AM ForensicsAM Forensics vs 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.
/ 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
Moody's Grid
- Engagement
- Data subscription
- Pricing
- Records and module-scaled subscription
- Who does the work
- Your team screens and interprets
- 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 | Moody's Grid |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ~Partly |
| 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 | −NoData 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 Moody's Grid is the better call
We would rather you buy the right thing than buy from us. Here is where Moody's Grid genuinely wins.
Moody's Grid does this well
- Extensive entity coverage combined with company financial and ownership data
- Well-structured risk categorisation across many risk types
- Useful breadth for third-party and supply-chain screening beyond AML
Best for: Institutions screening large counterparty or vendor populations across multiple risk types.
Where teams still come to us
- Breadth of coverage increases false positives, which are yours to resolve.
- Entity data answers "who is this"; it does not answer "what did they do".
- No written, defensible investigative product.
AM Forensics fits when: Depth on the subjects that matter — the ones where a database hit or a structural anomaly needs a person to go and find out what actually happened.
/ Three reasons teams choose AM Forensics instead
Depth where breadth stops
Screen everyone with a database. Investigate the handful that matter with a person. The two are complementary, not competing.
The report is the deliverable
A cited, dated written report that goes in the file and can be produced to an examiner, an auditor, or a court.
No annual commitment
Engage per subject. Investigation demand is lumpy; pricing should be too.
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 Moody's Grid alternatives in 2026
If Moody's Grid 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. Depth on the subjects that matter — the ones where a database hit or a structural anomaly needs a person to go and find out what actually happened.
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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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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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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
Do we need both a database and an investigator?
How many subjects actually need investigation?
Can you help define the escalation threshold?
What does a report cost?
/ Related comparisons
AM Forensics vs LSEG World-Check
Any institution needing production sanctions and PEP screening embedded in onboarding.
AM Forensics vs Sayari
Teams doing continuous network analysis at volume who have analysts to run it.
AM Forensics vs LexisNexis Diligence
Compliance teams running regular adverse-media and background searches in volume.