Data searches - Six degrees of separationForensic Focus - September 2009 |
We are often asked “what databases are available to do simple searches”, “where do I begin to run a background search on a company” or “how do I work out the relationships connected to company X”.
There are a number of external databases that host publicly available information. Here are six of the best to get your search started:
1. Companies Office
www.companies.govt.nz
Search for a company, director, shareholder or banned director. Other registers can also be searched, including charitable trusts, incorporated societies and building societies.
2. National Insolvency Database
www.insolvency.govt.nz
Provides access to a database containing information about insolvencies (companies or individuals)
administered by the Insolvency and Trustee Service.
3. Terralink
www.terranet.co.nz
Subscribe to a database sourced from Land Information New Zealand, Quotable Value New Zealand and the Maori Land Court. This is an excellent website for finding out who owns property.
4. Personal Properties Securities Register
www.ppsr.govt.nz
The PPSR website records parties that have registered an interest in assets (e.g. hire purchase agreements). This is an excellent site for finding non-property assets that have been provided as security. When searching for a vehicle, the registration plate, chassis number or VIN is required.
5. Births Deaths & Marriages
www.bdm.govt.nz
Certificates of a birth, death or marriage can be requested by any member of the public. At present, the request must be made by completing a form and sending this to your nearest BDM office at the Department of Internal Affairs. The full name and year of the birth, death or marriage is usually the minimum amount of information required. The disadvantage with conducting this search is that there is a time delay and contact details do not remain current.
6. Veda Advantage
www.vedaadvantage.co.nz
Veda Advantage combines information from various sources into one report. An issue can be that the report includes all previous searches that have been conducted, so a footprint is left of your search. The minimum information required is a surname, first name and current or previous address.
A logon or registration is required to conduct a number of these searches and in some cases there is a fee charged.
We are familiar with these search tools and a number of others and are happy to either perform searches on your behalf to ascertain information required, or to give you advice on what is the best tool for you to be using to achieve your objectives.
Please contact Lorinda Kelly or Lisa Tai if you would like to discuss searching for information.