Author: derrickw

Closure and Disclosure? Early Results of Self-Disclosure Efforts

Haven No More: The Effects of Beneficial Owner Reporting Rules

Spilling Secrets: The Push Toward Voluntary Disclosure

2023 Year in Review: A Look Back and Ahead

Windows of Opportunity: Due Diligence Prior to Regulatory Inquiries

Carrots and Sticks: New Efforts to Reduce Fraud in Dealmaking

On the Hunt: Increased Regulation of International Entities

The Best Defense: Increased Efforts to Research Your Clients

Hidden Agendas: Examining Personal Finances of Regulatory Officials

Cops on the Beat: Efforts to Deter Corporate Crime Ramp Up

No Safe Havens? Analyzing Banks for Signs of Trouble

Crisis of Faith? Bank failures lead to new oversight efforts

Get With the Program: New Compliance Measures Add Personal Liability for Corporate Fraud

Lies, damn lies and resumes: Researching claims made by candidates

Seeking Good Counsel: Vetting Advisors

2022 Year in Review

Actively engaged: Assessing Risks Posed by Activist Investors

On the Agenda: Looking for Conflicts of Interest Among Agency Officials

The Importance of Researching Potential Employees

Looking for Conflicts in a Growing Regulatory Landscape

In Need of a Sheriff? Crypto’s Wild West

The Realm of Possibility: How Social Media Feeds Crypto Fraud

New Rules of the Road: Financial Disclosure for Judges

The Future of Finance? Or Fraud? Cryptocurrency Risks Explained

Strange Lands in Strange Times: Managing Overseas Political Risks

Is ESG for Me? The Risks Around Disclosing Environmental Efforts

Mythical Promise? “Unicorns” and Private Company Investment

Keeping Prudence in Jurisprudence: Researching Judicial Officers

Who Do You Know? Identifying Relationships Behind Investment Firms

Kick the Tires or Put Out Fires: Why Due Diligence Matters

Promise, potential profit and peril: researching start-up companies

Opportunity, but at what cost? Understanding unconventional finance risks

Brave New World: Adjusting to and Regulating Emerging Technologies

Watching the Detectives: Concerns and Conflicts Among Compliance Officers

Crisis, Cash and Catastrophe: Pandemic Relief Highlights Loan Fraud

SPAC-tacular concerns: Regulatory scrutiny about latest trend increases

A New Frenzy About an Old Investment: What’s Special About SPACs?

Reap the Whirlwind: Obtaining Company Information in a Fast-Paced Environment

Off the Clock and Online: Investigating Employee Speech on Social Media

2020 Year in Review: The Rise of “Work From Home” Scams

A Better Gig? Analyzing Efforts to Improve the “Gig Economy”

Know Your Customer, Know Yourself: Due Diligence’s Role in Preventing Fraud Complicity

Everything Must Go: The Risks of Managing the Bankruptcy Process

Going Long: The Role of Receiverships in Asset Recovery

Conniving in a Crisis: As Bankruptcies Mount, Frauds May Follow

Markets or Casinos? SEC Pushes Private Equity for Retirement While Hedging Its Bets

Caution Ahead: Sharp Curves Exist in the Race to Return to Normal

Prudent Giving in the Age of Coronavirus

Keeping Friends Close: Planning for Succession in Uncertain Times

Blind Spots Abound: The Risks of Investing in Emerging Industries

Risks Around Every Corner: Social Engineering as a Key Fraud Trend Heading Into a New Decade

Into the Greater Unknown: New Frontiers in Early Investment Pose Risks

Freer Pass on Foreign Corruption Enforcement? Changes to FCPA Compliance

The Power of Myth: Investing in Unicorns

The Semi-Visible Hand: The Quiet U.S. Agency Refereeing Foreign Investment in the United States

Finding Holes in the Armor: Researching Expert Witnesses

Under Pressure: Understanding and Working Through Regulatory Inquiries

Navigating a Labyrinth of Concealment: Researching Hedge Funds

Vanishing Point: Researching Subjects as Courts Scale Back Available Information

An Imperfect Past: The Role of Criminal Background Checks in the Finance Industry

Potential Versus Peril: Evaluating Closely Held Companies

Expanding the “Test The Waters” Rule: Weighing Opportunities and Risks

New Opportunities, New Risks: SEC Weighs Expanding Access to Private Offerings

A Decade Later: Lessons From Madoff Fraud Ten Years On

Under the Radar: Researching Financial Professionals With Expunged Records

Caught in the (Foreign Corrupt Practices) Act

Digging in the Dirt: Thorough Vetting of Candidates

Easy Money & Loose Facts: Investigating Mortgage Fraud

Ties That Bind: Searching for Connections Between Parties

Trusted Advisors: Researching the People Who Will Help Guide Your Company’s Growth

Technology at the Speed of Thought: How New Frontiers Can Increase Fraud

The Only Constant is Change: Evolving Investment Frauds

Cross-Border Due Diligence: Navigating an Insecure World

Into the Unknown: The Rise of Cryptocurrency Fraud

Keeping Secrets: How Arbitration Agreements Affect Due Diligence

Everything Must Go: Types of Bankruptcy Fraud

Cooperation Versus Confrontation: Working to Resolve Inquiries

Becoming an expert at vetting experts: researching expert witnesses

Avoiding Undue Influence: Registration of Foreign Agents

Inside Game: Understanding How Inside Information is Gathered

Covering Your Assets: Protecting Corporate Credibility in the Face of Scrutiny

It’s A Lovely Place, I Think I’ll Buy Something: How Fraudsters Hide Overseas Assets

Islands Unto Themselves: The Pseudo-Public Nature of Administrative Courts

GETTING TO KNOW YOU: THE IMPORTANCE OF BACKGROUND CHECKS

KNOW YOUR LIMITS: THE FLAWS OF DATABASE-DRIVEN RESEARCH

DOING HOMEWORK ON CANDIDATES: THE NEED FOR THOROUGH VETTING

Crowd-Funding in the Wild West

2016 WAS A TUMULTUOUS YEAR. WHAT WILL 2017 BRING?

SECOND LIFE: DISCIPLINED BROKERS RESURFACE AS INVESTMENT ADVISERS

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW: HOW FRAUDSTERS USE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR AFFINITY FRAUD

“Corporate Wrongdoing” and Investigative Efforts

States Expand Whistle-blower Laws to Fight Securities Fraud

When Good Intentions Aren’t Enough: Detecting Charity Fraud

Supreme Court Ruling on Whistle-blowers Complicates Rules

High Court Bankruptcy Fraud Ruling May Have Broad Effects

Supreme Court Whistle-blower Case Could Redefine “Fraud”

Analyzing Differing Tax Fraud Schemes As Filing Deadline Nears

Needle in a Haystack: Detecting Straw Ownership Schemes

Bankruptcy Fraud: Signs of Trouble and How to React

Lights Out: Congress Limits SEC Action on Disclosing Political Spending by Public Companies

A Guide to Whistle-blowers: Resources and Risks

Recent SEC Programs Change Disclosure Requirements

Justice Department Increases Efforts to Hold Corporate Executives Accountable

Expansion of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Interpretation Causes Concern

Living a Lie: Detecting Resume Fraud

“Mini-IPOs” Present Risks to Investors and Businesses

Changes in Disclosure May Create Greater Access to Records

Check Your Numbers: Detecting Accounting Fraud

Combating Affinity Fraud: Scrutiny & Safety Among Groups

Global Business and Corruption: Significance of FCPA Trends

Split Personality: When Self-Regulatory Organizations Face Opposition

Out With the Old, In With New Threats: Predictions for 2015

Competition and Kickbacks: Detecting Favoritism and Unethical Behavior

JOBS Act creates new class of IPOs – and new problems

Resurrecting Records: Investigating After Records Are Purged

Growing Concern Over “Going Concern”

Blow The Whistle, Get Tossed: Handling Whistleblowers

Not Perfect, But Good Enough? Acquiring Corruption-Tainted Companies

Know Your Customer, Protect Yourself: Anti-Money Laundering Investigations

The beginning of the end of corporate secrecy?

A Growing Global Landcsape and Changing FCPA Rules

Fraud Prevention Efforts Still Evolving: Many Firms Don’t Do Diligence

Peril in Distant Lands: Understanding the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

A Look Ahead: The Year in Fraud For 2014

Give Thanks With Caution: New Rules and Charitable Giving

Getting Lost in the Crowd: Navigating Crowdfunding

Stealing for the Present While Saving for the Future: Pension Fraud

A Fool and His Money: Fraud in Lending

Hot Commodities, Hotter Fraud: Investigating Commodity Fraud

High Profile, High Risk, High Priority: Vetting Senior Executives

No Safe Havens: Fraud in Municipal Bonds

Come Together: The Benefits of Cooperation in FCPA Cases

Money For Nothing: Detecting Rebate Scams

It’s a Mad, Mad World: The Rewards and Risks of FCPA Investigations

Securities Fraud Investigations in a Tightened Space: Likely effects of a Possible Stanford Ruling

When Short-Sellers Attack: Tips for Investigating Activist Investors

Connecting the Dots: Fraud in a Networked World

Depending on Independence: Fraud and Audit Committees

Rise of the Tipster: Increased Rewards, Scrutiny for Whistleblowers

Hedge Funds Enter the Daylight

Plugging Holes in the System: How Companies Can Fill In Dodd-Frank’s Stalled Initiatives

Shell Games: How Shell Companies Help Perpetuate “Pump and Dump” Schemes and What Can Be Done About It

No Good Surprises: The Importance of Vetting

Know Your Friends: Researching Donors and Supporters

Becoming an Expert at Investigating Expert Witnesses

No Man is an Island: How the “Cult of Personality” Can Lead to Fraud and Abuse

Interviews in Fraud Investigations: Asking the Right Questions the Right Way

Fraud, Waste and Abuse: False Claims in the Era of Deficit Reduction

Lessons After MF Global: Tracing Assets After Bankruptcy

Getting the Word Out: Hotlines and Campaigns as Tools Against Medicare Fraud

Audit Committee Independence: The Importance of Researching Conflicts Among Board Members

Dodd-Frank and Fighting Fraud : One Year Later

News Corp. Probe Puts Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in Renewed Spotlight

Spending Company Dimes on Company Time: Expense Fraud

New Techniques in Investigating Immigration Fraud

Cheating Hearts: Novel Tales of Tax Frauds

Diaster After a Distaser: Hallmarks of Disaster Relief Fraud

Answered Before Asked: How Interview Preparation Can Pay Dividends

The Year in Fraud: Looking Back on 2010

Will Deficit Reduction Equal Fraud Reduction?

Trouble Under the TARP? A Review of Oversight Efforts As Program Concludes

Hidden Agendas: Investigating Conflicts of Interest

Going Too Far? The Skilling Vredict and Anti-Fraud Prosecution

Dodd-Frank or SarbOx? Comparing Two Federal Anti-Fraud Toolkits

Corruption or the Cost of Doing Business? Cultural Factors and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

Trusting the Cops on the Beat: Tracking Government Accountability Efforts

Big Fraud in Small Packages: the Art of Smurfing

Hot Tips: Whistleblowers and Financial Fraud

To Watchdog or Not to Watchdog? the CFPA and Fraud

Time for a Check-Up: Taking the Pulse of Health Care Fraud

Corruption: Not Just for Government Officials Anymore

Mixing Business and Pleasure: Using Fraud Proceeds for Investment

Social Insecurity: Identity Theft and Prevention Efforts

A Year After the Meltdown: Mortgage Fraud and Lessons Learned

Using Better Judgment About Liens and Judgments: Civil Records in Employee Screening

Navigating Global Troubles Columbus Couldn’t Imagine: Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

Combating Mortgage Fraud During the Financial Crisis

Adding Insult to Injury: Tales of Pension Fraud at U.S. Automakers

Without a Trace: Locating Assets Hidden in Tax Havens

Getting an Education of Another Kind: The Importance of Screening University Personnel

New Era of Responsibility? President Obama’s Bank Bailout Transparency Efforts

A Century of Madoffs: Behind Ponzi Schemes

Laughing All the Way to the Poor House: Cases of Bankruptcy Fraud

Cops on the Beat: Measures Taken to Enforce Bailout Regulatory Changes and Prevent Fraud

The Times They Are A-Changin’ … Maybe: the Bailout and Disclosure

Putting Skeletons on Display: The Importance of Political Opposition Research

Fraud on Main Street: Investigating Civil Records as Predictors of Fraud

Age, Wisdom, Deception: The Signs of Elder Care Fraud

Inside Jobs: The Role of Whistle-blowers

To Catch a Thief in Your Midst: Preventing Embezzlement Schemes

Who Smashed My Piggy Bank? Pension Fraud & How to Fight It

Procurement Fraud: America’s Secret Deficit Booster

Picking up Fraud on the Line: Using Employee Fraud Hotlines

Subprime Problems, Prime Opportunities: Researching Mortgage Fraud

Researching shareholder proposals and corporate governance issues

Getting the most out of public company research

Getting the Story: Informational and Admission-Seeking Interviews

Hedging Your Bets: Researching Hedge Funds and Other Private Equity Vehicles

The Cost of Compliance: Evaluating Sarbanes-Oxley After Four Years

Don’t Believe the Hype: Detecting “Pump and Dump” schemes

The World Is Yours (With Risk): Investigating International Companies

Performing Due Diligence on Private Companies

The signs and pitfalls of financial statement fraud

What Price Charity? Tips for Cautious and Informed Giving

Combating Fraud Through Electronic Records

Getting Ahead: The Role of Competitive Intelligence

Fighting Financial Crime with Forensic Accounting

‘Tis The Season For Employee Crime

Know Thy Partner: The Importance of Due Diligence Before Deals or New Hires