What Data Sources Are Searched?

County-level property records are the backbone of judgment monitoring. When a debtor acquires real property — land, a home, a commercial building, or an undeveloped lot — the deed is recorded with the county recorder's office and enters the public record. These records are the primary indicator that a debtor has a seizable asset.

Property searches cover all 50 states — not just the state where your judgment was entered. A debtor may own property anywhere in the country, and we scan nationwide to surface it. Trust-held properties are included: if the grantor or trustee name matches your debtor, the record is surfaced — because courts frequently allow judgment liens to attach to trust property when the debtor is the beneficial owner.

Court records reveal two critical signals: cases where your debtor is a plaintiff (meaning they may receive a settlement or judgment that you can intercept), and new cases where they're a defendant (which may affect their financial position or uncover related parties).

The court search is filtered carefully to distinguish genuine matches on your debtor's name from unrelated people with similar names — especially important in high-population states with common surnames.

For Individual debtors, business entity searches look for new companies where the debtor is listed as a registered agent, organizer, officer, or owner. A new LLC formation is often the first indicator a debtor has resumed generating income — and the entity's registered address can reveal a new location.

For Business debtors, this source tracks the entity's own secretary of state record: status changes (active → dissolved, or vice versa), new filings, registered agent changes, and the discovery of DBA or alternative names. Enriched data includes formation date, registered address, agent details, and recent state filings.

Aircraft are personal property and subject to judgment liens and execution in most states. The FAA Aircraft Registry is a federal public database listing every registered aircraft in the U.S. with owner name, address, and registration details. A debtor who owns a Cessna, helicopter, or other registered aircraft will appear here — and aircraft can be a significant seizable asset.

Larger vessels (typically 5+ net tons) used in commerce, fishing, or recreation may be federally documented with the USCG rather than state-registered. Documented vessels are titled assets that appear in the USCG's National Vessel Documentation Center database and can be subject to maritime liens and execution under federal admiralty law.

Bankruptcy filings are the most time-sensitive alert type. A Chapter 7, 11, or 13 filing triggers the automatic stay (11 U.S.C. § 362), which immediately halts most collection efforts — including enforcement of your judgment. Knowing about a filing the same day it's made allows you to notify your attorney before taking any collection action that could violate the stay.

Bankruptcy records also reveal the debtor's listed assets, liabilities, and creditors — which can provide useful intelligence about their financial position even beyond the immediate stay implications.