A Preliminary Investigation of Forensic Accounting Certification Quality

• In Event: Fraud and Accounting Behavior

Abstract

The demand for qualified forensic accountants has created a proliferation of certifications for the professional accountant who is employed in forensic and litigation support engagements. This research represents a preliminary investigation to evaluate the quality of forensic accounting certifications. Two phases of the research were employed. In phase one, seventeen commonly held forensic certifications were identified, examined and ranked, based upon criteria developed by a panel of expert judges. In phase two, a survey was developed and data was collected and evaluated for 108 accountants actively engaged in forensic and litigation support engagements. Preliminary results find Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF), Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) to be the three most valuable certifications for forensic accountants based upon the ranking criteria. Additionally, Certified Public Accountants who hold a forensic accounting certification are significantly more familiar with codes of ethics, are more experienced, hold a higher rank in their firm, have a higher percentage of their job which deals with forensic accounting and are more frequently were asked to prepare expert testimony in court.

Authors

• Madeline Domino, Mercer University

• Gabrielle Giordano, John Carroll University

• Mariah Clare Webinger, John Carroll University