locating companies for due diligence and background information

Locating Companies for Due Diligence and Background Information

Jeffrey Franklin and David Rakowski

Company Websites

• “About Us”• Annual reports, prospectus, press releases• Search by file type

Directories for Private, Public, and Foreign Companies

• Hoovers-http://www.hoovers.com/company information/company search.html‐ ‐

• Rutgers Company Research Portal-http://libguides.rutgers.edu/companies

Stock Quotes-Current and Historical

• Google Finance-http://www.google.com/finance

• Reuters-http://www.reuters.com/• Europages-http://www.europages.co.uk/• Uniworld-http://

www.uniworldbp.com/search.php

SEC Filings

State Corporate Records/Registered Agents and Fictitious Business Names

• Secretary of State Corporation and Business Entity Search-http://www.secstates.com/

• UCC Filings (Pennsylvania)-https://www.corporations.state.pa.us/ucc/soskb/SearchNonStd.asp

News and Information About Companies, Products and Executives

• Consumer Product Safety Commission-www.cpsc.gov

• Recalls.gov• Review sites: Epinions, Amazon, Yelp– Liability for negative reviews?-

”Virginia Contractor Sues Woman for $750,000 for Negative Yelp Review”

Information from Government Agencies Regulating Companies

Example: Banks• Office of the Comptroller of the Currency-

http://www.occ.treas.gov/• Federal Reserve Board-www.fdic.gov• National Information Center-

http://www.ffiec.gov/nicpubweb/nicweb/NicHome.aspx

Information from Government Agencies Regulating Companies

Regulates energy, telecommunications, municipal water/wastewater, and transportation companies in Pennsylvania-http://www.puc.state.pa.us/

Thank you---Jeff and Dave