Insolvency searches

Investigating a UK company

The extent of any exercise undertaken to investigate a limited company in the UK will partly depend on whether the company in question is private or public, and, if public, whether its securities are listed on an exchange or alternative trading platform. A listed company is generally required by the rules of the exchange to make available a wider range of information beyond that required by private or unlisted public companies.

For practical information on finding out information about a company, its officers and its shareholders, see Practice Note: How to investigate a UK company.

Companies

It is prudent to carry out insolvency searches against a company:

1. •

   following an instruction on a new matter, both in relation to your own client and to other parties (especially where you have been instructed to recover debts or damages)

2. •

   regularly in the lead up to the presentation of a winding-up petition or the process of appointing an administrator

3. •

   as part of any security review (see Practice Note: Introductory guide to security reviews)

There are three main types of insolvency searches