Identity Checks & Bankruptcy

Personal Representatives need to take care when distributing funds to beneficiaries.

 

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The rules laid down by regulators are clear. You should ensure that all parties involved in a financial transaction are who they say they are.

This is especially pertinent for beneficiaries of an estate, whom you generally won’t be onboarding in the same way you do your client. You should also be checking that there are no issues, like insolvency or bankruptcy, that could cause a risk to your law firm.

The Legal Sector Affinity Group (LSAG), has developed anti-money laundering (AML) guidance for the legal sector, providing practical steps to help firms ensure regulatory compliance.

In the guidance, the LSAG clarifies what is meant by identification (being told or otherwise coming to know a client’s identifying information) and verification (obtaining evidence that supports this claim of identity.

The range of ID Checks available from Estatesearch provides the easiest way of checking the solvency, bankruptcy and identity of a beneficiary or lay executor. Available at 3 levels of detail, and powered by Veriphy, the multi-award-winning AML & Compliance experts, our ID checks ensure regulatory compliance and offer robust solutions to protect both the interests of your client and the reputation of your firm.

 

  • Identity Check
  • Anti-Money Laundering Check
  • PEPs and Sanctions
  • Bankruptcy / Insolvency Search (Standard & Premium Checks only)
  • Electronic Identity Check using sophisticated anti-fraud, biometric and AL technologies (Premium Check only)

Our solution is fully compliant with section 19.11.3 of  The Probate Practitioner’s Handbook. It is integrated into the Estatesearch case journey via our ordering platform, providing time-saving and audit trail benefits.

The range includes

Identity Check Basic: £4 + VAT

  • UK Identity Check confirming name, address, and date of birth data.
  • UK Identity Document Verification confirming valid National Insurance, Driver’s License and/or Passport where details are provided.
  • Anti-Money Laundering search checking for Politically Exposed Persons and HMT, EU and OFAC Sanctions

Identity & Insolvency Check Standard: £11 + VAT

As per the basic check but also includes:

  • Insolvency search including registered Bankruptcy Orders, Independent Voluntary Arrangements and County Court Judgements.
  • A HM Land Registry K16 Official Bankruptcy Search of Land Charges Registers against the named person including registered Bankruptcy Orders and Petitions for Bankruptcy. (NOT Scotland or Northern Ireland equivalents at this time)

Identity & Insolvency Check Premium: £14

As per the standard check but also includes:

An electronic identity verification check including a check of document authenticity, compared to a biometric ‘selfie’ to verify subjects’ identity using sophisticated anti-fraud, biometric and AI technologies.

 

Book your demo today!

Robust ID checking solutions to help confirm the identity of a beneficiary and ensure no encumbrances before distributing funds

from £4 + VAT
  • Identity Check
  • Anti-Money Laundering Check
  • Bankruptcy / Insolvency Search (Standard & Premium Checks only)
  • Financial Asset Searches have become an integral part of estate administration. We now commission these searches as a matter of course, and have found that it makes the task of information gathering infinitely less time-consuming and difficult. Tom Bottomley, Partner
  • I feel by using Estatesearch I am using all possible tools out there to provide the most comprehensive search of a deceased's assets to enable a complete and full administered estate from the get go. Leonie Adams, Director
  • The Estatesearch Financial Profile Service gives us a comprehensive and robust due diligence process at the click of a button. Using a combination of data and technology goes beyond what we could reasonably achieve otherwise and Estatesearch have helped us identify additional assets in difficult Court of Protection matters. Holly Chantler, Head of Private Client
  • Having used Estatesearch many times I have always found it to be really quick and easy and if any questions the team are always willing to help and discuss matters and have managed to find other accounts for other clients but with less in them which we are all extremely grateful for. Would highly recommend these are done when dealing with any financial matters. Lynne Ragoubi, Senior Accredited Paralegal
  • I've found the range of services provided by Estate Search to be vital tools in my day to day work as a private client lawyer. The client portal is an excellent one stop shop for the full range of searches I often undertake. Barry Griffin, Partner
  • The Financial Profile Service helps us demonstrate all reasonable due diligence in matters where we're appointed as Executors. In a recent matter the Report helped us identify additional assets which our client and the beneficiary greatly appreciated. Charlotte Day, Solicitor
  • Estate Asset searches are something that I think most estates (and even living clients) need. It takes the burden off of the Executor/representative on death, and if a firm is acting as Deputy during someone's lifetime, it covers you to show that you have done a thorough look into the assets and liabilities Zoe Johnson, Solicitor
  • We use the Financial Profile Service when appointed as Executors to help us clearly demonstrate we’ve met all our statutory duties. The report is clear and easy to use, helping us quickly make targeted additional enquiries to secure estate assets when required. Rachel Roche, Solicitor Director
  • The Financial Profile Service helped us efficiently confirm all the estate accounts, and in our latest matter identified a historic pension adding greater value for the beneficiaries and our clients. Liyen Clutton, Biscoes Solicitors
  • The Estatesearch team are always willing to go the extra mile to help us with our cases and enquiries, using their knowledge and expertise to help us deliver an excellent service while reducing costs for our clients. Michael Graham, Head of Private Client
  • As trusted legal advisors, our clients appoint us in many different capacities, as executors, trustees, Attorneys and Deputies. Clients place their trust in us, and we take that responsibility seriously. As part of our best practice when undertaking those roles, we conduct an asset and liability search to identify and secure all assets and investments held in an estate, by a trust, or by a donor client. We place our trust in Estatesearch to produce a report that is both thorough and reliable. Estatesearch also support us with several other products that ensure we can provide a professional and comprehensive service across our private client team. Mrs Tracey Hatswell TEP, Partner, Wason Male & Wagland LLP
  • Just excellent service at all times, the staff are always friendly and are a pleasure to work with. Nothing is too much trouble. Swift, efficient and comprehensive services. (The socks are pretty cool too!) Tristy Pateman, Senior Private Client Executive
  • As a business reliant on accurate compliance we turned to Estatesearch for our insolvency and bankruptcy checks, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. Their system is incredibly user friendly, allowing our team to navigate the process effortlessly. We appreciate how straightforward the platform is and look forward to an integration with our software provider shortly. We would recommend Estatesearch to any business seeking a reliable partner for insolvency and bankruptcy assessments. Laura Staples, Partner & Head of Private Client. HK Law

Give us a call today, or send a message and we'll get back to you straight away.

0330 900 1700
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