Secretary of State Data
Secretary of State (SOS) data refers to business registration records maintained by each US state's Secretary of State office — including legal entity name, formation date, registered agent, business address, and ownership officers — providing the authoritative source for MCA business verification.
Why This Matters
SOS data is the primary public source for MCA business verification. Each state maintains a searchable business entity database where every registered LLC, corporation, partnership, and sole proprietorship is recorded. MCA underwriters cross-reference SOS records to confirm business existence, formation date (time-in-business signal), good-standing status (active vs. dissolved), and registered agent (collection contact). New SOS filings are also a high-intent lead signal — newly-formed businesses often need startup capital. Automated SOS scraping powers many MCA prospecting databases, though state policies on commercial use vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How current is Secretary of State business data?
Generally updated within 1–7 days of filing. Most states publish daily new-filing reports. Annual report status (active vs. delinquent) updates immediately when merchants file. Dissolution and revocation events update within state-specific reporting windows.
Can I commercially use Secretary of State data for MCA lead generation?
Generally yes — SOS records are public data. Some states restrict bulk commercial scraping (require API access or commercial license). Always verify state-by-state terms of use before scaling automated extraction operations.