An asset search can help you identify property records, business connections, or transactions that need an explanation in a New York divorce. It does not provide unrestricted access to a spouse’s finances or prove concealment from a name match. Start with a specific discrepancy and discuss it with your matrimonial attorney before commissioning work.
Private Investigator Manhattan is a referral and matching service. An independent investigator performs the research you agree to commission. Our asset-search guide explains the wider service; this article focuses on financial disclosure in a divorce.
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Start with the disclosure question
New York’s Domestic Relations Law section 236 distinguishes marital and separate property and sets out equitable-distribution factors. An investigator can research factual leads, but deciding how property should be classified or divided requires a legal assessment. Property acquired in one name is not, by that fact alone, outside the marital estate.
The courts’ contested-divorce information and forms includes the Statement of Net Worth and financial-disclosure steps. Ask your attorney which documents, valuation dates, and deadlines apply to your case. Describe a possible mismatch without assuming it was deliberate: a filing might be historical, incomplete, or about someone with a similar name.
- An address or property transaction appears in records but has not been explained in the financial disclosure.
- A business name on documents you can lawfully access needs to be matched to an entity and relevant dates.
- A disclosed interest has records that raise questions about ownership, debt, or transfers.
- Your attorney has identified a gap that public-records research could help narrow.
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Manhattan records that can provide leads
NYC’s Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS) lets you search recorded property documents for Manhattan and several other boroughs. Deeds and mortgages can help establish a recorded transaction history. A recorded mortgage is not a current payoff statement, and a deed alone does not establish today’s equity or the source of purchase funds.
The New York Department of State entity database offers corporate and other entity records. Check the exact entity, filing dates, and identifiers. A service address or filing contact does not by itself prove beneficial ownership. The Department warns that it cannot guarantee the completeness or accuracy of information supplied to it.
Other public court filings or documents supplied with permission may add context. Ask the investigator to identify each source, the date checked, and the reason for associating a record with the subject. Commercial databases can provide leads, but the provider must have a lawful basis for access and use; a PI license is not permission to retrieve every protected record.
Illustration: a company name in a property record
Suppose a lawfully obtained document mentions a company associated with an apartment purchase. The investigator checks the entity’s exact name and the recorded deed, then lists any corroborating facts and unresolved identity questions. The finding is a lead for your attorney to examine, not proof that your spouse owns the apartment or concealed it. This is a hypothetical example, not a client case.
Private financial records require authority
Do not ask an investigator to impersonate an account holder to obtain bank information. The Federal Trade Commission explains the federal prohibition on obtaining consumers’ financial information through false pretenses, known as pretexting. Ask your attorney about consent, disclosure, or other lawful procedures for records that are not public.
An investigator should not promise a secret database of current bank balances. Nor should you provide passwords, enter an account without authorization, or take confidential documents merely because they might help a search. If you are unsure whether you may use a document, resolve that question with counsel before sharing it.
Prepare a focused brief
- State the discrepancy and the decision the research would support.
- Provide names, relevant dates, addresses, and entity identifiers you are entitled to share.
- Separate documents you possess lawfully from records you still need your attorney to obtain.
- Identify the jurisdictions, date range, deadline, and first-phase budget.
- Ask how the investigator will record uncertainty and preserve copies or references to the sources.
Share sensitive documents through a channel agreed with the investigator and your attorney. An initial matching inquiry can describe the problem without uploading bank statements, account credentials, or identification documents.
Agree on the report, cost, and next step
Request a report that separates confirmed record matches, possible associations, and unresolved questions. It should identify searched jurisdictions, dates, sources, and coverage limits. A search with no relevant finding does not prove that no undisclosed property exists.
Ask for a written quote by scope: subjects, jurisdictions, records, analyst time, and reporting. Set an approval point before additional work. The cost and quote-comparison guide helps you compare proposals. Your attorney may decide that disclosure or a forensic accountant would answer the question more directly.
Our asset-search service page describes how to request an introduction. If you already hold an unpaid money judgment, read the separate judgment-enforcement article: locating possible property and collecting it involve different questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an asset search prove that my spouse hid money?
No. Records can reveal discrepancies or leads that need an explanation. Identity, ownership, dates, and the legal significance of a finding need to be checked before alleging concealment.
Can a private investigator get current bank balances?
A license does not create unrestricted access to private bank records. Lawful access depends on the circumstances and authority. Discuss consent or formal disclosure with your attorney; obtaining information by impersonation is not an acceptable shortcut.
Does an LLC filing prove my spouse owns its property?
No. An entity filing may help identify a company, but a name, contact, or address match alone does not establish who benefits from its property. Ask for corroboration and legal review.
Do I have to hire an investigator before my divorce attorney?
No. Discuss the disclosure problem with an attorney first when possible. The attorney can help determine whether records research, formal discovery, or accounting work is appropriate.
Sources checked September 29, 2026. General information only; a New York attorney can advise on your disclosure obligations, proposed methods, and proceedings.