By International Credit Reports
Build the evidence table before drawing the chart
An ownership chart is useful only if its connections have a stated basis. Start with a table listing each identified company and each claimed relationship. Record the source, date, and meaning of the connection before drawing arrows. A shared brand, address, or director can prompt a question without proving ownership.
Keep the exact legal names, identifiers, and jurisdictions beside display names. If two companies have similar names, the identifiers help prevent an accidental merger in the chart. Label unknown relationships as unresolved instead of drawing a confident line because it makes the diagram look complete.
Relationship evidence template
Copy these fields into your own due diligence worksheet. Use one row per relationship so different dates, definitions, and sources are not lost in a single parent-company label.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Entity A | Legal name, identifier, and jurisdiction |
| Entity B | Legal name, identifier, and jurisdiction |
| Relationship type | Shareholding, accounting parent, branch link, or another specifically defined connection |
| Interest or scope | Percentage and class if stated, or the source’s relationship definition |
| Evidence | Document or source reference and relevant passage or field |
| Dates | Effective date if given, document date, and date checked |
| Status | Supported, company claimed, historical, or unresolved |
| Next question | What evidence would resolve the remaining uncertainty? |
Preserve the source’s meaning of ‘parent’
Different sources may describe different relationships. Do not automatically convert a named accounting parent into a complete list of shareholders or ultimate individual owners. If your review requires a particular ownership definition, state that requirement and assess whether the source addresses it.
GLEIF’s Level 2 data concerns direct and ultimate accounting consolidating parents. Its scope is a useful reminder to label relationship types precisely rather than treating all corporate connections as identical. GLEIF: Level 2 relationship data.
Example: one documented relationship and one claim
Suppose a dated source connects Company A with Company B using an accounting-parent definition, while a sales presentation describes Company C as part of the same group. Draw or record the A–B connection with its source definition. Keep the connection to C marked as a company claim until suitable evidence supports it.
The incomplete chart is more useful than a polished but unsupported group structure. Add a review date and explain which relationship matters to your transaction. If you need information on the contractual subsidiary as well as a parent, define those as separate company research questions. A chart does not establish that one company guarantees another’s obligations.
Define the company relationships you need researched
Use the evidence table to identify which entities and relationship questions belong in your due diligence enquiry.