOI / NAIC producer pathways, agency identity, educational tools, and disclosed limits for insurance research — not policy sales.

  Vertical methodology

• Lender Trust Hub

  lendertrusthub.com

  NMLS Consumer Access context, mortgage research signals, complaint transparency, and Trust Score philosophy for financing research — not loan origination.

  Vertical methodology

• Contractor Trust Hub

  contractortrusthub.com

  State licensing-board and registration evidence with state-specific depth — not identical coverage in every state, and not a marketplace.

  Vertical methodology

• SeniorTrustHub

  seniortrusthub.com

  CMS and supported state regulatory evidence for senior care research — not placement, referrals, or paid rankings.

  Vertical methodology

• InvestorTrustHub

  investortrusthub.com

  SEC / IARD investment-firm research. Not FINRA people coverage, stock recommendations, or portfolio advice.

  Vertical methodology

Shared vocabulary

Verified

We matched key identity or authority fields to an attributable public source for that vertical — subject to data lag and matching limits. Not a promise of future performance.

Optional hub composite (not a network step)

If a specialist hub still shows a historical composite on a later page, it is that hub’s research aid — not the AskTrustHub Standard, not for sale, and not a network Trust Score.

Primary source

The regulator or official public registry that owns the authoritative record (e.g. FMCSA, state DOI, NMLS Consumer Access).

Attributed review

A review signal shown with its source platform. We do not invent testimonials or sell review placement.

Independent (research ordering)

No paid placements in ranking order. Common ownership across hubs; research and listing order are not for sale.