Private eyes go public

Private investigator Kroll Associates has worked hard to restore its reputation following allegations in the early 1990s that its subcontractors employed unsavoury tactics to uncover company information. It has also adapted well to changing business patterns. Now, though, it faces competition from big accounting firms. Public ownership may be the answer, but could its absorption into US insurance information services company Equifax dull its investigative edge or turn it into big brother? Michelle Celarier reports.

Jules Kroll’s corner office on the seventh floor of 900 Third Avenue in Manhattan comes as a surprise if you’re used to visiting investment bankers, attorneys and other corporate executives – most likely clients of his. At first, it’s as if you’re in some fancy parlour. There’s a tufted brown-leather sofa, and a couple of high-backed chairs around the obligatory coffee table in a room full of windows through which you can almost hear the heartbeat of New York City’s traffic.

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