VerifySOS is a 50-state business-verification tool for credit and underwriting in trucking and commercial finance. One search merges Secretary of State registration, FMCSA/USDOT authority, OFAC sanctions, UCC liens, ownership, and county DBA filings into a single PDF packet.

How do I look up a business across all 50 states?

Enter the company name and its 2-letter state code (or a USDOT number) on verifysos.com. It searches the Secretary of State and FMCSA SAFER side by side, screens OFAC, and generates a verification packet PDF.

How much does VerifySOS cost?

There is a free tier, a Starter plan at $14.99/month (about 250 searches), and a Pro plan at $25/month with unlimited searches plus API access, UCC, and DBA.

Does VerifySOS show business ownership and officers?

Yes. Where a state publishes officers, members, or managers in its free public records, VerifySOS pulls them into the packet, separate from the registered agent, which is not the owner.

← All posts June 29, 2026

New York County (Manhattan) DBA search — how to look up a fictitious business name (NY)

A DBA (doing business as) in New York County is a registration with the county clerk, not a business entity. It names the person or legal owner operating under a trade name. For underwriters, a DBA lookup is a critical early step: it tells you whether a sole proprietor or an LLC is actually behind the name the applicant gave you, and whether the registration is current. A stale or missing DBA can cost you thousands in recovery.

What a DBA filing actually shows

When a person or entity registers a fictitious business name in New York County, the county clerk’s office records the owner’s legal name, the trade name they’ll use, the business address, the date filed, and the expiration date. Some filings also include a mailing address and a phone number. The DBA itself is not a legal entity · it is a name under which a real owner (a person, a partnership, an LLC, or a corporation) conducts business. If an applicant tells you they operate as “Metro Logistics” but the DBA shows the registrant as “Maria Chen, sole proprietor,” you now know Maria Chen is the owner and there is no LLC shielding her liability. That distinction matters for your credit file and your lien position.

How to search the New York County DBA registry

New York County maintains assumed name records in the county clerk’s office. The county clerk publishes a searchable index of filed DBAs. You can search by the trade name (the name the business uses publicly) or by the registrant’s legal name. A successful search returns the filing date, the expiration date (typically three to five years from filing, depending on when it was registered), and the registered owner’s information. If no record appears, the name is either not registered or the filing has expired. An expired DBA means the owner is no longer legally permitted to use that trade name in the county. If your applicant is using an expired name, they are operating without proper registration.

Why a DBA is not a registered entity

This is the mistake underwriters make constantly. A DBA is a registration of a trade name, not a business entity. It does not create a legal entity separate from the owner. If Maria Chen operates as “Metro Logistics” under a DBA, Maria Chen is still personally liable for all debts, lawsuits, and tax obligations. If the applicant is an LLC, the DBA is simply a record that the LLC is operating under a different name than its legal entity name. The real owner and liability entity is the LLC itself, not the DBA. You must follow the chain: find the DBA, identify the registrant (person or legal entity), then verify that person or entity in the Secretary of State registry (for LLCs, corporations, and partnerships) or through other means (for sole proprietors). A DBA lookup alone does not give you an ownership structure or a filing history. It is one piece of the verification puzzle.

Cross-checking with the Secretary of State

If the DBA registrant is an LLC, corporation, or partnership, you must pull that entity’s record from the New York Secretary of State. The Secretary of State filing will show officers, members, the address of record, the current status (active, dissolved, suspended), and the date of formation. The DBA shows only that the registered legal entity is using a different business name. The Secretary of State filing shows whether the entity itself is in good standing. A DBA registered to an LLC that the Secretary of State lists as dissolved is a red flag. It means the legal entity behind the name is dead.

Common traps in DBA underwriting

A recent registration (within 30 days) can signal a shell company or a rapid pivot. A sole proprietor who just registered a DBA after years of informal operation may lack the accounting discipline you need. Multiple DBAs registered to the same person in a short window may indicate a pattern of brand cycling or business instability. Expired DBAs that the applicant continues to claim they use suggest either negligence or evasion. If the applicant says “I operate as XYZ” and the DBA shows it expired six months ago, ask directly why they have not renewed. A vague answer is a credit signal.

Bottom line

A New York County DBA search is a mandatory first step when an applicant gives you a trade name. It tells you who owns the name and whether the registration is current. But it is not a substitute for verifying the actual legal entity (sole proprietor history, LLC status with the Secretary of State, partnership records). Pull the DBA, identify the registrant, then drill into the registrant’s full background. Many underwriters skip the DBA entirely and go straight to the Secretary of State · that misses sole proprietors and unregistered operators entirely. A complete file ties the DBA to the owner, the owner to the entity, and the entity to the risk profile. Do all three.