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Investigative Due Diligence

Investigative due diligence that reads registries, court dockets, press and sanctions lists in the language they were filed in, and cites each line of the dossier to its record.

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Follow one founder from scope to signed report ↓
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The problem

A founder abroad, dockets in another language, and a namesake in the results

A client is about to buy into a company, and the founder's background lands on an analyst's desk. The filings and dockets are in a language the deal team does not read. Names come abbreviated, accents get dropped, and a man with the same name turns up in a criminal docket. The memo is pasted together from search results, translated as you go.

Ordering it from an investigative firm means waiting on its clock for English paragraphs with no passage behind them. Either way the signing partner inherits lines she cannot trace, and a namesake's case can slip into the file while the subject's own lawsuit hides behind an initial.

Built forInvestigations partnersDue diligence directorsResearch analystsDeal teams

The Problem Today

Background checks are bought at report prices, and foreign records arrive as summaries nobody can check.

12 days
business days for a premium vendor background report published

Searched by hand today

  • Registries
  • Dockets
  • Press
  • Sanctions
  • Is that our man?Initials and namesakes blur who a record is about
  • Translation eats the weekEach foreign record searched, read and translated one at a time

The Solution

  1. Each source, in its languageRegistries, dockets, press and lists searched within the agreed scope
  2. Original beside translationEach record kept in its own words, translated alongside
  3. Who is who, with the factsMatches scored on birthdate, address and name; a person confirms
  4. Flags approved, then signedThe director approves each red flag; the partner signs the report

Built-in controls

  • Public records within the agreed scope only
  • Taxpayer numbers hidden in the dossier and report
  • Matter data stays in the firm's own workspace

What You Get

The deal team reads a signed report in which each line opens the record it came from.

8 hours
of analyst time on a founder and 6 companies, from about 40 our estimate
  • Red flags with their recordsEach one states what the record says, and stops there
  • Namesakes set aside in writingUncertain matches confirmed by a person, with the facts
  • Hidden roles foundOwnership drawn from filings, checked against disclosure
One subject, nine screens

Investigative due diligence on a founder and six companies, by screen

Nine features, each on its own screen, from a signed scope to a released report.

  1. 01Engagement scope

    A written scope that the searches cannot step outside

    How it works

    • Subjects, countries, sources, lookback, languages and what is out of bounds
    • Signed in writing by the client's deal partner and the due diligence director
    • Each query checked against the scope: 2,184 run, 0 outside it
    • A registry search outside the scope, chasing a namesake, is blocked and logged

    Due diligence directorCan show the client, and anyone who asks later, that the work kept to public records and made no contact with the subject or his family.

  2. 02Records found

    Registries, dockets, press, property and lists read in their own language

    How it works

    • 312 records from five kinds of source, each counted by language
    • 214 in Portuguese and 98 in English for this subject
    • The original title first, its translation under it
    • Each record shows who it is about, its match score and its status

    Research analystWorks from one list of everything found on the subject, in its own language, instead of results pasted into a memo from each site in turn.

  3. 03Subject dossier

    A dossier where each line opens its source passage beside the translation

    How it works

    • One page per subject: identity, roles, litigation, sanctions and politically exposed persons (PEP), media, property
    • A language badge and a record citation on each line
    • Clicking a line opens the original passage, its translation and the match confidence
    • The red-flag strip sits above it all, with no sanctions hits on 9 lists

    Investigations partnerReads the docket entry behind a line in the language it was filed in, so no English paragraph has to be taken on trust.

  4. 04Identity matches

    Identity matches scored fact by fact, with the namesakes beside them

    How it works

    • 13 records scored between 80% and 97% wait for a person
    • Name, birthdate, address, taxpayer number and role compared, each with its weight
    • A tax-court record at 94%: birthdate and address exact, the middle name cut to an initial
    • Spellings seen across sources, and namesakes set aside

    Research analystDecides whether an abbreviated name in a docket is the subject from the facts on the record, with the weight of each fact shown beside it.

  5. 05Match confirmed

    A confirmed match carries its record into the dossier and the flags

    How it works

    • The analyst confirms the record is the founder, and the reason is kept
    • The case joins the litigation section: BRL 2,840,000, closed on payment
    • A fifth red flag goes to the director for approval
    • Linked records rise to 242 and the queue falls to 12

    Research analystGets a suit that named the subject personally into the file, where an initial and a dropped accent would otherwise have kept it out.

  6. 06Ownership and directorships

    An ownership chart drawn from registry filings, with every link cited

    How it works

    • The founder and the 6 related companies, each link cited to a registry filing
    • Drawn from 71 registry records
    • A directorship with no shares drawn dashed and flagged high
    • The client's 40% after closing drawn beside the target

    Due diligence directorFinds the role the management questionnaire left out before the client signs, with the filing that shows it.

  7. 07Red flags

    Red flags that state the record, cite it and propose a question

    How it works

    • Each flag says what the record says, with a suggested severity
    • The records cited, and a question to put to the target
    • The director approves, downgrades or removes each one, with a reason
    • Whoever confirmed a match cannot approve the flag it raised

    Due diligence directorPuts her name to a red flag after reading the record it came from, and goes to the target with questions already drafted.

  8. 08Signed report

    A background report cited sentence by sentence, signed by the partner

    How it works

    • Drafted from the dossier in the firm's format, each sentence cited
    • 88 citations across 14 pages, 61 of them to Portuguese records
    • Signing waits until the matches are decided and the red flags approved
    • Signed and released to the client on day 3

    Investigations partnerSigns a report in which each sentence has a source, so nothing has to be rechecked or struck out before it goes to the client.

  9. 09Audit

    An audit line for each search, read, match and signature

    How it works

    • Agent steps and human decisions in a single log, newest first
    • 27 matches between 80% and 97% confirmed by the analyst the day before
    • A blocked search outside the scope stays on the record
    • Both scope signatures, the client's and the director's, logged

    Knowledge and privacy managerAnswers who searched what, which agent read which record and who signed, without piecing the matter back together from email.

312 records on one founder, from five kinds of public source

What the searches covered on this matter, and in which language.

Corporate registries71 records, 64 in Portuguese and 7 in English, from the commercial and company registries in scope.
Court and litigation records46 records, all in Portuguese: state tax, civil and labor dockets. 2 lawsuits name the founder.
Media in any language163 items, 96 in Portuguese and 67 in English: 151 neutral, 9 positive, 3 adverse.
Sanctions and PEP lists9 lists, the founder and the 6 companies, 63 screenings: no hits, 2 near-names dismissed.
Property records14 records: the home apartment, a 420-hectare farm and a condominium bought for USD 1,350,000.

What the public record showed that the questionnaire did not

Four things this subject's records showed, each tied to the record behind it.

A directorship left off the questionnaire

Registry filings show the founder as a director of a sixth company, with no shares. The management questionnaire lists no outside directorships.

A settled tax suit behind an initial

The docket shortens his middle name to an initial. Birthdate and home address match exactly, the analyst confirms at 94%, and the BRL 2,840,000 suit joins the flags.

A namesake's criminal case kept out

A criminal case under the same first name and surname belongs to a man with another birthdate and city. It scores 22% and is set aside.

A former official in the family

His brother-in-law was a municipal transport secretary while the target held a BRL 1,200,000 municipal freight contract. Flagged low, with a question about the award.

Around the dossier

More of the investigative due diligence file, from search to method

Screens the analyst, director and partner also use on this matter.

A search run again14 sources queried with 9 spellings, 4 new records read, a registry that timed out retried, and the lists screened again.
Namesakes kept out of the fileA criminal case belongs to a namesake, scored 22%, and a rowing title to the subject's son, scored 31%. Both stay set aside.
Near-names on the lists, dismissedTwo near-name results, one born 1958 and one born 1980, differ in birthdate and nationality. The screening record says so in writing.
Seven subjects against the questionnaireRegistry numbers, links to the founder and record counts, with one directorship marked not disclosed and 0 of 9 lists hit for each.
The method, stated in the reportThe closing section states what was searched, that the subject was not contacted, and that an analyst confirmed matches below 97%.
Thresholds and separation of dutiesLinked at 97% and above with a weekly spot-check of 5%, 80% to 97% to an analyst, below 80% set aside.
Who reads the record

Seven agents do the searching and reading; an analyst decides who is who

Each agent's work on the matter, and what it leaves to the analyst, the director and the partner.

Source searcher

Searches registries, court dockets, media and property records in the scoped countries and languages, with each spelling the resolver supplies.

  • Never contacts the subject or uses pretexting
  • Never searches outside the agreed scope
Record reader

Reads each record in its original language, pulls out names, dates, roles, amounts and addresses, and translates it.

  • Never replaces the original text with its translation
Identity resolver

Resolves one person or company across spellings, initials and accents, and scores each record with the facts behind the score.

  • Never links a record below 97% without a person
  • Never links below 80% at all
Sanctions and PEP screener

Screens the founder and the companies against 9 sanctions and PEP lists and explains each near-name result.

  • Never clears a hit without stating the differing facts
Ownership mapper

Draws ownership and directorships from registry filings, with percentages and dates.

  • Never infers ownership without a filing
Red-flag writer

States each red flag plainly, with its records and a suggested severity.

  • Never calls conduct wrongdoing: it says what the record says
Report drafter

Drafts the report in the firm's format, with each sentence cited.

  • Never sends anything; the partner signs

Namesakes, foreign records and sign-off, answered

What is investigative due diligence?

Investigative due diligence is the background work on a person or company before a deal closes, a dispute is filed or a witness is relied on. It asks who they are, what they own and direct, what they have been sued for, and whether they sit on a sanctions list. This solution searches the public record within an agreed scope, reads each record in its own language and builds a cited dossier for the partner to sign.

How does it tell our subject from a namesake?

The identity resolver compares each record with what is already known and cited: name, birthdate, home address, taxpayer number and role, each with its weight. Records in the middle band go to an analyst, who confirms or rejects with a reason. Namesakes are set aside with the facts that differ.

Can we check a foreign-language finding ourselves?

Yes. Each line in the dossier and the report opens the original passage in the language it was filed in, with the translation beside it.

How do we run a background check on a foreign company?

Agree the scope with the client first: subjects, countries, sources, lookback, languages and what is out of bounds. The searches then cover registries, dockets, press, property and sanctions lists in those countries, and the ownership chart is drawn from registry filings.

Who approves the red flags and signs the report?

The due diligence director approves, downgrades or removes each red flag with a reason, and cannot approve a flag raised by a match she confirmed herself. The investigations partner signs the report before it is released to the client.

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Pick a subject your team has already reported on, and watch its scope, its identity matches and its cited dossier rebuilt from registries, dockets and press.

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