For forensic accountants
A repeatable method you can defend.
Consistent classification, one review queue, reconciliation checks, and a decision audit trail keep your methodology documented from intake to report.
The problem today
Hours go to the records before the analysis starts.
Re-keying statements
Transactions get copied from PDF statements into spreadsheets, and totals get checked again by hand. It is slow work, and every typing slip is one more thing to catch later.
Keeping the method repeatable
Without a shared framework, the same transaction can be categorized two ways by two people, or by one person on two matters. Holding the approach steady takes effort on every engagement.
Defending every number
Under cross-examination, any figure can be questioned: which page it came from, who categorized it, and why a transaction was left out. Rebuilding those answers after the fact takes time.
How ForensicTrail helps
From statement to a figure you can defend.
AI works out new statement layouts and sorts what your firm's rules don't cover, so your time goes to analysis.
Start with what needs your judgment
Every transaction is sorted the same way: your firm's rules first, then known merchants, then earlier decisions, with AI handling what's left, and each category shows which of these set it. Flags such as high value, round amounts, and amounts just under the $10,000 cash-reporting threshold point you to what deserves a closer look. Anything the system isn't sure about waits for you in one review list for the whole case.
Fictional sample matter. The case dashboard's Action Items and Top Flagged Transactions.The case dashboard for the fictional matter Marlowe v. Marlowe. Action Items shows 37 transactions that need review, 2 transactions just under the $10,000 reporting threshold, and 1 unmatched transfer. Top Flagged Transactions lists Outgoing wire transfer on 2024-02-12, $48,000.00 out, flagged high value and round amount; Cash withdrawal on 2024-05-03, $9,800.00 out, flagged just under the $10,000 reporting threshold and cash; and Cash withdrawal on 2024-05-17, $9,500.00 out, flagged just under the $10,000 reporting threshold and cash. Less re-keying, with the source page one click away
ForensicTrail reads each statement, separates combined statements into their accounts, and accepts a file only once its transactions add up to the printed balances. Each transaction read from a statement carries the Bates label of its page, and clicking the label opens that page. Transactions you enter by hand or import from a CSV have no source page, so they have no label.
Fictional sample matter. Flagged Transactions with their Bates labels, and the statement page the wire's label opens.Flagged Transactions for the fictional matter Marlowe v. Marlowe, each row with the Bates label of its source page. The $48,000.00 outgoing wire's label, MARLO_000147, opens the statement viewer at page 3 of joint-checking-2024-02.pdf, where the wire is the selected row and reads Needs review.The top of Flagged Transactions with their Bates labels, and the statement page the wire's label opens.The top of Flagged Transactions for the fictional matter Marlowe v. Marlowe, each row with the Bates label of its source page, above the statement viewer the $48,000.00 outgoing wire's label, MARLO_000147, opens: Sample Community Bank, page 3 of joint-checking-2024-02.pdf. Test money movement across accounts
Transfer detection pairs a debit in one account with a credit of the same amount in another within five days, and keeps paired transfers out of spending totals so money isn't counted twice. An internal transfer with no counterpart in the case is listed as unmatched, and you decide whether to request the missing statement or resolve it by review.
Fictional sample matter. Transfer Analysis, Unmatched tab: the one transfer with no matching deposit.Transfer Analysis for the fictional matter Marlowe v. Marlowe, on the Unmatched tab: 18 paired transfers totaling $61,240.00, 1 unmatched transfer, 2 patterns, and 0 circular flows. The unmatched row is the $48,000.00 outgoing wire from Joint Checking ···4821 on 2024-02-12, with a source link to page 3. Put your decisions on the record
Approve, correct, or exclude each transaction; exclusions need a reason. Turn a correction into a rule, and it applies to the other pending transactions in the case. Every rule change, review decision, and exclusion is logged with who made it and what changed, and each file keeps its own chain of custody. Save conclusions as Findings that cite their evidence; earlier versions are kept.
Fictional sample matter. A saved Finding with its claim and the evidence it cites.An open Finding in the fictional matter Marlowe v. Marlowe, titled “Unexplained $48,000.00 wire out of joint checking”. Its claim cites the wire as evidence [1], Bates MARLO_000147; it has 0 counter-evidence items and was saved from the question “Where did the $48,000.00 February wire go?”.
How a matter moves
Your engagement, step by step.
Upload the records
Add PDF statements, paystubs, and tax records to the case, and assign each document to the party it belongs to.
Check the statements balance
Transactions are read into one ledger. A file whose transactions don't add up to its printed balances is held for you instead of moving on.
Classify and review
Start classification, then work the case-wide review queue: approve, correct, or exclude, and turn corrections into rules.
Analyze
Follow flagged transactions to their source pages, test transfers between accounts, and ask the case assistant questions about the ledger.
Substantiate and report
Save each conclusion as a Finding that cites its evidence, and carry the reviewed work into your own report.
Questions
What forensic accountants ask us.
Who makes the call on a classification or a conclusion?
You do. ForensicTrail uses AI to help read statements, sort transactions into categories, and answer questions about a case. It doesn't have the last word. A statement's transactions are used only once they add up to its printed balances. Any category the system isn't sure about waits for a person on your team to approve, correct, or exclude. And only a person can save a Finding; the assistant can't create one.
What records can I upload?
Bank and credit-card statements, paystubs, and tax returns, including W-2 and 1099 forms, all as PDFs. You can also enter transactions by hand or import them from a CSV file. If your matter involves other kinds of accounts, tell us and we'll walk through it in a demo.
How is my firm's data kept separate?
Each firm's records are kept apart from every other firm's. People can open only the firms they belong to, and our servers check that membership. Inside your firm, anyone signed in can open every case.
What does it cost?
We discuss pricing in a demo, where our team can also walk through the workflow with you.
Can one correction apply to similar transactions?
Yes. From the review queue you can turn a correction into a rule, and a rule created during review applies right away and retroactively to other pending transactions in the case. If the transaction was classified by a rule, correcting it edits that rule instead of creating a duplicate, and each rule change is recorded in the decision audit trail.