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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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