Keeping precise records will help you keep track of the health of your company. Without them, you can’t easily discern trends, calculate ratios, or make decisions for the future. These records are also required when you file tax returns and to back up the information you report in your financial statements. These include income statements (profit and loss statements) and balance sheets.

The majority of states have departments of corporation or secretary of state offices that require companies to file an official statement of ownership. Most have made these virtual data room software for due diligence documents available online. You can look up these records using the name of the company and websites usually provide a list with the names of the officers and directors as well as their addresses and additional information about the business. Some private companies or firms have directories of businesses. These directories may include the city where a company’s headquarters or where it’s registered. They may also include contact information, the primary officer or officers, and an outline of the type of business the company is involved with.

Many cities require that any person or company engaging in an activity within the city file a registration and a number of cities have put these documents online. Some counties maintain fictitious company name indexes in which the top officers of a partnership or their addresses are listed. Some states maintain a master list of all business names that are fictitious. States, the secretary of state and corporation departments have made these available online.