Due Diligence
Due diligence is an investigation, audit, or review performed to confirm facts or details of a matter under consideration. In the financial world, due diligence requires an examination of financial records before entering into a proposed transaction with another party.
Due diligence is a process of verification, investigation, or audit of a potential deal or investment opportunity to confirm all relevant facts and financial information and to verify anything else that was brought up during an M&A deal or investment process. Due diligence is completed before a deal closes to provide the buyer with an assurance of what they’re getting.
Due diligence is the investigation or exercise of care that a reasonable business or person is normally expected to take before entering into an agreement or contract with another party or an act with a certain standard of care.
Importance of Due Diligence
Transactions that undergo a due diligence process offer higher chances of success. Due diligence contributes to making informed decisions by enhancing the quality of information available to decision-makers.
From a buyer’s perspective
Due diligence allows the buyer to feel more comfortable that their expectations regarding the transaction are correct. In mergers and acquisitions (M&A), purchasing a business without doing due diligence substantially increases the risk to the purchaser.
From a seller's perspective
Due diligence is conducted to provide the purchaser with trust. However, due diligence may also benefit the seller, as going through the rigorous financial examination may, in fact, reveal that the fair market value of the seller’s company is more than what was initially thought to be the case. Therefore, it is not uncommon for sellers to prepare due diligence reports themselves prior to potential transactions.
Reasons For Due Diligence
There are several reasons why due diligence is conducted:
- To confirm and verify information that was brought up during the deal or investment process
- To identify potential defects in the deal or investment opportunity and thus avoid a bad business transcations
- To obtain information that would be useful in valuing the deal
- To make sure that the deal or investment opportunity complies with the investment or deal criteria