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The Basics of Business Investigations
From Backgrounding to Ideas
 David Wethe
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
dwethe@star-telegram.com (817) 685-3803
Business listings
 
 
Public companies must file with the SEC
 
http://www.sec.gov
 
Texas Comptroller lists many companies
 
http://ecpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/Index.html 
 
Also kept on file by secretary of state in other states
 
Private companies don’t have to file
 
http://www.hoover.com
 
Company websites
 
What do others say?
 
 
Competitors
 
Industry trade publications
 
Chamber of commerce newsletters
 
Government regulators
 
Power point presentations made at industry conferences or city councilmeetings
 
What
WERE
they saying?
 
 
The Wayback Machine
 
http://www.archive.org/web/web.php 
 
Very cool trick 
 
Your own newspaper archiveOutside reports
 
 
GAO reports
 
Audits
 
Economic impact studies by consulting firms or university faculty
 
UnionsReal estate
 
 
 
County appraisal districts
 
http://www.tad.org or http://www.dallascad.org
 
Warranty deeds
 
Document seller gives to buyer
 
Found at the county courthouse or online
 
Deed of trust
 
Document buyer gives to bank for a loan
 
Found at the county courthouse or online
Courts
 
 
Nationwide bankruptcy and lawsuit filings
 
 
http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov
 
 
State criminal records
 
https://records.txdps.state.tx.us
 
State lawsuits
 
Searchable at the county courthouse
 
Divorce filings
 
Found at the county courthouse
 
Offer insight into the lives of business executives and public officials
Police
 
 
Incidents and arrest reports
 
Get the basics:
 
Crime
 
Suspect’s name
 
Address of crime
 
Time of crime
 
Officer involved
 
Complainants
 
Complainants’ phone numbers
City & County Government
 
 
Council agendas
 
Budgets
 
Audits
 
Planning & Zoning agendas
 
Personal
 
 
Marriage licenses can be found at county courthouse
 
Other personal information can be found throughhttp://www.autotrackxp.com
 
Voter registration records can be found at the county courthouse
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