Corporate & Business Records

Our Corporate and Business Records are compiled from state Secretaries of State, the SEC EDGAR database, and professional business registries. These records document business formation, corporate filings, executive information, and regulatory compliance.

• Coverage All 50 States plus Federal SEC Filings
• Records 85+ Million business entities
• Sources State Secretary of State, SEC EDGAR, LinkedIn Professional Data, Business Registries
• Legal Basis State business filing statutes, Securities Exchange Act, FOIA

What Are Corporate and Business Records?

Corporate and business records are official documents filed with government agencies that establish, maintain, and track the legal existence of business entities. In the United States, the formation of a business is primarily a state-level function. When an entrepreneur or group of investors wants to create a corporation, limited liability company (LLC), limited partnership, or other formal business entity, they must file formation documents -- typically called articles of incorporation or articles of organization -- with the Secretary of State (or equivalent agency) in the state where the business will be domiciled. These filings create a public record that documents the business's legal name, its type of entity, the date it was formed, and key individuals associated with its governance.

At the federal level, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) collects and publishes a vast quantity of data about publicly traded companies through its EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval) system. Publicly traded companies are required by law to file periodic reports disclosing their financial condition, business operations, executive compensation, insider stock transactions, and material events that could affect investors. Together, state business filings and federal securities disclosures form a comprehensive picture of the American business landscape, from one-person LLCs to multinational corporations.

The public nature of these records is not accidental. Corporate transparency laws exist to protect consumers, creditors, investors, and the general public by ensuring that anyone can identify who is behind a business entity, whether that entity is in good standing, and what its regulatory history looks like. These records play a critical role in preventing fraud, enabling informed business decisions, and supporting the rule of law in commercial transactions.

Types of Business Data

The American business ecosystem includes several distinct entity types, each with its own formation requirements, governance structures, and reporting obligations. Understanding these differences is essential for interpreting business records correctly.

Corporations (Inc. or Corp.): A corporation is a legal entity that is separate from its owners (shareholders). Corporations file articles of incorporation with the state and are governed by a board of directors elected by shareholders. State records typically show the corporation's name, date of incorporation, registered agent, state of formation, and the names of officers and directors. Corporations must file annual reports with the state to maintain their good standing, and these filings create a chronological paper trail of the company's governance.

Limited Liability Companies (LLCs): LLCs have become the most popular business structure in the United States due to their flexibility and liability protection. They are formed by filing articles of organization with the state. LLCs can be member-managed or manager-managed, and state records typically show the organizer's name, the registered agent, and the date of formation. However, many states do not require LLCs to disclose their members (owners) on public filings, which has drawn criticism from transparency advocates concerned about the use of anonymous LLCs for money laundering and tax evasion. The Corporate Transparency Act, which took effect in 2024, now requires most LLCs and corporations to report their beneficial owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

Partnerships: General partnerships, limited partnerships (LP), and limited liability partnerships (LLP) are all tracked in state business records. Limited partnerships must register with the state and file a certificate of limited partnership. These records identify the general partner (who manages the partnership and bears unlimited liability) and may list limited partners (who contribute capital but have limited involvement and liability).

Doing Business As (DBA) / Trade Names: When a business operates under a name other than its legal name, it must file a DBA (also known as a fictitious name or trade name registration) with the state or county. DBA filings connect an assumed business name to its true owner, whether that owner is an individual, an LLC, or a corporation. These records are critical for identifying who is actually behind a business that operates under a brand name.

Nonprofit Organizations: Nonprofits file articles of incorporation just like for-profit corporations, but they also apply for tax-exempt status with the IRS (typically under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code). State records show the nonprofit's formation date, registered agent, officers, and directors. Federal records through the IRS include the organization's Form 990 annual return, which discloses revenue, expenses, executive compensation, and program activities. Form 990 data is publicly available and provides a detailed window into a nonprofit's financial health and operations.

Understanding Business Filing Information

A typical state business filing contains several standard fields that provide a snapshot of the entity's legal identity and current status. The entity name is the official legal name registered with the state. The entity type identifies the business structure (corporation, LLC, LP, etc.). The formation date or date of incorporation shows when the entity was legally created. The state of formation indicates which state issued the entity's charter -- a company incorporated in Delaware but operating in Texas, for example, would show Delaware as its state of formation and would be registered as a foreign entity in Texas.

The registered agent is a person or company designated to receive legal documents (such as lawsuits and subpoenas) on behalf of the business. Every business entity is required to maintain a registered agent with a physical address in the state where it is registered. Many businesses use professional registered agent services, which means the registered agent name on a filing may be a third-party service rather than an officer of the company itself.

Officers and directors are the individuals responsible for governing and managing the entity. For corporations, this typically includes a president, secretary, treasurer, and board of directors. For LLCs, this may include managing members or appointed managers. These names are public record in most states and are a primary tool for identifying who controls a business.

The filing status of a business indicates whether it is active, inactive, dissolved, revoked, or suspended. A business in good standing has met all of its state filing requirements, including paying franchise taxes and filing annual reports. A business that has been administratively dissolved or had its authority revoked has failed to meet one or more of these obligations. Understanding status codes is important because doing business with a dissolved or revoked entity can create legal complications.

SEC EDGAR and Public Company Data

The SEC's EDGAR database is the definitive public source for information about publicly traded companies in the United States. Since 1996, the SEC has required all public companies, mutual funds, and other regulated entities to submit their filings electronically through EDGAR, creating a searchable archive of millions of documents spanning decades of corporate history.

The most important SEC filings include the 10-K (the annual report, which provides a comprehensive overview of the company's financial condition, business operations, risk factors, and management discussion), the 10-Q (the quarterly financial report), the 8-K (current reports filed when material events occur, such as mergers, executive departures, or bankruptcy filings), and the proxy statement (DEF 14A), which discloses executive compensation, board of directors composition, and shareholder voting matters.

Insider ownership and trading data is also available through EDGAR. Officers, directors, and major shareholders (those owning more than 10% of a company's stock) are required to file Form 3 (initial statement of ownership), Form 4 (changes in ownership), and Schedule 13D/13G (beneficial ownership reports). These filings reveal how much stock corporate insiders own and when they buy or sell shares, providing insight into insider confidence and potential conflicts of interest.

EDGAR data is entirely free to access and is available in multiple formats, including HTML, XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language), and plain text. The SEC has invested heavily in making EDGAR data machine-readable and accessible through APIs, enabling financial analysts, journalists, academic researchers, and the general public to analyze corporate disclosures at scale.

State Secretary of State Databases

Each of the 50 states maintains its own business entity database through the office of the Secretary of State (or an equivalent agency, such as the Department of State, Division of Corporations, or State Corporation Commission). These databases are the authoritative source for information about businesses formed or registered in that state. Most states now offer free online search tools that allow anyone to look up a business by name, entity number, or registered agent.

When a business is formed in one state but operates in another, it must register as a foreign entity in each additional state where it conducts business. This means that a single company may appear in the business records of multiple states. For example, a Delaware corporation that has offices in California, New York, and Texas would appear in the business records of all four states -- once as a domestic corporation in Delaware and as a foreign corporation in each of the other three states.

Annual reports are a key component of state business records. Most states require businesses to file annual reports (some states use biennial reports instead) that update the state on the entity's current officers, directors, registered agent, and principal address. Failure to file annual reports typically results in administrative dissolution or revocation of the entity's authority to do business. The annual report filing history provides a timeline of changes in the company's leadership and contact information.

It is worth noting that the quality and depth of state business records varies significantly from state to state. Some states, such as California and New York, require detailed disclosure of officers, directors, and even members of LLCs. Other states, such as Wyoming, Nevada, and New Mexico, have historically required minimal disclosure, making them popular choices for businesses seeking privacy. The implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act is gradually changing this landscape by imposing a federal beneficial ownership reporting requirement that supplements state filings.

How to Use Business Records

Business records serve a wide range of practical purposes. Due diligence is perhaps the most common application. Before entering into a contract, extending credit, or investing in a company, prudent individuals and organizations review the company's business filings to confirm that it exists, is in good standing, and is authorized to do business in the relevant state. Checking business records can reveal red flags such as recent formation dates (suggesting a shell company), frequent changes in officers, or a history of administrative dissolutions.

Competitive research and market analysis is another important use. By searching state business databases and SEC filings, researchers can identify new market entrants, track the formation of subsidiaries by established companies, monitor executive movements across companies, and analyze industry trends. Business filings often reveal strategic moves -- such as the formation of a new subsidiary or the registration of a DBA name -- before they are publicly announced.

Legal proceedings frequently rely on business records. Attorneys use Secretary of State filings to identify the proper legal name of a business entity for lawsuits, to locate a registered agent for service of process, and to determine the jurisdictional connections of a business. In fraud investigations, business records can help trace ownership chains, identify related entities, and uncover patterns of shell company creation.

Verifying the legitimacy of a company before doing business with it is a basic precaution that anyone can take. By checking whether a company is registered, in good standing, and has a verifiable physical address and identified officers, consumers and businesses can reduce their risk of falling victim to scams or dealing with fly-by-night operations.

Frequently Asked Questions