Fields for an Individual Debtor
When monitoring a natural person, the following fields are available:
| Field | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First Name | Required | Use the legal first name — the one that appears on official documents, deeds, and court filings. Not a nickname. |
| Last Name | Required | Legal surname. If the debtor uses a hyphenated name, use the full hyphenated version as it appears on the judgment. |
| State | Required | The state where you believe the debtor currently lives or holds assets. Property and business records are searched within this state. |
| Middle Name | Optional | Highly recommended for common names (e.g., John Smith, Maria Garcia). Reduces false positives and improves match confidence. |
| City | Optional | Narrows searches to a specific metro area within the state. Use if you know the debtor's current city. |
| County | Optional | Further narrows property searches. Useful if you know which county the debtor lives or owns property in. |
| Case Number | Optional | Your judgment case number for your own reference. Does not affect search results. |
| Judgment Amount | Optional | The dollar amount of your judgment. Displayed on the debtor profile for reference. |
Fields for a Business Debtor
When monitoring a legal entity, the fields differ slightly:
| Field | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Business Name | Required | The full registered legal name of the entity — exactly as it appears in the state's business registry. Not the trade name or DBA. |
| State | Required | The state of formation or primary operations. Business entity searches query this state's secretary of state database. |
| DBA / Trade Name | Optional | The "doing business as" name if different from the legal name. Helps cross-reference public records that may use the trade name. |
| Case Number | Optional | Your judgment case number for your own reference. |
| Judgment Amount | Optional | Dollar amount of your judgment, displayed on the debtor profile. |
How to Find the Correct Legal Name
The name you enter must match what appears in public records — property deeds, business filings, court documents. Even minor differences in spelling can cause missed matches. Here's where to look:
For Individuals
- Your judgment document — The name on the court judgment is the most reliable source. It reflects how the debtor appeared in litigation and is likely how they appear on official records.
- The original complaint or summons — If the judgment used a variant spelling, the original complaint may show the more common version.
- County property records — If you know the debtor owns property, look up the parcel via the county assessor's website. The name on the deed is exactly what the monitoring system will match against.
For Businesses
- State secretary of state website — Every state has a business entity search tool. Look up the company by name and confirm the exact registered legal name, including "LLC," "Inc.," "Corp.," or "L.P." suffix.
- Your judgment or contract — The name the business used in litigation is typically its registered legal name.
- The company's own documents — Invoices, contracts, and letterhead sometimes reflect the legal name, though not always — verify against the state registry.
Suffixes matter for businesses. "Acme Services LLC" and "Acme Services, LLC" may appear differently in different databases, but "Acme Services" (without the LLC) is a different search entirely. Always include the entity suffix.
Choosing the Right State
State selection determines which property databases and business registries are searched. The goal is to pick the state where the debtor is most likely to currently hold assets — not necessarily where the judgment was entered.
- If the debtor lives in Texas, choose Texas — even if the lawsuit was filed in California
- If the debtor recently moved, choose their current state of residence
- For businesses, choose the state of formation and the state where they primarily operate if those differ — add a separate monitoring entry for each if needed
- If you're unsure which state, start with the most likely one; you can always add another state by editing the debtor profile or adding a second entry
Federal registries — FAA aircraft and USCG vessel records — are national and are searched regardless of which state you select. Bankruptcy filings are also searched nationally across all federal courts.
Common Name Situations
Very common names (John Smith, Maria Garcia)
Always include a middle name or middle initial if you have it. Without a middle name, a common-name search may return many potential matches. The middle name helps the system distinguish your debtor from others with the same first and last name in the same state.
Names with suffixes (Jr., Sr., III)
Include the suffix as part of the last name entry if it appears consistently on that person's official records. For example, if their property deeds read "William T. Johnson Jr." — include "Jr." to improve precision.
Debtor goes by a different name
Use the legal name, not the name they go by socially. Public records are indexed by legal name. If your debtor uses an alias, consider adding them twice — once under each name — if you have reason to believe the alias appears on official records.
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