AM ForensicsAM Forensics vs Control Risks
Control Risks is a global specialist risk consultancy covering political risk, security, crisis management, compliance, and investigations, serving multinationals operating in complex environments.
/ How each is bought
The clearest difference is usually not features. It is what you are actually buying, who performs it, and what you own at the end.
AM Forensics
- Engagement
- Per-subject or per-matter engagement
- Pricing
- Fixed price and turnaround quoted at scoping
- Who does the work
- Named investigator, start to finish
- Independence
- Independent — no data-licensing revenue, no referral fees
Control Risks
- Engagement
- Consulting retainer or project
- Pricing
- Project or retainer, quoted per client
- Who does the work
- Consulting teams by region and practice
- Independence
- Independent consultancy
/ Side by side
These rows describe how each firm operates — facts you can verify — rather than judgments about product quality. Where a flat yes or no would mislead, the cell says so.
| Capability | AM Forensics | Control Risks |
|---|---|---|
| Named investigator does the workNo handoff to an offshore research pool. | ✓Yes | −No |
| Every finding tied to a cited sourceReports footnote the record behind each assertion. | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Primary public and corporate recordsFilings, courts, registries — not database aggregation alone. | ✓Yes | ~PartlyStrong regional intelligence; US filings and registry depth is a different specialty. |
| Metadata and digital-artifact analysisDocument provenance, EXIF, file-history examination. | ✓Yes | ~Partly |
| Fixed price quoted before work beginsScope and cost agreed in writing, not billed open-ended. | ✓Yes | ~Partly |
| Report structured for counsel and courtWritten anticipating challenge and privilege. | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Single-subject engagements acceptedNo annual contract or subscription minimum. | ✓Yes | −NoEngagement model favours retainers and programmes. |
| AML and financial-crime contextFindings interpreted against BSA/AML expectations. | ✓Yes | ~Partly |
| Named turnaround commitmentA date, agreed at scoping. | ✓Yes | ~Partly |
/ Where Control Risks is the better call
We would rather you buy the right thing than buy from us. Here is where Control Risks genuinely wins.
Control Risks does this well
- Outstanding political-risk and country-risk analysis
- Genuine in-country presence in difficult operating environments
- Integrated security, crisis, and compliance capability
Best for: Multinationals managing operating, political, and security risk across difficult jurisdictions.
Where teams still come to us
- Positioned for multinational operating risk rather than single-subject diligence.
- Retainer-shaped economics suit ongoing programmes, not one-off questions.
- US public-records and corporate-filings depth is not the primary strength.
AM Forensics fits when: US public and corporate records depth, single-subject engagements, and findings framed for a financial-crime compliance file.
/ Three reasons teams choose AM Forensics instead
US record depth
Secretary-of-state filings, county and federal courts, UCC filings, property and lien records, licensing databases — the US open record, worked properly rather than skimmed.
One subject, one price
No retainer, no programme, no minimum. A single question is a legitimate engagement.
Written for a compliance file
Reports are structured to drop directly into a KYC or EDD file, with the record cited so a reviewer can verify it.
Subject Scoping Call
A 30-minute call on one live subject: what the open record is likely to hold, what it will not, and what a defensible report would cost. If the answer is that you do not need an investigation, we will tell you.
- Realistic read on what OSINT and records can establish
- Jurisdiction and source-availability constraints, up front
- Fixed price and turnaround before you commit
/ Top Control Risks alternatives in 2026
If Control Risks is not the right fit, these are the options worth comparing — starting with the one we would look at first.
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Independent practice
AM Forensics
An independent investigative due-diligence practice: open-source intelligence, public and corporate records, and metadata investigations for financial institutions, fintechs, investors, and counsel. US public and corporate records depth, single-subject engagements, and findings framed for a financial-crime compliance file.
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Corporate intelligence & cyber
S-RM
S-RM is a corporate intelligence and cyber-security consultancy providing due diligence, investigations, and incident response, with a strong presence in the private-equity and law-firm markets.
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Global investigations firm
Kroll
Kroll is the best-known name in corporate investigations, offering business intelligence, due diligence, forensic accounting, and cyber investigations at global scale. It is the default choice for large corporates and law firms on high-stakes matters.
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Global investigations firm
Nardello & Co.
Nardello & Co. is a global investigations firm founded by a former federal prosecutor, known for discreet, senior-led work on complex disputes, FCPA matters, and reputational investigations.
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Investigative due diligence firm
Mintz Group
Mintz Group is a specialist investigations firm focused on background investigations, due diligence, and fact-finding for law firms, corporates, and investors, with a strong reputation for rigorous, source-based work.
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Corporate ownership data platform
Sayari
Sayari builds a graph of global corporate ownership, trade, and supply-chain data, letting analysts trace beneficial ownership and counterparty networks across jurisdictions from a single interface.
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Due-diligence research database
LexisNexis Diligence
LexisNexis provides due-diligence research tooling built on its news, legal, and public-records archives, letting compliance teams run adverse-media, sanctions, and background searches from a single platform.
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Screening & risk-intelligence database
LSEG World-Check
World-Check, now part of LSEG Risk Intelligence, is one of the most widely used screening databases for sanctions, PEPs, and adverse media, embedded in KYC workflows across the financial-services industry.
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Risk database & entity data
Moody's Grid
Moody's Grid is a risk database of sanctioned, politically exposed, and adversely reported entities, offered alongside Moody's broader entity, ownership, and company-data holdings for KYC and third-party screening.
/ Questions we actually get asked
Do you do country risk analysis?
What US records do you cover?
Can you support an EDD file?
Do you have international coverage?
/ Related comparisons
AM Forensics vs S-RM
Private-equity and corporate transaction diligence at pace across multiple targets.
AM Forensics vs Kroll
High-stakes, multi-jurisdiction matters where human source networks and firm standing are central to the outcome.
AM Forensics vs Nardello & Co.
Sensitive, high-stakes matters requiring discretion and senior former-government judgment.