Tag Archive for: asset searches

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Finding Collections of Rare Things

PROBLEM: The debtor is a big collector, whether of coins, stamps, toys, or comic books. You ask about the collection but get no response, or else you are told it was “lost” or sold for much less than you were always told it was worth. You…
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When Debtors Make Themselves Look Poor by Raising Spending

PROBLEM: To make himself appear cash-poor, the debtor, a small business owner, increases his business’s discretionary expenditures knowing that he can recoup the money after the divorce is final. [light] SOLUTION: This problem can take…
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Privileges, Immunities, and Good Investigation

What does the Supreme Court’s decision this week about the Privileges and Immunities Clause mean to investigators? That they need to continue having a good national network to help one another. The Court this week upheld unanimously a…
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Scratching the Surface: Due Diligence and Public Record Searches

What does it really mean when an investigator says that they are going to do a background search on a person and track down all the relevant documents "on the public record"? Well, let's start with what it doesn't mean: bank documents and cell phone records are not public record. Any investigator who tells you he can track these down for you is ostensibly promising to break more than a couple of laws to get you that information. In addition, given that he's acting as your agent, odds are it could get you in a heap of trouble as well. So what can you expect instead? Below is a list of the various public documents that you should expect from your investigator when investigating a person. Future blog posts will detail similar lists for background research on companies and for asset searches.
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Thinking Outside the [Shoe] Box: The Shaks, Collections and Divorce Asset Searches

The media seems to be having a good chuckle over the recent legal tiff between hedge fund manager Daniel Shak and his ex-wife, professional poker player Beth Shak. The couple divorced about three years ago, but Daniel is requesting that the…
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Foreign Due Diligence on U.S. Companies is a Must

We have had a number of recent cases involving foreign companies who entered into large-scale sale agreements with American-based corporations.  These companies are run by sophisticated, experienced executives. In most instances, the agreements…
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JPM, Feynman and Investigations

A superb column over the weekend by the personal investing columnist in the Wall Street Journal, Jason Zweig, "Polishing the Dimon Principle," struck a chord or two with us because of what it said about human knowledge and the occasional lack…
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Tracking Down Spouse’s Hidden Money: Don’t Count on Taking Shortcuts

Whether one spouse hides money from the other during a portion of their marriage (and the Wall Street Journal reported this week in Veronica Dagher's article, "Hiding Money From Your Spouse Has Gotten a Lot Harder," that 58% of spouses say they…
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Secret Lender Agents Make Asset Searches Harder

It’s always nice to be able to know who has loaned people money. It helps in asset searches, of course, but we also like to call bankers in after-fraud investigations. Now getting to the identity of those lenders is about to get harder.…
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Asset Searches for Grown-Ups

Memo to federal regulators: it’s not enough to impose fines; you have to make sure you collect them if you want people to be afraid of you. The same goes for private litigants thinking of suing to collect money they’re owed. Without…