Asset Search

Written by the owner of PublicRecordCenter.com from years of locating assets and enforcing judgments in California. Every link opened and verified on Sep. 17, 2026.

An asset search is not one search. A house may leave a trail in recorded deeds. A business may appear in company filings and lawsuits. A bank balance, by contrast, is private financial information. Finding those assets, and collecting from them, requires different records, different skills, and sometimes court authority.

Here, “public” means information available in public records, not property owned by the government. A privately owned house can have public ownership records. A privately owned bank account does not have a public balance lookup.

Start with the records you can lawfully search. Establish who actually owns the property. Check whether loans, other creditors, or legal protections leave anything available. Then choose the collection procedure for the state and the asset. Those are separate jobs, not a single button on a computer. The California Courts’ bank-levy guide illustrates the difference between identifying an asset and legally reaching it.

The federal court privacy rules, motor-vehicle privacy law, and FAA ownership-data policy explain important limits. A record can be public without every field in it being public.

Real estate: one of the best starting points for an asset search

Real estate records can reveal much more than whether someone owns a house. Taken together, property records can show the named owner, previous owners, purchase dates, available sale prices, mortgage amounts, lenders, refinancing, recorded liens and releases. That concentration of information makes them a particularly useful starting point for public-record asset research. Availability varies by location and document.

The information comes from several connected sources, not necessarily one screen. The assessor's records help identify the property and tax information; recorded deeds and mortgage documents supply the ownership and financing history. Commercial property reports bring much of this material together, making the initial search easier.

Search the land-record office where the property is located. Depending on the state, that may be a county recorder, register of deeds, county clerk, probate office, town clerk or a statewide recording office. The state guides below identify the appropriate starting offices.

An assessor's parcel record helps locate a property and its tax mailing address. The recorded deed identifies the named owner at a particular point in time. Search forward for later transfers, mortgages, releases and recorded liens. A ten-year-old deed is evidence of a transaction, not proof the person still owns the property today.

A mortgage record can identify the bank or other lender, the borrower, the recorded loan amount and the recording date. Later records may show that the mortgage was transferred or released. These details provide additional names, dates and relationships for a researcher to follow.

Real estate agents also have access to property-research tools

You do not necessarily need LexisNexis or Westlaw to obtain a useful property report. Many real estate agents have access through their multiple listing service's property-record tools or services such as Realtors Property Resource (RPR) and CRS Data. These systems combine public property records with information useful for researching ownership, sales, taxes and mortgage history.

RPR is available to all REALTOR members as part of their membership, without an additional subscription charge. However, having a real estate license alone does not automatically give every agent the same databases or coverage. Access depends on the service and membership involved.

Getting the report is the starting point, not the entire investigation. When a property is held by an LLC, the researcher still needs to establish the connection to the person being investigated. A matching address is a lead, not proof of ownership. The company-tracing section below explains how a researcher follows names, addresses, dates and original documents rather than relying on a single search result.

Understand what the mortgage information tells you

A recorded loan amount is not today's remaining mortgage balance. Property-data services may estimate outstanding debt or equity; an actual payoff figure comes from the lender or servicer. Likewise, identifying the mortgage lender does not establish that the owner keeps a checking or savings account there.

Who can search? Members of the public, real estate agents, title researchers, attorneys and properly authorized professional researchers, subject to the office's or service's access rules and fees. What does collection take? Proof of ownership, a valid enforcement route, lien and exemption review, and any required recording, execution, notice and sale procedures. Recording a judgment lien is not the same as selling the house. California's real-property collection guidance is one state example; use the local guide for the property's location.

A property worth $500,000 with a $420,000 mortgage does not offer $500,000 to a creditor. Other liens, protected equity and sale costs matter. Treat an online value as a research lead, not a recovery estimate.

Businesses and LLCs: a company name is the beginning

Start with the business-registration office in the company’s formation state and any state where it is registered to operate. Review available filing images, historical names, addresses, managers or officers, and registered agents. The SBA's state registration lookup links the business filing office of each state.

A registered agent accepts legal papers. That alone does not make the agent an owner. An organizer may be a filing service. A shared business address can belong to hundreds of unrelated companies. And a private operating agreement is not automatically part of a public formation record.

Who can search? Anyone can use the public portion of the filing system. An attorney or investigator may add permitted research and lawful discovery. What does collection take? First establish whether the judgment is against the person, the company, or both. A person’s interest in an LLC and the LLC’s own bank account are different property. Reaching distributions, shares or company assets can require different orders; a personal judgment does not simply erase the company’s separate ownership.

FinCEN’s beneficial-ownership system is not a public search engine for uncovering every LLC owner. Its access is restricted. See the official beneficial-ownership FAQs.

UCC filings: a map of claimed collateral, not a balance sheet

A UCC financing statement gives public notice of a claimed security interest in described collateral. It may point to equipment, inventory, accounts receivable or other business property, and identify a lender worth investigating further.

Search the correct filing office and the debtor’s correct legal name. Most states use a state-level commercial filing office, but there are important exceptions: Georgia uses its clerks’ cooperative system, Oklahoma uses the Oklahoma County Clerk for central UCC filing, and Washington uses the Department of Licensing. Real-estate-related fixture filings can require a land-record search too. Outside those three states, the UCC search is usually run by the business filing office listed in the SBA's state registration lookup.

A filing does not prove that the borrower still owns all described property, that the loan remains unpaid, or that the collateral is available to an unsecured creditor. Read amendments, continuations and terminations. The California Secretary of State explains these filing types. Verify the asset and the competing claim before assigning a recovery value.

Judgments and lawsuits: sometimes the best clues are in a dispute

Search the court where the person or company has sued or been sued. Look for prior names, business relationships, property addresses, signed contracts, assignments and references to assets. Where accessible, read the actual filings, not just a docket headline.

Two distinctions are essential. A judgment against the subject is usually a debt or collection lead. A judgment owed to the subject may be an asset. Neither is automatically worth its face amount. Check the parties, date, later orders, satisfaction and whether the underlying right still exists.

Court files are not an unrestricted source of complete bank numbers. Federal rules generally require financial-account numbers in public filings to be shortened to the last four digits, with exceptions and procedures for protected filings. See federal court privacy guidance.

Cars, trucks and other titled vehicles

The state motor-vehicle agency holds title and registration records. Personal information is protected; access depends on a permitted purpose, required identification and the agency’s process. Federal law includes certain litigation and judgment-enforcement uses, but a private-investigator license alone is not blanket permission to obtain anyone’s record. See 18 U.S.C. § 2721.

A vehicle identification number helps avoid confusing similar vehicles. Confirm the titled owner, lender, location, condition and any protection from collection. A photograph of someone driving an expensive car does not prove ownership. Execution against a vehicle can involve officer instructions, towing, storage and sale costs; identifying the car is only the first step.

Boats: state registration and federal documentation are different systems

For a state-titled or state-registered boat, start with that state’s boating or title agency. The state boating contacts can help identify the responsible program; registration, safety and title-record duties are not always in the same office. For a federally documented vessel, use the Coast Guard’s National Vessel Documentation Center. There is no single public name search that reveals every boat a person owns.

The Coast Guard offers vessel-documentation records, including an Abstract of Title. Federal regulations allow requests for abstracts and indexes; those records are not the same as a free, unrestricted national owner database. See the NVDC, 46 C.F.R. § 67.301, and Coast Guard ownership-information guidance.

Match the hull identification number or official vessel number, not just the boat’s name. Investigate mortgages, other claims and the vessel’s location before considering collection. The Vessel Identification System is not an open public substitute for authorized state records.

Aircraft: useful registry records, with an important privacy change

FAA records can help identify an aircraft by its N-number and serial number. Recorded ownership and security documents can be valuable research leads. An aircraft held through a company may require tracing the company separately.

Do not promise that every owner’s name is publicly searchable. Eligible private aircraft owners can request that identifying ownership information be withheld from public FAA dissemination. The FAA’s current explanation was updated August 28, 2026.

Aircraft recovery also requires reviewing title, financing, physical location and the applicable court process. A registry entry is not a present-day appraisal or proof of unencumbered ownership.

Patents, trademarks, copyrights and royalty rights

Search the USPTO’s patent and trademark ownership resources and the Copyright Office’s public records. Recorded assignments can identify transfers and associated businesses. A valuable brand may be held by a company different from the business operating the storefront.

Public registration is not proof of current royalty income. Private licenses, payment arrangements and financial statements may require consent or lawful discovery. Collection must target the right actually owned, such as a payment receivable or transferable interest, not merely a name appearing in a search. Start with USPTO patent ownership, trademark ownership, and Copyright Office public records.

Mineral interests, leases, probate and trusts

Recorded mineral deeds and leases can identify interests that differ from ownership of the surface land. Start with the land records for the property, then investigate assignments and any relevant estate proceedings. A production record is not, by itself, proof that a named person receives the royalties.

Probate records may identify an estate representative, recorded transfers or an expected distribution. A trust may appear as a deed owner while its full terms remain private. Determine whose interest is being investigated: the estate’s property, a beneficiary’s possible distribution, the trustee’s legal title and the trustee’s personal property are not interchangeable. Use the local court and recording offices identified in each state guide.

Unclaimed property

Search the official state programs associated with the person’s present and former addresses and business history. Listings may identify property reported by a bank, insurer, employer or other holder. They do not provide a complete inventory of the person’s finances, and a match does not authorize a stranger to claim it.

Use USA.gov’s unclaimed-money guide to reach official programs. Different types of unclaimed money are held by different agencies; there is no one database containing everything.

Bank accounts, savings accounts and certificates of deposit

A public records search generally cannot return a person’s complete account numbers and live balances. Lawful leads may come from records already available to a creditor, authorized payment records, a debtor’s answers in court, or properly issued discovery and bank process.

Who can obtain the private information? The account holder or an authorized representative can request their own records. Attorneys and parties may use the procedures available in an actual case. A court or authorized officer can require a financial institution to respond when the applicable legal requirements are met. An investigator can research lawful leads; the investigator’s license does not bypass financial privacy law.

Paying someone inside a bank to secretly disclose a customer’s information is not a legitimate substitute. Federal law prohibits specified deceptive methods of obtaining financial information and knowingly soliciting those methods. The FTC has brought cases involving purported investigative access. See 15 U.S.C. § 6821 and the FTC’s pretexting enforcement explanation.

Is the account number always required for a levy? No. It can be extremely useful, but requirements differ. Los Angeles County asks for it “if known”; New Jersey’s Special Civil Part guidance asks for the last four digits if possible. Correctly identifying the debtor, bank and proper service location may matter more than purchasing a supposed full-number report. See Los Angeles Sheriff’s guidance and New Jersey Courts’ collection guide.

Credit cards, debit cards, payment apps and merchant payments

A credit card’s unused borrowing limit is not money owned by the debtor. A debit card generally accesses money held elsewhere, commonly a bank account. A payment app may hold a balance through a particular legal entity or partner institution. Merchant card sales can create a receivable owed by a processor rather than a deposit at the bank someone assumes is involved.

The investigation therefore asks who actually holds or owes the money. The collection papers must target that entity and the debtor’s own interest through an available court procedure. There is no universal “card levy” that reaches every card or app. New Jersey’s bank procedure and Utah’s third-party garnishment guidance illustrate why the identity of the holder matters.

Brokerage accounts and retirement funds

SEC filings can reveal certain publicly reportable securities ownership. They are not a public search of everybody’s brokerage holdings. Private account statements and balances normally require authorization or an applicable legal process. See SEC filing-search guidance.

Retirement funds require an additional question: are they legally protected from this kind of collection? Account type, governing law and the nature of the claim matter. A discovered balance is not automatically reachable. The Labor Department’s Retirement Savings Lost and Found is an identity-verified tool for people looking for their own covered benefits, not a public asset-search tool for creditors.

Cash, valuables, private contracts and digital assets

Jewelry, art, cash, private loans and digital assets may leave little or no reliable public ownership record. A public advertisement, visible wallet address or photograph can be a lead, but it does not establish that the judgment debtor owns a particular asset today.

Authorized records, disclosure and case-specific discovery may be necessary to establish ownership and location. Never confuse knowing that something exists with having authority to enter premises, take possession, access an account or compel a transfer. The state guides identify the relevant enforcement starting points.

Professional research platforms can make public-record work much easier by bringing multiple record types together. They can help connect name variations, previous addresses, companies, property records and litigation that would otherwise require many separate searches.

But access is not the same as permission for every use. Check the product’s eligibility, contract and permitted purpose. In particular, PeopleMap’s published restrictions include specified consumer-debt-collection decisioning uses. Choose a lawful product and workflow for the actual assignment; do not assume a general legal-research subscription authorizes all collection work.

The useful skill is connecting evidence without jumping to conclusions. A researcher may start with a person’s name, find an old business address, identify a company using that address, locate a lawsuit involving the company, and then discover a deed under another entity’s name. Each link needs checking.

An illustration, not a real case: A property is titled to Harbor Storage LLC. The person being researched does not appear in the current business summary. An older filing shows an address also used in a signed court document. A recorded transfer mentions another company. The researcher follows both entities, compares the dates and obtains the underlying documents. The shared address creates a lead; the signed and recorded records determine whether that lead supports a real connection.

Good research keeps three columns separate: confirmed fact, possible connection, unresolved question. It also preserves document dates and sources. That is how tedious records work becomes usable evidence instead of an impressive-looking list of guesses.

From Sam Rokni’s asset-levy experience.

In my asset-levy work, finding the bank was only the beginning. The next challenge was getting the court papers, the sheriff’s file, the service arrangements and the bank instructions lined up correctly. A valuable lead could become useless while one part of that process was being corrected.

The pressure was not just “do I have the right form?” It was “will every required step be ready when service can actually happen?” Trying to coordinate everything for the same day leaves very little room for a missing signature, a wrong name or an instruction that does not match the writ.

Once a collection attempt becomes known, the situation can change. Money may no longer be in the same place. That is why I regard preparation and experienced handling as part of the value of an asset search, not an afterthought once the report is delivered.

I also do not automatically write off an older judgment because an earlier search found little. People’s financial circumstances change. A fresh, lawful review later can uncover property or income that was not there before. The important thing is to keep the judgment enforceable and reassess deliberately, not simply put the file away and hope.

The current California rules behind that experience

California’s court guidance describes obtaining a Writ of Execution, form EJ-130, identifying the correct bank service location, preparing the sheriff’s instructions and any additional required papers, and arranging service. A writ generally lasts 180 days. Certain consumer-debt cases require additional address verification. The proper bank service location may be a designated central location rather than the branch nearest the debtor. See the California Courts bank-levy instructions.

Exact-date service needs advance coordination. The court’s small-claims guide says the sheriff cannot always serve on the date requested and explains the registered-process-server option. That is a practical reason to prepare the whole file before committing to a service date. It is not a rule that every court, sheriff and bank step must happen on the same day. See California’s service-timing guidance.

Santa Clara County supplies a concrete example of the paperwork risk. Its registered-process-server procedure requires opening the sheriff’s file before service. After successful service, the required original writ, proof of service and signed instructions must reach the sheriff within five court days. The county warns that an incorrect, late or inconsistent submission causes release of the levy and return of the writ unsatisfied. See the Santa Clara Sheriff’s published procedure.

That supports the central lesson: a document error can cost the opportunity. It does not establish that every mistake everywhere requires a complete restart the following day. The consequence depends on the defect, the stage of the process and the applicable rules.

A bank may have to identify protected money, respond to the legal papers, and hold funds while objections or other required proceedings are resolved. Some states require a separate payment or turnover order. New Jersey expressly distinguishes its bank levy from the later motion to turn over funds. See New Jersey Courts.

Certain directly deposited federal benefits receive automatic protection under federal account-review rules; other protections may require a claim. The familiar two-month review rule does not mean every dollar in every account is automatically protected or automatically collectible. See the CFPB’s benefits explanation.

Notice timing also varies. Do not assume the bank must warn the debtor before any freeze, or that notice can be skipped to improve recovery. The OCC’s consumer guidance explains that federal requirements and other applicable notice rules must be considered.

A public-record researcher locates records, resolves identity matches and documents connections. A title specialist checks the ownership and recorded-claim trail. An investigator works within the permissions of the records and tools used. An attorney selects the legal remedy, obtains required orders and handles contested questions. Depending on state law, a sheriff, marshal, constable or authorized process server serves or carries out the court process. The bank responds to valid process; it is not the creditor's private investigator.

The creditor's job is to provide an accurate judgment balance, usable information and a clear scope. A self-represented creditor can use procedures made available by the court, but court staff and officers do not take over every research and legal decision. Compare California's collection guide, Indiana's proceedings-supplemental rule and Utah's service instructions.

Other assets require other collection tools

These are different questions, not universal filing instructions. California's guide, for example, distinguishes a bank levy from a business till tap, keeper, tenant-payment levy or turnover request. Utah distinguishes property held by a third party from property held by the debtor. Use the California examples and Utah collection guide, then the state-specific sources below.

Check whether collection is currently allowed

Before service, verify the judgment's status, payments, applicable waiting periods and any order stopping collection. A bankruptcy filing generally stops many collection actions while the automatic stay applies. Check the case rather than assuming an old writ remains usable. See U.S. Courts' explanation.

Separate the research budget from the enforcement budget. Public index searches may be free while copies, historical images or certified records cost money. Professional work may add identity resolution, several jurisdictions, company tracing and a written evidence report. A private financial investigation should specify its lawful method and deliverable, not promise a secret national bank screen.

Enforcement can add court charges, writs, service, officer deposits, bank fees, motions, hearings, storage and sale expenses. Those costs are not interchangeable. For example, Santa Clara’s cited procedure lists a $50 opening deposit, while San Diego lists different deposits for a bank levy, vehicle levy and real-property levy. These are local published charges, not a nationwide price quote. Check Santa Clara and San Diego’s current civil fee schedule.

Before paying, ask what the search includes, which jurisdictions and institutions it covers, whether balances will actually be verified lawfully, the date of the information, and whether enforcement is priced separately. A report identifying a possible bank is not the same product as a verified balance or a completed levy.

A useful planning calculation is: plausibly reachable value, minus senior claims, protected amounts and realistic collection costs. That is a planning estimate, not a promise of recovery.

The best starting asset depends on the person, the judgment and the available clues. Public real-estate and business records are often practical starting points because there is something concrete to search. A known bank may be more immediately relevant, but its balance is private and its funds may be protected.

For context, the Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances reported these U.S. family ownership rates:

These figures measure ownership, not creditor searches, reachable assets or likely recovery. A retirement account can be common and still be protected. Source: Federal Reserve, Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2019 to 2022, Table 3.

Each state guide includes Census housing figures and locally useful research starting points. Those figures are labeled by period and measure. They are not presented as a made-up ranking of what people search for most.

Do I have the right person or legal entity? Match names with addresses, dates, entity identifiers and original documents. Do not attach a company’s property to an individual merely because their names are associated.

Do I have a real asset or only a clue? An old deed, UCC statement, litigation allegation or shared address needs follow-up. Keep the source and the date.

Can this asset actually pay the judgment? Check ownership, liens, protected funds, the amount still due and the correct enforcement process. A large apparent asset can have little reachable value.

Is the work ready for service? Verify the complete packet, the proper recipient, officer arrangements, deadlines and the next step after service. The strongest asset lead is useful only when the legal process can act on it correctly.

Two kinds of court cases make a person write down, under oath, what they earn, what they own and where they keep it: a divorce and a bankruptcy. No other public record comes close. A deed shows one house. A UCC filing shows one loan. A divorce file or a bankruptcy file can show the employer, the pay, the bank, the retirement plan, the vehicles and the debts on a few pages, because the court required the disclosure and the court keeps the paper. This section explains what those two files contain, who is allowed to read them, how to get them, and how the rules change from state to state.

Why these two files are different from every other public record

Most public records are made by third parties. A county recorder indexes a deed because a title company recorded it. A Secretary of State lists a company because someone paid a filing fee. Neither record asks the person anything. A divorce case and a bankruptcy case work the other way around. The person is a party, the court has power over the person, and the rules of the court require a sworn statement of finances before the judge will divide property, set support or discharge debt. The statement is signed under penalty of perjury, and in most of the country the file it sits in is a court record open to anyone who asks for it at the clerk's counter.

Federal bankruptcy law says it plainly. Under 11 U.S.C. 107(a), a paper filed in a bankruptcy case and the dockets of a bankruptcy court are public records and open to examination by an entity at reasonable times without charge. Divorce is state law, and the states split three ways, which is covered below.

Key Takeaway: A sworn financial statement in a court file is a map, not a balance sheet. It shows which bank, which employer, which plan and which property existed on the day it was signed. Whether the money is still there, and whether it can be reached, is a separate question answered by a levy, a garnishment or a debtor examination.

What a divorce file contains

The names of the forms change from state to state, but almost every contested divorce file holds the same layers of information.

The petition or complaint. Names of both spouses, the date of marriage and separation, the children, and in many states a first list of the property each side claims.

The sworn financial statement. Called a financial affidavit, an income and expense declaration, a sworn financial statement, a case information statement, a financial declaration or a statement of net worth. It lists the employer, gross pay, other income, monthly expenses, bank and brokerage accounts, retirement accounts, vehicles, real estate and debts. Pay stubs and tax returns are often attached or filed alongside it.

The inventory or property and debt listing. Some states require a separate sworn inventory of marital and separate property with values.

The settlement or separation agreement. When the spouses settle, the agreement says who keeps which account, which car, the house, the business and the retirement plan, and it is usually incorporated into the judgment.

The decree or judgment. The order dividing property and debt, awarding support and naming the plans and accounts affected.

Support orders and wage withholding orders. These carry income findings and the employer who will deduct the support.

Qualified domestic relations orders. A QDRO names the retirement plan, the plan administrator and the share awarded to the former spouse.

Three kinds of states

Every state keeps the divorce decree as a court record, and every state lets a party ask the judge to seal something. The real difference is what a stranger to the case can read without a court order.

Open file, open financial statement. The whole file, including the sworn financial affidavit, is a public court record unless a judge seals it on motion. Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, Virginia and Oregon work this way, as does Missouri for cases filed since August 28, 2009, and so do several others. Iowa joins them once the decree is entered, but its file is closed until then, and the court must seal a financial statement on any motion that no other party opposes. In Georgia and Texas the sworn form is served on the other side and reaches the clerk's file only when a party files it or hands it to the court at a hearing.

Open file, confidential financial statement. The case is public, the decree is public, but the sworn money form and often its attachments are closed to non-parties by rule or statute. New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Colorado, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, North Dakota and Wyoming are in this group, each with its own rule or statute, several others close only the attached pay stubs, tax returns and bank statements while the form itself stays open, and a further group, Arkansas, Mississippi, California and New Mexico among them, keeps the fullest money form out of the file by having it served on the other spouse rather than filed. In these states the asset detail usually survives in the decree, the settlement agreement and the QDRO.

Closed file. Only the parties and their attorneys may read the papers without a court order. New York closes every matrimonial file by statute for 100 years. West Virginia family court files are closed except for the orders and the index. Utah classifies divorce case records as private except the case history, judgments, orders and decrees. Idaho closes the file when child custody or support is involved. Delaware's Family Court rule opens its records only to the parties, their attorneys, other courts and agencies, and persons the court approves.

The table below places each state in one of those groups and names the sworn money form it uses. Each state name links to that state's asset search page, which explains the rule, the form, the online search and the court that keeps the file.

Where the money shows even when the statement is sealed

A confidential financial affidavit does not empty the file. The judgment that divides the property has to describe the property. A settlement agreement incorporated into the judgment names the accounts that were split and the institution that holds them. A QDRO names the plan. A wage withholding order names the employer. A motion for support states the income it is based on. Even in states that suppress the sworn statement, these documents are ordinarily public, and the register of actions shows every filing by title and date so a researcher knows exactly which document to ask for.

What a bankruptcy file contains

Bankruptcy is federal, so the forms and the access rules are the same in every state. An individual debtor must file, within days of the petition, the schedules and statements listed in 11 U.S.C. 521(a)(1)(B): a schedule of assets and liabilities, a schedule of current income and current expenditures, a statement of financial affairs, and copies of all payment advices received within 60 days before the filing. The Official Forms are the same nationwide.

Schedule A/B: Property (Official Form 106A/B). Part 1 covers each residence, building, land or other real estate the debtor owns or has an interest in. Part 2 covers vehicles. Part 4 covers financial assets: cash on hand, and under item 17 every deposit of money by type, checking account, savings account, certificates of deposit and other financial account, with the instruction that multiple accounts at the same institution are listed one by one.

Schedule I: Your Income (Official Form 106I). Employment status, occupation, employer's name, employer's address, how long employed there, monthly gross wages, salary and commissions, overtime, payroll deductions, business and rental income, interest and dividends, support received, unemployment, Social Security, other government assistance and pension or retirement income.

Schedule J: Your Expenses (Official Form 106J). Rent or mortgage, utilities, food, childcare, clothing, transportation, insurance, taxes, installment and vehicle payments and support paid.

Schedules D and E/F: creditors. Every secured and unsecured creditor by name and address, the last four digits of the account number, when the debt was incurred and the amount claimed.

Statement of Financial Affairs (Official Form 107). Income from employment or a business this year and the two previous calendar years, other income, payments and transfers made before filing, financial accounts closed, sold, moved or transferred within one year with the institution name, the last four digits and the account type, safe deposit boxes, storage units and property held for someone else.

Some things are kept out of the public file on purpose. Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9037(a) limits filings to the last four digits of a Social Security or taxpayer identification number, the year of birth, a minor's initials and the last four digits of a financial account number. The debtor's federal tax return goes to the trustee under 11 U.S.C. 521(e)(2)(A), not into the court file. And under 11 U.S.C. 343 the debtor appears and submits to examination under oath at the meeting of creditors, where any creditor may ask questions. That meeting is not transcribed into the file, but a creditor who attends can ask about the accounts and the employer directly.

How to get the files

Divorce files. The file lives with the clerk of the court that granted the divorce, in the county where it was filed. Most states run a statewide case index online that shows the party names, the case number and the list of filings, but only a minority let the public open the documents themselves from home. In many states family case documents are viewable only on a public terminal at the courthouse, or by ordering copies from the clerk at a per page fee. The state pages linked above say which applies.

Bankruptcy files. Every bankruptcy court uses the same system. PACER charges $0.10 per page, never more than $3 for one document, and waives the quarter's fees entirely when the account spends $30 or less in that quarter. The PACER Case Locator searches every bankruptcy court at once by name when the district is unknown and is updated once a day. Electronic and paper records can be viewed at the courthouse for free, with a 10 cents per page charge only to print from the public terminal. Every bankruptcy court also runs a free Voice Case Information System, a telephone line that gives basic case information around the clock.

Sealing: what a party can do and what stays visible

In an open state a spouse who wants the money forms kept from the public must ask the judge. The motion is decided under the state's sealing rule, and the standards are demanding: an overriding interest in California and clear and convincing evidence in Indiana and Alabama. Nevada and Massachusetts close the money form without any motion and apply their own tests to other documents, a compelling interest that outweighs public access in Nevada and good cause after a hearing in Massachusetts. A sealed document still appears on the register of actions by title and date, and the decree and judgment stay public in almost every state even when the rest is sealed. In the confidential statement states no motion is needed for the form itself, because the rule already closes it. In New York the whole matrimonial file is closed by Domestic Relations Law 235 without any motion at all.

How a judgment creditor uses what the file shows

The practical value of these files is that they turn guesswork into a target. A bank named in a divorce settlement or on a bankruptcy Schedule A/B is a bank that can be served with a levy or garnishment under the state's enforcement procedure. An employer named on Schedule I or in a support order is an employer that can be served with a wage garnishment. A retirement plan named in a QDRO is usually protected from creditors, which tells the creditor where not to spend money. Real estate and vehicles listed under oath can be checked against the recorder and the motor vehicle agency. Because the statement is a snapshot, the next step after reading it is the state's debtor examination or information subpoena, which compels the debtor to update the picture under oath. The judgments and liens page for each state explains that procedure.

Common Mistake: treating an online case index as the file. Most state portals show that a financial affidavit was filed on a certain date and nothing more. The document itself is at the courthouse.

Common Mistake: giving up when the financial affidavit is confidential. The decree, the settlement agreement and the QDRO are usually still public and usually still name the institutions.

Common Mistake: expecting full account numbers in a bankruptcy file. Rule 9037 cuts every account to its last four digits. The institution name is what the file gives.

Common Mistake: levying on a balance from a three year old affidavit. The account may be closed or empty. The statement proves the relationship with the bank, not the money in it today.

These are court records that the public may read under the statutes and rules cited on each state page. Reading them is lawful. Using what they show for credit, employment, insurance or housing decisions brings the Fair Credit Reporting Act into play, and a sealing order must be respected to the letter. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

Official sources used in this section

• 11 U.S.C. 107, public access to papersMakes bankruptcy filings and dockets public records
• Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9037What every filing must redact, account numbers included
• Official Form 106A/B, Schedule A/B: PropertyThe property and account categories a debtor must list
• Official Form 107, Statement of Financial AffairsIncome for three years and accounts closed within one year
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