Unverifiable corporate owner: what the check means
Why Senserity flags a company owned by a corporate body that has no registration number and cannot be found on any company register, and what to do.
- Severity
- High
- Category
- Governance
- Plan
- Free and above
- Test code
- GOV-053
What this test checks
Looks at the companies registered as persons with significant control and flags any that have no registration number and cannot be matched to a known company.
A corporate owner that can be found on a register can be checked in turn. One that cannot leaves a gap in the ownership chain at exactly the point where you would look for the real owner.
What a fail looks like
A corporate owner has no registration number and cannot be traced. The ultimate owner of the company cannot be identified from the public record.
Harmless explanations
- Overseas parent companies are sometimes registered without their foreign registration number by mistake.
- Some owners, such as governments or public bodies, have no company registration number.
What to do
- Ask for the corporate owner's full name, country and registration number, and check it on that country's register.
- For higher-risk relationships, ask for the ultimate beneficial owners.
Background: Persons with significant control.
Related tests
Part of the test catalogue. Every check Senserity runs, with its severity and the plan it is available on.
Last reviewed .