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RESEARCH RESOURCES - BUSINESS
I PUBLIC ISSUES
Find out the various exchanges where stock is traded. Note the exchanges in foreign countries. Find the Ticker Symbol that associates with NASDQ, AMEX or NYSE issue. Do this: Enter company name in the box, “click” blue “draw chart” button, and a list of exchanges and ticker symbols used for each will be generated.
Go back to the input box, enter the Ticker Symbol for the U.S. exchange listed; then “click” blue “draw chart” button for a 1-year chart of stock price with volume chart below. Change options above to see a 3-month chart (goes back to just before 9/11 attack) or “all data” for historic figures. The top chart is share price, the bottom chart volume. Any interesting patterns emerge?
Notice the small blue lettering at the top of the chart. You can select “SEC” to jump off to an index of forms filed by the company with the SEC; here you can select and retrieve forms filed with the SEC. There are other helpful research options at the top of the chart.
Scroll below the share price and volume charts. There are lists of press releases and news coverage. At the bottom, note that you can go back and read articles from extensive archives, in chronological order. If you notice strange price movements, huge swings, you can get an approximate idea of the date, and scroll to correspondencing timeframe for news articles that might explain the "blip".
2. http://securities.stanford.edu
Has a class action law suit been filed? Go to the above site. Take a moment to review the main page and note interesting statistics -- and most recent news. On left, also read news. Then “click” on Case Index. Note that you can retrieve lists of filings by quarter by year. Interesting to see just the 2001 filings! This page also provides you with letters of the alphabet so that you can select “D” for example, then move through the index. Select a company, such as Drugstore.com. The index listing provides brief information, such as Ticker Symbol, exchange and in what court the class action was filed. The real "corker" of the courts for class action is the Southern District of New York. This is not to be confused with the Mary Jo White led Manhattan Federal Court.
There are massive probes into the handling of shares and manipulation of prices. The probes are not limited to classical organized crime manipulations in pump and dump schemes; rather they include the fruits of massive investigations by the SEC and Department of Justice into Wall Street practices that include “paid for touts” and schemes such as “laddering” which is a practice that pumps share prices in exchange for excess commission or direct cash bribes. Many Wall Street brokerage firms, investment banks, and individuals are cooperating with the government and exposing public losses where class action suits follow in an effort to restore assets to victims. SEC has made great progress, now forcing Sumitomo to pack its bags from control of Goldman Sachs -- selling off its shares. Yakuza elements also controlled Goldman Sachs through Kamehameha Athletic ... (The Bishop Trust of Hawaii about which there is lots of link online in Hawaii press).
The Southern District of New York offices of the SEC were devastated by the September 11 attack, and other federal and private law firm offices serving the Southern District of New York also experienced loss of records. Some major cases have suffered a temporary setback, including loss of original notes and tapes which cannot be duplicated. This office had been handling the investigation of Wall Street investment banks from which many of the class action suits flow.
Once you have found your company on the index, "click" on the company name. This area provides a summary of the case; below that is a list of attorneys representing plaintiffs. Below that a one-line with the complaint you can click to see the document. Sometimes the documents are available from the law firms where interactive links are provided.
For access to complaints not posted, contact attorneys, then if all else fails, contact the Clerk of the Federal Court, if the complaint or other documents are not online.
3. http://www.edgar-online.com
If you are not a subscriber, you can still obtain invaluable information by using this site. One helpful feature is “People.” Are you following someone interesting that has involvement in corporate America? And do you want to learn more about other board positions? Go to the main page, on the left look under the second caption, “Edgar Online”. The last entry is “People”. Then “click” to select this option.
On the screen, enter the last name, then first name (omit company name to get a list of all corporate relationships); at Form Type change the option from DEF 14A proxy to “all forms” then press search.
A list is generated showing all SEC filings bearing the individual’s name and company. If you are an Edgar-online subscriber, click the company name in blue and give the program a minute to work -- the program will change ink colors to red wherever the individual’s name appears in the selected document and set the document to the first mention of the name. Biographies are contained in DEF14A proxy forms.
"Full Text Search" is another extremely helpful option. Here you can input search terms, name a corporation, and see if your search terms appear anywhere in any document filed. A list would come up.
4. If you are not a subscriber, print copies of the lists generated, then use an alternative access system to the SEC such as Bigcharts.com above where you can jump off to SEC and an index. Another option is:
http://www.freeedgar.com. Here you can enter by company name and select “FreeEdgar”. The format available at BigCharts does not print the title page (header) that contains basic information.
This "header" page answers questions about the business classification of the corporation (SIC code), its state of incorporation, mailing address and phone/fax, as well as providing helpful information about succession, showing the year in which any change of name occurred generally as a result of a merger. You can then select “body” from options listed on the left, to view the main text of any document listed on the index generated at the site. Scroll through, look for the name of the individual.
5. http://www.hoovers.com
Whether a public corporation or a larger private corporation, this site provides some information free of charge, generally a description of the company, its address and phone, names of members of the board, lists of competitors, etc. Timely information, news and more in-depth biographies, can only be accessed by subscribers.
II PRIVATE COMPANIES
1. General Searches:
http://www.bizjournals.com - at this site at the top of the screen select Search/Archives. Then change the time from 30 days to “all data”to obtain information from 1996 forward. Keep the field open to all regions. Then select search.
http://www.findarticles.com
This may generate a list of news-oriented articles about a private company.
http://www.google.com; http://www.lycos.com; http://www.altavista.com and other search engines can be helpful in locating information including the company’s own website.
2. State Records -- both public and private companies
http://www.pac-info.com
This site provides an alphabetical list of states (and also access to Canada and other countries are being added) that provides direct access to state records. For virtually all states listed, there will be entries in alphabetical order for “corporations”. Some indexes break down options to request information about L.P.s (limited partnerships) and LLCs (limited liability corporations) or permit search by “officer name” or “agent/registered agent” for service of process.
Select “California”
Notice the index that is evolving daily. Some cities and counties have records on line. Statewide birth certificates from 1905 - 1995 are available.
Some counties provide access to property record indexes, others to actual documents. Is your individual associated with a restaurant? Or a winery, for example? Select Alcohol & Beverage Control where a licensee name can be input and information such as other business names used and status of license can be learned.
From the pac-info list for California, then:
“Click” Corporations. Here you will see two input boxes. Always search both, one at a name, for “affiliations”. Take Catamount as an example. Enter the term in the top box and “click” search. You will get a list of all filings in the state of California containing the term Catamount. Often you can determine if there are affiliations/related firms because the list generated provides the name of the agent for service of process. A click on the company name takes you to another screen where the mailing address is listed. You can see the status of the corporation. Status: merged out, active, suspended, dissolved, surrendered, forfeited are terms found in records. You hope that the company is active. If suspended, or even forfeited do not be alarmed.
Suspension can occur from over site in failing to file annual reports, or from failure to pay annual fees. However, one should determine the root of the problem. Forfeited means taken by government action -- this can happen through bankruptcy proceedings, or through taking by government under other means. However, any company that is “surrendered”, voluntarily “dissolved” or has been “forfeited” no longer exists and should not be doing business in the State of California.
“Click” on the company name. Here you will find more information, beyond the date of filing, corporation number, status and agent. A business address will be provided, as well as an address for the agent for service of process.
An important disclosure: Jurisdiction. If the corporation did not originate in California, and Florida, Nevada, Georgia,Louisiana, Colorado or Alabama are listed you will be able to learn more about the company from these states online than from California online. These states provide access to records by “officer name” and “agent for service of process” name as well as company name. Several of them, including Florida and Colorado, will display documents that have been submitted. Print information about the company on record in California, then back arrow out to the pac-info main page listing states, select Nevada, for example, and make entries there to find lists of officers for the corporation. You can also enter an individual’s name (select officers) and locate other affiliations/positions with yet more companies in many cases.
At the “California” site, be sure to run the company name through the L.P./LLC screen as well. Here you may find the entity you are seeking -- or you may also find affiliations of a corporation.
Always use both boxes, even if you have a firm LLC name.
Remember that the California Secretary of State's website DOES NOT advise that a corporation or LLC/LP may be a "name change" from a predecessor filing. The only way to discover that a name change has occurred is to request documents, either by visiting the Sacramento office of the Secretary of State or by specific written inquiry, unless you have access to legal services online.
To order records that disclose officers and directors of corporations in California, you may do so for a fee.
Go to http://www.ss.ca.gov and “click” on the skyscrapers (business services) and follow the screens and information to areas that provide order forms and fee information.
Otherwise, visit the office on “O” Street between 10th and 11th in Sacramento. Counter service is quick, though a $10 additional charge is applied for this service.
Lexis/Nexis and other subscription services provide much of the above information to the legal community.
Public library: "Directory of Corporate Affiliations" has a number of volumes -- public corporations, private corporations, and international corporations. This invaluable guide lists subsidiaries often otherwise obscured, provides the names of officers/directors, address, phone, fax, e-mail, total assets, total liabilities, with particulars for branch operations.
