Researching business public records used to mean spending hours on the phone or in a library trying to dig up as much information as possible. These days, you can do your research with a couple of keystrokes and the click of a mouse. If you're on a tight budget, you can find the needed info for free; or, if you have money to spend, an outside company can give you all of the information you would ever need in just a couple of seconds.
By conducting a business records search, you can find out valuable information about a business. For example, you can:
1. Find out if businesses have a history of bankruptcy or have any liens or judgements in their corporate records.
2. Get a good idea of a company's financial standing by examining its past performance.
3. Get a detailed history of the company by finding out when it started, what other trade names it has and who is in charge there.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Use a business records search to find court records
If you are thinking of doing business with a company, the first thing you should do is find out if it is reputable. By searching company business records, you can find out if a business has a history of bankruptcies or has judgements or liens on its records.
I recommend: Pretrieve will let you easily search for business public records, which includes court records. At
PublicRecordsWire you can search court cases and records. At
Choicepoint, for a fee, you can research a company’s history of bankruptcies, liens, judgments and lawsuits.
Search a company's government business records
Every company that exists in the U.S. has to file records with the state and federal government. By searching this public information you can find critical information on a company such as how long it has been in existence, what its standing is in the state and if it has been keeping up on paying its taxes.
I recommend: Public Record Finder has links to each state’s Secretary of State Office, where you can find state business records. The U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission has a free searchable database for the company’s filings with the commission.
Conduct a corporate records search on a business you are thinking of investing in
Before you invest in a company, you should have as detailed a financial history as possible. Thankfully, there are many ways to access this information.
I recommend: Use
Experian to research the creditworthiness of suppliers, customers or partners.
Lexis Nexus has a business records database that includes key personnel and other pertinent financial and litigation records.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- Remember that business public records are, in fact, open to the public. All of the companies that charge for information have gotten it for free and are now charging consumers for it. It may take longer, but if you search wisely, you shouldn't have to pay for the records.
- Public business records aren't always updated automatically. It may take some time for the most recent filings to become available.
The official source of Business Records Search is
the Business Records Search page at Business.com
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