AM ForensicsAM Forensics vs 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.
/ 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
Kroll
- Engagement
- Matter-based professional-services engagement
- Pricing
- Hourly or tiered report product, quoted per matter
- Who does the work
- Engagement team; analysts perform research under supervision
- Independence
- Independent; global conflict-check process applies
/ 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 | Kroll |
|---|---|---|
| Named investigator does the workNo handoff to an offshore research pool. | ✓Yes | −NoSenior directors lead; research is performed by analyst teams. |
| 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 | ✓Yes |
| Metadata and digital-artifact analysisDocument provenance, EXIF, file-history examination. | ✓Yes | ~PartlyAvailable through the cyber and forensic-technology practices as a separate service line. |
| Fixed price quoted before work beginsScope and cost agreed in writing, not billed open-ended. | ✓Yes | ~PartlyTiered report products are fixed-price; bespoke work is generally hourly. |
| Report structured for counsel and courtWritten anticipating challenge and privilege. | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Single-subject engagements acceptedNo annual contract or subscription minimum. | ✓Yes | −No |
| AML and financial-crime contextFindings interpreted against BSA/AML expectations. | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Named turnaround commitmentA date, agreed at scoping. | ✓Yes | ~PartlyCommitted per matter; queue position varies with firm-wide demand. |
/ Where Kroll is the better call
We would rather you buy the right thing than buy from us. Here is where Kroll genuinely wins.
Kroll does this well
- Global source network and on-the-ground human intelligence in difficult jurisdictions
- Name recognition that carries weight with boards, courts, and counterparties
- Capacity to run very large, multi-jurisdiction, document-heavy matters
Best for: High-stakes, multi-jurisdiction matters where human source networks and firm standing are central to the outcome.
Where teams still come to us
- Minimum engagement economics make single-subject checks expensive relative to their value.
- The senior name that pitches the work rarely performs the research.
- Global conflict checks frequently preclude engagement on adverse matters.
- Standardized report tiers can return thin results when the subject falls outside the template.
AM Forensics fits when: Single-subject and small-portfolio work where you need a senior investigator personally on the record, a fixed price, and a report that cites every source.
/ Three reasons teams choose AM Forensics instead
The investigator you hire is the investigator who works
At AM Forensics there is no analyst pool. The person who scopes the subject runs the searches, reads the filings, and writes the report — so nothing is lost in a handoff.
A fixed price before you commit
Scope, price, and turnaround agreed in writing at the scoping call. No hourly meter, no discovery that the matter expanded.
No minimum engagement
One subject is a perfectly good engagement. You are not buying an annual programme to get a single answer.
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 Kroll alternatives in 2026
If Kroll is not the right fit, these are the options worth comparing — starting with the one we would look at first.
-
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. Single-subject and small-portfolio work where you need a senior investigator personally on the record, a fixed price, and a report that cites every source.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Global risk consultancy
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
When should we use Kroll instead of AM Forensics?
What does an AM Forensics report look like?
Can you work through counsel?
How fast is a single-subject report?
/ Related comparisons
AM Forensics vs Mintz Group
Counsel and corporates needing rigorous background and diligence work across multiple jurisdictions.
AM Forensics vs Nardello & Co.
Sensitive, high-stakes matters requiring discretion and senior former-government judgment.
AM Forensics vs Control Risks
Multinationals managing operating, political, and security risk across difficult jurisdictions.