An asset search can identify records and leads about property, business interests, and financial relationships. It cannot guarantee a complete account of someone’s wealth or establish that identified property is available for collection.
Private Investigator Manhattan is a referral and matching service. Independent investigators conduct the work you commission. Start with the decision you need to make, then agree on the lawful sources, scope, and report.
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What the records can establish
For Manhattan property, ACRIS provides recorded documents such as deeds and mortgages. Entity records can help identify businesses and filing details. Read each record in context: a name match needs corroboration, and recorded debt does not reveal a current payoff balance.
Search information from NYC’s official ACRIS service
New York’s corporation and business entity database
Ask the investigator to identify which jurisdictions and dates the search covers. Commercial database access must also have a lawful basis. A license does not remove restrictions on protected records, and an absence of results does not prove an absence of assets.
Financial privacy and authority
The FTC explains that federal law prohibits obtaining consumers’ financial information through false pretenses. An investigator should not impersonate an account holder or promise unrestricted access to private balances. Ask counsel about consent or legal process for nonpublic records.
FTC guidance on financial privacy and pretexting
An investigator documents factual leads. Your attorney evaluates disclosure obligations, ownership, exemptions, remedies, and how a report could be used in proceedings. A report does not itself compel disclosure or authorize collection.
Choose the resource for your situation
A divorce search examines financial-disclosure questions; a judgment search supports an assessment of possible collection. The records may overlap, but the legal questions and next steps differ.
Asset searches and financial disclosure in a New York divorce
Finding asset leads for an unpaid New York judgment
For a business decision, define the subject, permitted purpose, and research depth before commissioning work. Clarify whether you need records research, accounting, or legal advice.
Prepare the brief and evaluate the report
- •State the specific question and relevant dates, jurisdictions, and identifiers.
- •Provide only documents you are entitled to share.
- •Set a first-phase budget, reporting deadline, and approval point for extra work.
- •Ask the investigator to separate confirmed records from possible associations.
- •Request source references, search dates, coverage limits, and unresolved questions.
The price depends on the work agreed, not a guaranteed discovery. Compare subjects, jurisdictions, source costs, analysis, and reporting. Ask what you receive if the search is inconclusive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an investigator produce a complete list of someone’s assets?
No search can guarantee completeness. Public and lawfully available records have coverage limits, and identity or ownership matches may need further evidence.
Does finding property mean I can collect from it?
No. Ownership, available value, exemptions, liens, and the applicable enforcement process require separate assessment. An attorney can advise on those issues.
How is an asset search priced?
Ask for a written scope covering subjects, jurisdictions, sources, analysis, reporting, and expenses. Agree on an initial budget and approval before further work.
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Every consultation is free and confidential. Tell us about your situation and we will match you with a licensed investigator who handles cases like yours.