they found out an outstanding amount

[vectra]

Hello,

Could you please tell me what is wrong with this part of the story one of my students turned in after the module test was over:

- Now it`s clear why you were left in dust by your competitors. Are you in the red? What is the Board going to do?
- Not completely, but when the auditors went through the company books with a fine tooth comb last month they found out an outstanding amount on the company`s account and that some orders were backdated.

I am not sure about "they found out". I would use "dug up" or "discovered" or just "found".
I am not familiar with Accountancy terms in English, but I have a gut feeling that "an outstanding amount on the company's account" is wrong.

Thank you in advance.

 

[BobK]

Hello,

Could you please tell me what is wrong with this part of the story one of my students turned in after the module test was over:

- Now it`s clear why you were left in the dust by your competitors. Are you in the red? What is the Board going to do?
- Not completely, but when the auditors went through the company books with a fine tooth comb last month they found out an outstanding amount on the company`s account and that some orders were backdated.

I am not sure about "they found out". I would use "dug up" or "discovered" or just "found".
I am not familiar with Accountancy terms in English, but I have a gut feeling that "an outstanding amount on the c ompany's account" is wrong.

Thank you in advance.

It feels a bit idiom-heavy. and the response is a bit of a non sequitur [or, rather, it does follow (Latin sequitur - 'it follows'), but it follows the first question rather than the second].

I would just use 'noticed' or 'spotted' the discrepancy.

'An out standing amount on the company's account' is not wrong, but it doesn't fit the context - which is about 'books' or 'accounts'. A company's account is something else - a client has an account with a supplier - and this is the sort of account on which there may be 'an outstanding amount'.

b