Danny Curran is the founder and Managing Director of Finders International, an award-winning Probate Genealogy firm. Finders International's main area of business is to trace, identify and locate missing beneficiaries to estates, property and assets all over the world. Danny has now become the spokesperson for the industry with features on The Morning, Forbes and local BBC radio.
How did Finders start?
Danny: Finders was set up in 1997, I started as a sole trader, but here we are 26 years later as the largest UK firm in our field.
What do you enjoy most about Finders?
Danny: I think what I enjoy the most about Finders is the fact that we can make a difference to many different people's lives. The work we do often surprises people, it's a windfall, pennies from heaven, it's something unexpected and something that can have a really positive impact on them, whether they are due a small amount of money or a large amount of money often it doesn't make any difference.
Aside from the money, there's also, of course, the human story and the fact that they're discovering something about their family history often that they never knew.
At Finders, what achievements are you most proud of?
Danny: I think what I'm most proud of with Finders is creating a company with a very positive culture. The fact that we've grown to the size that we have, and maintained our ethics, our standards, bringing and introducing environmental factors to the company. We have got an ISO 14001 Environmental Standards, plus we are a living wage employer - all these ethical things are really good to do, and if you can do them as an employer it’s a really good feeling.
What’s been most surprising about the journey so far?
Danny: The most surprising thing about the journey with Finders so far has been that we've managed to incorporate and learn from the experiences that have happened to us over the years. We've maintained a very business-like approach. So from being a newcomer to the industry, we've reached a point now where we can lead the conversation with the legal profession and make a positive impact, not just for our clients but also for the employees of the company as well.
How do you feel your presence in the media has affected Finders and the Industry?
Danny: Finders began filming BBC One's TV series Heir Hunters quite a few years ago, and following on from that, we've really embraced the media conversation around probate research as the stories we have are often very positive and heart-warming. Sometimes it's very bittersweet stories where people find money they're due money from someone they never knew and would've liked to have known, but I think what's been great is that we've been able to embrace the media stories and create greater standards for the industry at the same time.
What’s next for Finders?
Danny: The goals for the future really are to try and enhance and improve the reputation of the probate research industry. I think we've come a really long way since I started. In 1990 it was very much a kind of maverick industry that many lawyers had not even heard of, but now that we're becoming more entrenched in the legal process and we're forming key partnerships with lawyers and others.
I think what I want to do is make that relationship with the legal world on par with lawyers so we can help them and support them in everything we do. It's a very important part I think, it helps with standards for the lawyers themselves for the world of probate research and to try and make sure that we maintain the standards going into the future.
We also want to continue the vital work that we carry out for the Public Sector. We are known for tracing next of kin when a client or resident passes away, but we can also trace owners of empty properties, a free service that we provide for Local Authorities.
What is the Finders Culture like?
We have an amazing team of people here and we've done so well over the years to maintain a very positive culture, for people to enjoy what they're doing and have some pride in what they're doing. It's not an ordinary job, it's a very unusual job and I think we've captured the imagination of not only the public with the media and the TV, but also within our employees who've stayed with us for a long time, they can see the good we're doing and the difference that we're making.
At Finders International, we can assist with identifying and tracing empty property owners. If our research finds that the owner has passed away, we are also able to trace the next for the local authority, free of charge. With our involvement, we provide the best possible outcome in bringing empty homes back into use. Read more about our Empty Property Service here.
Contact us today via our website, www.findersinternational.co.uk, freephone 0800 085 8796 or email public@findersinternational.co.uk.