Urquhart Investigative & Forensic Accounting is the practice of Charlotte M. Urquhart, BMath, CA•IFA. 

A Chartered Accountant, licensed private investigator and Vice President of Urquhart Forensics, Charlotte joined the organization in 2001.  She has completed what the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants describes as a “rigorous two year graduate level Investigative and Forensic Accounting program” at the University of Toronto toward the CA-IFA designation, the premier forensic accounting designation in the country, according to Chartered Accountants of Canada. 

Many seek investigative and forensic accounting (IFA) engagements but a relative few, even among Chartered Accountants, have the required training for these engagements. IFA engagements require a higher standard.

Not every claim or financial transaction is legitimate.  The IFA is trained to recognize and quantify fraud, acting for the victim whether an individual, a business, insurer or government body, or law enforcement.  The CA-IFA is the accepted expert at all levels. 

Cases warranting the involvement of an Investigative and Forensic Accountant are complex.  The loss of income claim for a self employed person seeking benefits under Ontario’s automobile insurance plan can be complicated for both the insured and the insurer charged with administering those benefits fairly. It is the job of the IFA to clarify and quantify such entitlements, working for the insurer or the insured.   They are experienced and have received the optimum training in:

A claim of Business Interruption, whether being made in tort or under an insurance contract requires the input of an expert IFA whose years of experience and training give them a thorough understanding of the workings of the various forms of business interruption coverage and a business’s entitlement according to policy wordings or the laws of damages as a tort claim.       

It is well known that litigation is costly.  In most instances, the involvement of a CA-IFA will remove issues in dispute.  The CA-IFA is the credible expert.  But when there can be no resolution short of trial, the CA-IFA should be there to make presentation of your case, clear and credible. 

Whether yours is a concern of an insurer, government, the corporate world or the legal profession, compared to what can be at stake, the cost of involving a CA-IFA is surprisingly modest.