Company information is rarely held in a single record. Registration details may sit with one authority, shareholder and director information with another, while financial filings, court cases, property interests and intellectual property records may need to be reviewed separately.
Global Screenings provides corporate data and company document searches for organizations carrying out due diligence, vendor review, investment research or other authorized business checks. The scope is based on the company, countries involved and information required for the decision.
Company and Business Identity Searches
A corporate search normally begins by confirming that the company exists and that the details supplied are consistent with the available official records.
Available searches may include:
- Company name search
- Incorporation or registration number verification
- Date of incorporation
- VAT or tax registration searches
- Registered business address
- Available company contact information
- Current company status
- Branch or subsidiary information
Company names can change, and different businesses may trade under similar names. Registration numbers, addresses and other identifiers should therefore be considered alongside the company name.
Corporate Documents and Registration Records
Corporate documents can help explain how a company was formed, who is connected with it and how its ownership and management are structured.
The search may cover available documents such as:
- Certificate of incorporation
- Memorandum and articles of association
- Shareholder listings
- Director listings
- Share and capital structure
- National tax certificates for companies or individuals where available
- Auditor information
- Legal representative information
- Corporate annual general meeting reports
- Other company filings included in the agreed scope
The contents and availability of corporate documents differ by jurisdiction. Some registries provide electronic copies, while others may require a manual request or local search.
Ownership, Directors and Management
Understanding who owns, directs and manages a company can be important when reviewing a supplier, business partner, acquisition target or investment opportunity.
Ownership and management research may include:
- Current and previous directors
- Shareholders
- Share and capital structure
- Leadership and executive information
- Organizational structure
- Subsidiary businesses
- Branches
- Associated companies
- Available business affiliations
- Conflicts of interest
- Directorship or business disqualification records
A complex ownership structure does not automatically indicate a problem. The purpose of the research is to identify the available relationships and highlight information that may require closer review.
Where a broader examination of owners, management and business integrity is required, the assignment may also include Third-Party Integrity Due Diligence.
Business Profile and Operating Presence
A registered company may operate differently from the way it is described in a proposal, application or business presentation. Corporate profile research can help compare those claims with the information available from official and public sources.
The review may consider:
- Company profile
- Nature of business activities
- Registered and operating addresses
- Branches and subsidiaries
- Leadership and executive summary
- Organizational structure
- Business whereabouts or operating presence
- Facilities and equipment information where available
- Projects and investment activities
- Publicly available business references
Where the physical operating presence of a company needs to be checked, a local site visit or address verification may be considered separately.
Litigation, Regulatory and Reputation Information
Legal disputes, regulatory action and public reputation can provide useful context about a company’s history and current standing.
Available research may include:
- Dispute and litigation records
- Court and public record searches
- Blacklist or watchlist checks where available
- Regulatory records
- Conflicts of interest
- Bankruptcy and insolvency information
- Judgments and other available legal records
- Media and internet searches
- Reputation information connected with the company or its management
The date, source and status of a matter should be reviewed carefully. A pending case, historical dispute or allegation should not be presented as a confirmed adverse conclusion without supporting information.
More detailed reputation, ownership and litigation research may be available through Reputation Intelligence.
Financial Information and Corporate Filings
Financial records can help provide context around a company’s reported operations, assets, liabilities and previous business activity. The information available varies considerably between private companies, public companies and different jurisdictions.
The agreed review may include:
- Audit reports
- Annual general meeting reports
- Available financial statements
- Credit and financial history
- Bankruptcy and insolvency information
- Credit or loan information where available and permitted
- Banking relationships disclosed in available records or supplied documents
- Projects and investment interests
- Property ownership records
- Facilities and equipment information included in available records
Corporate data research can review and compare available financial information, but it does not replace a formal audit, credit decision, financial valuation or accounting opinion.
Property and Asset Information
A company may own or be connected with land, commercial property, equipment, investments or other assets. Available ownership records can help identify interests that are relevant to a transaction or due diligence review.
Asset-related research may cover:
- Property ownership records
- Commercial premises
- Land interests
- Facilities and equipment
- Investment and project interests
- Available liens, judgments or financial claims
- Companies or partnerships connected with the asset
Not every asset is recorded in a publicly searchable source. A search that returns no result does not necessarily prove that the company has no additional property, equipment or financial interests.
Intellectual Property Records
Intellectual property can form an important part of a company’s value and business identity. Depending on the country and records available, the review may include:
- Brand name searches
- Trademark records
- Patent records
- Registered design information
- Copyright registration information where available
- Intellectual property ownership details
- Intellectual property litigation status
- Available information relating to trade-secret disputes or claims
The existence of a name, product or design in a search result does not by itself establish ownership or infringement. Registration status, jurisdiction and the identity of the rights holder should be reviewed carefully.
Where suspected misuse or counterfeiting requires investigation, the matter may also be supported through Brand Protection and Investigations.
When Corporate Data Research May Be Useful
Corporate record and document searches may support:
- Vendor and supplier onboarding
- Third-party due diligence
- Investment or acquisition reviews
- Business-partner assessment
- Corporate ownership checks
- Director and shareholder research
- Litigation or dispute support
- Property and asset research
- Intellectual property review
- Verification of information supplied by a company
For supplier and service-provider relationships, corporate data research may form part of a wider Vendor Screening assignment.
Reading Corporate Records Carefully
Corporate records can be incomplete, outdated or recorded under an earlier company name. Ownership information may also be limited, particularly where shares are held through another company or legal arrangement.
Possible records should be compared with available identifiers such as:
- Full legal company name
- Registration number
- Date of incorporation
- Registered address
- Director and shareholder names
- Tax or VAT number
- Country and registry
The report should distinguish between information that appears confirmed, a possible match, information that could not be verified and a search that returned no available record.
International Coverage and Record Availability
Company registries and public record systems differ across countries. Some provide detailed online filings, while others publish only basic registration information or require a manual request through a local authority.
Financial statements, shareholder details, property records, tax information and intellectual property filings may be public in one jurisdiction and restricted in another.
The company, countries involved, record types and purpose of the search should therefore be identified before the expected coverage and completion time are confirmed.
Important Limitations
Global Screenings provides corporate data and record-search findings from the agreed scope. The service does not certify the legal or financial standing of a company, guarantee that every record will be available or replace legal, accounting, tax, intellectual property or investment advice.
Final decisions on contracting, investment, acquisition, credit, compliance or legal action remain with the client and its appointed professional advisers.
