How to check a US company before you do business
The US has no national company register: each state keeps its own. Start with the state where the company was formed, then court records and, for a listed company, its SEC filings.
- Find the state of formation and search its business entity database: formation date, registered agent.
- Search that state's UCC filings for liens over the company's assets.
- Search federal court records (PACER) and the state's court portal.
- For a listed company, read its filings on the SEC's EDGAR.
- Look for officers or managers in the state's annual reports.
What the registers leave out: the owners of most private companies, which states rarely publish, and what the press reports.
Or send the company's name and city to LightRay. In about 12 minutes: who owns it, who runs it, what it has filed, any court matters and its press. First three free.
Sources: SEC EDGAR, PACER, each state's business entity search.