perspectiveHow Trump is bringing shell companies back onshoreThe Corporate Transparency Act was passed by Congress at the very end of Donald Trump’s first term, with bipartisan support and an important mission to protect national security, expose wrongdoing and complicate the committing of financial crime by forcing companies to declare the names of their owners. (So, if you feel strongly but didn’t get round to writing in, I’m sorry to say you’ve missed your chance.) I had a look at the FinCEN portal through which company ownership is registered and which the small businesses were complaining about. Back, though, to America’s notoriously lax shell company legislation. Having to file information at both state and federal level was never going to be popular, particularly if the web portal involved was also clunky and annoying.