AM ForensicsAM Forensics vs 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.
/ 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
LSEG World-Check
- Engagement
- Enterprise data subscription
- Pricing
- Volume and integration-scaled
- Who does the work
- Your KYC team, or an automated screening workflow
- Independence
- Data vendor
/ 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 | LSEG World-Check |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ~PartlyProfiles cite sources; retrieving and examining the primary record is a separate exercise. |
| Metadata and digital-artifact analysisDocument provenance, EXIF, file-history examination. | ✓Yes | −No |
| 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 | −NoScreening output, not an investigative report. |
| 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 | ✓Yes |
/ Where LSEG World-Check is the better call
We would rather you buy the right thing than buy from us. Here is where LSEG World-Check genuinely wins.
LSEG World-Check does this well
- The de facto industry-standard screening reference, familiar to every examiner
- Structured, curated risk profiles with source citations
- Deep integration into major KYC and onboarding platforms
Best for: Any institution needing production sanctions and PEP screening embedded in onboarding.
Where teams still come to us
- Screening tells you whether a subject appears on a list; it does not investigate the subject.
- Profiles are curated summaries — the underlying record still needs examination for a real decision.
- A screening hit escalated to EDD needs work the database does not perform.
- No coverage of subjects who have never attracted attention — which is the interesting case.
AM Forensics fits when: The step after the hit: enhanced due diligence on the subject, verified against the primary record and written up for the file.
/ Three reasons teams choose AM Forensics instead
Screening is not diligence
A hit is the beginning of the work. AM Forensics performs the enhanced due diligence that follows, and writes it up so the escalation decision is documented.
The subject with no profile
Screening finds people who have already been noticed. Structural risk — shell layering, nominee directors, address reuse — sits in filings nobody has flagged, and only shows up if someone reads them.
Verified against the primary record
Curated profiles carry summarization error. AM Forensics goes to the filing, the docket, or the registry entry, and cites 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 LSEG World-Check alternatives in 2026
If LSEG World-Check 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. The step after the hit: enhanced due diligence on the subject, verified against the primary record and written up for the file.
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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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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.
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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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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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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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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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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.
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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.
/ Questions we actually get asked
We already screen every customer. Why investigate?
When should we escalate to a full investigation?
Can you clear a screening hit?
How does this fit our AML program?
/ Related comparisons
AM Forensics vs LexisNexis Diligence
Compliance teams running regular adverse-media and background searches in volume.
AM Forensics vs Moody's Grid
Institutions screening large counterparty or vendor populations across multiple risk types.
AM Forensics vs Sayari
Teams doing continuous network analysis at volume who have analysts to run it.