Impact of forensic accounting in the profitability of quoted banks in Nigeria, case study of GTBank and TAJ Bank

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of forensic accounting on bank profitability in Nigeria using GTBank and TAJ Bank as case studies. A quantitative correlation analysis was conducted on financial data from 2018-2022 to analyze the relationship between spending on forensic accounting initiatives and net income after taxes. The results showed no statistically significant correlation between forensic accounting practices and profitability, suggesting it may not directly impact bottom line financial performance. Potential reasons include costs outweighing benefits, corporate fraud being too low-impact to affect profits, and many other macroeconomic and industry factors playing a bigger role. While counterintuitive, the lack of linear association indicates investments in fraud audits, investigations, and litigation support do not correlate with higher or lower profit levels. Explanations include forensic accounting costs offsetting gains, fraud being too rare to move profits, and interest rates, regulations, leadership decisions, and competition having greater impact. The paper provides an initial analysis but more research is needed using mixed methods on larger samples over longer timeframes to develop a nuanced understanding. Statistical analysis has limitations for these complex business relationships. Further investigation with comparative cases and qualitative insights can advance knowledge on the drivers of bank profitability beyond purely quantitative data.