Services

Losses arising from the mis-sale of hedging products such as interest rate swaps

These losses include not only those arising from the additional interest charged and any consequential losses to the business.

Many businesses and individuals were aggressively sold hedging products such as interest rate swaps. With banks not making customers aware of the full financial implication of the hedging products or the large exit fees or any products available at the time, many businesses and individuals have suffered significant losses.

We are able to calculate these losses arising from both the higher interest rates and the impact this may have had on your business.

Commercial litigation

This may include quantifying losses arising from a breach of contract or partnership disputes and can include addition costs arising or loss of profits.

Professional negligence

We have also been instructed on a number of cases of professional negligence including losses arising from poor advice, audit negligence or other shortcomings in the provision of professional advice.

Valuations

The need for valuations typically arises in shareholder disputes, contractual disputes, partnership disputes as well as negligence cases.

We are able to produce valuations of the businesses concerned. We have dealt with businesses of varying sizes including partnerships, limited companies, small family businesses and large companies with operations both in the UK and overseas.

Intellectual property

We have experience of valuing different types of intellectual property both as part of a business as well as on a standalone basis. This work has been undertaken both in support of litigation and for accounting disclosure.

Divorce investigation

This work can vary from a full investigation of assets held including reviewing bank accounts in detail tothe need to value a business or a private company

Civil fraud

In cases of civil fraud, we have been instructed as forensic accountants to investigate the possibility that a business is losing money due to a fraud or theft being perpetrated by one or more of its employees. Our work has been used to build a case of civil recovery of the lost monies.

Criminal fraud

In cases of criminal fraud, we are instructed usually as forensic accountants on behalf of defendants accused of fraud. Our work sets out to examine and analyse the evidence prepared by the Procurator Fiscal Office to ensure that there are no arithmetic errors or incorrect conclusions made from financial documents.

Proceeds of crime and criminal defence

In these cases our role as forensic accountants, we critically examine the basis of the prosecution's claim and in our report we isolate examples of legitimate trading which did not accrue from the proceeds of crime, but may have been in the amounts sought in the claim made by the prosecution.

We also examine the evidence presented relating to a defendant's assets and may seek to adjust the figures based on the available evidence this can mean that the figures are substantially reduced in favour of the Defendant.

Expert determination

We have experience of acting as a joint expert to determine completion accounts in a business sale and valuations of shares in employment disputes.