IMPACT OF FORENSIC ACCOUNTING TECHNIQUES ON FRAUD DETECTION IN MORTGAGE BANK IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of forensic accounting techniques on fraud detection in Nigeria, using a descriptive survey design, data was collected from Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria in Abuja through structured questionnaires. The sample consist 50 employees of the bank, The study utilized inferential statistics, employing STATA for analysis. The study employed multiple regression analysis to examine the effects of data mining techniques, trend analysis techniques, and financial ratio analysis techniques on fraud detection. The findings revealed that trend analysis techniques had a significant positive effect on fraud detection. Also, financial ratio analysis techniques showed a significant positive relationship with fraud detection and data mining techniques demonstrated a positive but statistically insignificant relationship with fraud detection. The study concludes that a combination of forensic accounting techniques enhances fraud detection, but the effectiveness varies by technique, and internal audit unit of federal mortgage banks in Nigeria should prioritize methods that show higher predictive power of fraud detection. Also, the study recommend that federal mortgage banks should invest in modern software and real-time analytics platforms capable of processing large volumes of financial data, thereby supporting the effective application of sophisticated forensic tools such as data mining and trend analysis.