How are Assets Defined?

The first step in understanding the hidden asset recovery process is understanding what we mean when we speak of assets. The term covers various items that individuals and corporations can own. These two categories are broken down as follows:

• Business Assets: Trademarks, patents, watercraft, vehicles, aircraft, land, inventory, buildings, office equipment, furniture, intellectual property, cash, and cash equivalents (stocks, bonds, etc.).
• Personal Assets: Cash (savings accounts, money markets, Certificates of Deposit, bonds, offshore accounts), cash equivalents, personal property (jewelry, art, vehicles, watches), safety deposit box contents, investments (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc.), real estate (commercial and residential), life insurance annuity contracts, family trusts, cryptocurrencies (digital coins, tokens, etc.), and more.

In addition to the assets mentioned above, investigators will also seek to uncover related information, including tax liens, bankruptcy filings, pending judgments, hidden accounts, UCC filings, etc. They will often identify criminal activity on the part of corporations and individuals, such as embezzlement, tax evasion, money laundering, and fraud, which can then be forwarded to the relevant authorities for further prosecution.

When do you Need a Private Asset Recovery Investigator?

Asset recovery private investigators provide their services to people interested in determining someone else’s financial status. These are legal operatives with the knowledge, skills, and experience to perform this duty efficiently. The most effective private investigators have a background in law enforcement, finance, computer science, and other fields that aid in such investigations, so be sure to look for outfits with these agents on their staff. These are the most common hidden asset search scenarios private investigators are called in for

• Pre-Litigation Due Diligence: Whenever you’re thinking about initiating legal proceedings against another person or a corporation, you must first find out whether it will be worth the time and money this will cost you. In cases where you will be looking for punitive damages, it won’t make sense to sue someone who has no way of paying you because they do not have the necessary assets. Private investigators can help you determine whether or not to proceed with legal action, giving you a chance not to spend money on a fruitless pursuit.

• Judgment Recovery: Whenever somebody is awarded a judgment in their favor that calls for the other party to pay them a certain amount, the foremost responsibility of collecting the debt falls on the plaintiff. This means that if someone owes you money according to a court ruling, it’s on you to get that money from them unless you wish to take it back to court for another round of costly litigation. Professional investigators can be hired to establish the extent of the debtor’s financial capacity so that you can successfully file your claims against them.

• Alimony and Child Support: Divorce proceedings can be some of the most complicated and frustrating legal procedures you can experience in American law courts. Because of the bitter feelings and mistrust that often accompany these legal actions, asset determination is a vital element of the process in many instances. This is especially true where a spouse may require support after separation in the form of alimony payments or where children under eighteen need upkeep in the form of child support. People amid divorce proceedings are notorious for their tendency to hide or under-declare their assets to keep their obligations to a minimum.

• Pre-Business Purchases: Aside from figuring out whether or not a business is profitable enough to be worth buying or investing in, the most important thing you can do is determine any liabilities. The actual financial status of a business can only be determined by analyzing the combination of its assets and liabilities. Unscrupulous business owners may try and hoodwink potential buyers by underreporting or hiding their weaknesses only for them to harm the new proprietors. Don’t allow this to happen to you. Private investigators have the technological and financial expertise to uncover hidden assets, even if they are stashed outside the country or behind the most complex electronic or legal systems.

• Probate and Inheritance Discovery: When a relative or loved one passes away, those left behind are left with terrible sadness and void. This mourning period can be even more complicated if the decedent dies without making an estate plan or legal will. In such instances, it will fall to the courts and probate lawyers to untangle the confusion left in their wake. Private investigators can help those left behind find out what the deceased owned in the hopes that it can make their lives somewhat more comfortable without them.

You might be surprised to learn that hidden assets are discovered in 90 percent of cases where private investigators are called in. Even if you aren’t particularly suspicious that assets are being hidden or under-declared, it often pays to be sure.

How Can Money be Recovered After a Judgment is Made?

There are myriad ways to recover money owed to you from individuals or corporations, even when they would rather not pay you directly. Courts have the authority to issue mandates ensuring justice and equity are achieved. A few of the available measures of recovering money owed through legal orders include:

• Garnishing wages
• Levying charges on a debtor’s bank accounts
• Confiscating property
• Placing liens on their property
• Placing their property in the hands of third-party executioners
• Claiming royalties and collections

Why Come to Us?

When looking for private investigators to help you with your situation, there are some vital factors that you need to be careful about. The unfortunate reality of the industry today is that there are only so many agencies willing to cut corners and skirt the boundaries of legality to achieve their objectives. This often leads to their clients being countersued and often winding up on the other side of the law due to their unlawful tactics.

Our operatives have extensive backgrounds in law enforcement agencies such as the DEA, FBI, Secret Service, Police Service, IRS, and other services with a bearing on an industry with very close ties with the law and finance. To ensure that all our clients receive the best service possible without the potential of having their claims overturned at a later date because of our actions, we strictly adhere to the protocols and regulations outlined in all the State laws, Federal laws, and financial privacy regulations in every state we operate in.

Aside from strictly following the protocols outlined in the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB), which details the parameters allowing us to access people’s personal information, we also adhere to all debt-collection laws instituted in the United States. These include the regulations outlined by the US Department of Labor Garnishment Laws, the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA), the Internal Revenue Service, and so on.

Complying with the parameters set out by these bodies is the only way to keep your asset search safe, legal, and admissible in court. Over many years of experience in the hidden asset discovery industry, our operatives have learned the most effective legal methods of discovering the information they need, no matter how well-hidden it may be.

Final Thoughts

Most people’s exposure to private investigations is limited to TV shows and movies where the investigator solves murders that have baffled the police department or where bearded bounty hunters chase down wanted men and women across poor neighborhoods. The reality is that private investigators play much more varied and complex roles in society out of sight of the average person.

If you have ever had to take legal action against someone through a law firm, your lawyers will likely have used the services of private investigators to determine whether a case is worth pursuing on your behalf. We need to understand that investigators can help us with all problems with excellent results at affordable costs. Get in touch with us today and let us know what we can do for you.