Corporate Investigative Services, Inc. ®

What Corporate Investigative Services, Inc. ® does

Corporate Investigative Services, Inc., doing business as Investigations America, is a licensed private investigation agency headquartered in Middleburg Heights, Ohio (Cleveland metro area), founded in 1987 and operating as Corporate Investigative Services of America LLC. The firm delivers professional investigation services to three primary customer segments: attorneys and legal professionals (litigation support, process serving, witness locates, skip tracing, asset and probate research), insurance agencies (claims investigation, workers compensation surveillance, fraud detection), and individual consumers (surveillance, personal background checks, infidelity documentation, bug sweeps). The company employs approximately 23 people, including a team drawn from former Law Enforcement, FBI, and Insurance Investigators. Technology is limited to investigative methodologies rather than a proprietary software platform; a customer login portal is hosted at instascreen.net for post-sale client access.

The firm operates on a fee-for-service professional services revenue model, with quote-based pricing and no publicly disclosed rates. Distribution is regional and direct: clients engage via phone consultations (440-614-0100), consultative sales for mid-market and enterprise clients, and self-service intake for consumer cases. Marketing is conducted through the company website and a blog covering employment screening, infidelity documentation, and skip tracing for attorneys. The company holds no patents, no disclosed partnerships, and no external institutional investment.

The business is privately held and independently owned, with no parent company, subsidiaries, or public listing. Operating geographies are reported as Ohio only, with no evidence of multi-state expansion. Revenue, ownership details, and headcount trends are not disclosed; the firm shows no recent funding activity, acquisitions, or registered leadership changes. Strategic observable activity is limited to the original 1987 founding, the 1991 formalization of the Investigations America brand under licensure, and the introduction of the instascreen.net customer portal, which appears to have been deployed around 2021.

Name

Corporate Investigative Services, Inc. ®

Legal name

Corporate Investigative Services of America LLC

Website

https://cispros.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Corporate Investigative Services, Inc. (DBA Investigations America) is a Cleveland, Ohio-based licensed private investigation agency serving attorneys, insurance agencies, and consumers with surveillance, background checks, and litigation support since 1987.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Investigation Services

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611), Investigation and Security Services (5616)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation Support & Civil Investigations (Witness/Asset/Skip Tracing) (BPAKAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Domestic/Family & Matrimonial Investigations (BPAKAEAG), Due Diligence & Investigative Research (BPAHALAI)

Keywords

• Private investigation services
• Surveillance services
• Background check services
• Litigation support services
• Insurance fraud investigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Middleburg Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Investigation Services: Fee-for-service investigative services including surveillance, background checks, litigation support, and specialized investigations for attorneys, insurance companies, and consumers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Corporate Investigative Services, Inc. (DBA Investigations America) is a licensed private investigation agency that delivers professional investigative services to attorneys, insurance agencies, and individual consumers. Its core offerings include surveillance, personal background checks, fingerprinting, litigation support, bug sweep services, claims investigation, divorce investigation, insurance processing, and business investigations (due diligence, employment screening, fraud investigation, workers comp surveillance). Services are performed by a team of former Law Enforcement, FBI, and Insurance Investigators and provided on a case-by-case or retainer basis across Ohio and the broader United States.

Product overview

Investigations America operates as a licensed private investigation agency (DBA Corporate Investigative Services) established in 1991, serving attorneys, insurance agencies, and consumers since 1987. The company offers a unified portfolio of investigation services organized under two main categories: Consumer Investigations (including surveillance, personal background checks, fingerprinting, divorce investigation, and bug sweep services) and Business/Commercial Investigations (including litigation support, claims investigation, due diligence investigations, employment screening, and workers comp surveillance). All services are delivered by a team of former Law Enforcement, FBI, and Insurance Investigators. The company does not operate a software platform; rather, it provides professional investigator services on a case-by-case or retainer basis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Surveillance Surveillance services for gathering and documenting a subject's activity, used in divorce, custody, workers compensation, and insurance cases. Performed by licensed private investigators for attorneys, insurance agencies, and individual consumers.
• Personal Background Checks Comprehensive background check services essential for pre-employment screening, tenant screening, and personal investigations. Used by employers, landlords, attorneys, and individual consumers.
• Fingerprinting Professional fingerprinting services for identity verification and background screening purposes. Used by employers, licensing bodies, and individuals requiring identity verification.
• Litigation Support Suite of legal support services including attorney and paralegal support, process serving, probate research, asset research, and witness locates. Designed for law firms and attorneys requiring investigative support for civil and criminal cases.
• Bug Sweep Services Technical debugging and surveillance detection services to identify and remove hidden monitoring devices. Used by individuals, businesses, and legal professionals concerned about covert surveillance.
• Claims Investigation Insurance claims investigation services to document claimants' post-injury activities and detect fraud. Used by insurance carriers and claims departments for claims verification and fraud detection.
• Divorce Investigation Specialized investigation services for divorce cases, including infidelity documentation and evidence gathering. Used by individuals preparing for divorce and custody disputes.
• Insurance Processor Insurance processing and claims investigation services for workers compensation and insurance fraud cases. Used by insurance carriers, employers, and claims departments.
• Business Investigations Corporate investigation services including due diligence investigations, employment screening, fraud investigation, HR professional support, and workers comp surveillance. Used by business owners, HR professionals, and corporate management teams.
• Consumer Private Investigation Private investigation services for individual consumers addressing personal, legal, and family-related matters. Used by individuals seeking personal background checks, divorce evidence, and personal surveillance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Professional documentation of subject activities suitable for civil and criminal case use

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• HireRight: Global background screening and employment verification provider serving enterprise HR, legal, and insurance clients; comparable on employment screening, due diligence, and identity-related investigations.
• TransUnion: Consumer credit reporting agency providing background data, identity verification, and skip-tracing inputs used across insurance, legal, and consumer investigation workflows; comparable as a backend data source for Investigations America's investigative services.
• LexisNexis Risk Solutions: Data and analytics provider supplying investigative databases, skip tracing, public records, and fraud detection tools to insurers, law firms, and investigators — an infrastructure layer that powers much of Investigations America's information-gathering work.
• Sterling: Large background screening and identity services provider serving employers, insurers, and legal clients — directly comparable on background checks, employment screening, and due diligence but at enterprise scale with technology-led delivery.

Emerging players

• Checkr: Tech-enabled background check platform that has disrupted traditional PI firms' employment screening business with API-driven delivery; comparable on the background check / employment screening portion of Investigations America's portfolio.
• TruthFinder: Consumer-facing background check and people-search platform that already appears as a partner link on Investigations America's website; comparable as a competing channel for consumer background check and people-search demand that Investigations America serves directly.

Direct peers

• Pinkerton: The largest traditional private investigation and corporate security firm in North America, offering surveillance, background checks, and litigation support to attorneys, insurers, and corporations — directly comparable in service mix to Investigations America, but at a national scale.
• Kroll: Global investigations, due diligence, and risk consulting firm serving law firms, insurers, and corporations; comparable in litigation support, background investigations, and asset tracing but operating at enterprise scale across multiple jurisdictions.
• Guidepost Solutions: Investigations, security, and compliance consulting firm with strong litigation support, background screening, and due diligence practices serving attorneys and corporate clients — closely comparable service portfolio to Investigations America.

Regional players

• Pinkerton (Government Services / GardaWorld Federal Services): Government and security services arm of the broader GardaWorld/Pinkerton group operating across the U.S. — relevant as an adjacent consolidator in the investigation and security services market where Investigations America competes for similar B2B contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corporate-investigative-services-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Corporate Investigative Services, Inc. ®