Asset & Information Research

Asset information research is intended to improve decisions about recovery, enforcement, settlement or further investigation. It does not promise a complete inventory of everything a person or company owns; instead, it identifies reliable public-record indicators, relevant corporate interests and gaps that may justify specialist legal or financial enquiry.

Asset tracing research can help identify public indicators relevant to recoverability, but it does not imply access to private bank balances or prove beneficial ownership where the available evidence cannot establish it.

For EU-linked entities, public access to beneficial-ownership registers may itself be controlled by privacy and legitimate-interest rules. Where ownership matters to recoverability, Carratu can test the recorded position against historical and connected-entity evidence while keeping any restricted-register access within the applicable legal route. EU beneficial ownership and privacy

For litigation funders, this research can form part of a wider assessment of recoverability before or during an investment. See litigation funder support.

Where asset research can add value

• Pre-action assessment before committing significant legal costs.
• Insolvency and creditor enquiries involving directors or connected companies.
• Settlement discussions where apparent means are relevant.
• Post-judgment enforcement planning.
• Fraud and misrepresentation matters where assets or corporate interests may have moved.

Property information needs careful interpretation

Land Registry information in England and Wales can identify registered proprietors, title information and certain registered interests. However, legal ownership and beneficial interest are not always the same thing, and not every relevant interest is visible from a simple address search. Findings therefore need to be described precisely rather than presented as a definitive statement of wealth.

Companies can be assets, vehicles or clues

Directorships, shareholdings, persons with significant control, company charges, predecessor businesses and connected entities can reveal commercial interests or routes requiring further enquiry. Changes around insolvency, litigation or a dispute may also be relevant, although timing alone should never be treated as proof of dissipation or wrongdoing.

What the research may cover

• Registered property and address context where identifiable.
• Company appointments, ownership indicators and corporate interests.
• Insolvency, bankruptcy and director-disqualification context where relevant.
• Connected entities, trading names and historic business relationships.
• Publicly visible indicators of significant assets or commercial activity.
• Jurisdictions and sources examined, with an assessment of confidence in each finding.

Absence of a record is not absence of an asset

There is no single comprehensive public register of UK assets. Holdings may sit through companies, trusts, nominees, overseas structures or categories that are not publicly searchable. A responsible report therefore explains both what has been found and what the available sources cannot establish.

Read more about asset research in commercial litigation and recovery assessment.