Open or Shut? Assets Hidden in Bank Accounts
PROBLEM:
A couple had seven different bank accounts when they were married, but the wife never kept close tabs on them. Now the husband is using money from a joint account that the wife doesn't realize is still open.
SOLUTIONS:
Bank…
Finding Banks to Subpoena Instead of Breaking the Law
We’ve written before about the illegal trade in bank account information that a lot of investigators and lawyers get mixed up in. See for instance That Bank Account Information Your Investigator Got? Probably a Crime.
Without a court…
Who Is NOT a Good Referral for Our Firm? Lawbreakers!
I’m asked all the time when I meet other professionals, “Who’s a good referral for you?”
I usually answer, “Litigators are good – if you want to see if it’s worth suing, or you want to look into the people on the other side, and…
Securities Records: Treasure Not Even Buried
We Found $60 Million in two hours, and our client wasn’t happy.
Sometimes looking for assets is like hunting for buried treasure. Other times, there’s a pot of gold under such a light dusting of soil that you can spot it in an hour or two.
That’s…
The New Risk for Banks Operating in Canada
Due diligence is about trying to look around corners. Not only do you look backward at a person’s history, but you also want to try to anticipate potential problems for the client if they hire Mr. X. or go into business in Country Y.
Country…
Getting Records for Divorce or the Next International Crisis
Imagine fighting this virus without the internet or electricity.
The Covid-19 pandemic is one of two catastrophes we’ve read about from time to time over the past few years. The risk of a deadly virus has been discussed by the likes of Bill…
That Bank Account Information Your Investigator Got? Probably a Crime
Half the time when someone calls our office about asset identification they tell us, “I need bank account information.”
When told that without a court order there is nearly no legal way to get that kind of information from a bank without…
Atlanta Paper Exposes Widespread Violation of Federal Law by Private Investigators and the Lawyers That Enable Them
Great work by the Atlanta Journal Constitution on an issue that’s bugged me for years: the brazen violation of federal law by investigators and the lawyers who hire them.
At issue is the Gramm Leach Bliley Act, meant to protect the confidentiality…
How to Read Email Headers: Where Did That Email Come From?
Just as it’s nice to know what number someone is using when they call you, wouldn’t it be useful to see where someone was when they sent an email? That information is often contained in the “fine print” of an email known as the “header.”
In…
“Offshore” Assets Here at Home
We’ve written plenty about why it makes sense to do an onshore search within the U.S. when you’re looking for offshore assets. See for instance our Offshore Assets Playbook and here.
What comes as news to many clients is how secretive people…
