Many employers around here won't provide any information without a written release form being authorized (from my time in the loan department, where I had to do verifications like this).
We have applicants sign a blanket authorization form that gives us permission to request info on employment, rent, bank account info, etc. That almost always works for any type of verification we need, and they understand up front that we will have to verify details from their application.
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Someone's about to get horned!