18 March 2004. Librarian Sarah Mauldin provides this research tip on using a company's Employment Identification Number (EIN) to find its bankruptcy filings.

Sarah: The PACER U.S. Party/Case Index enables searching for bankruptcies by party name, Social Security number or Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). The party name search option--formatted as lastname, firstname--is sometimes a problem when looking for a business bankruptcy filing. The name of a business can also vary in the database (e.g., United, United Airlines, United Air Lines). Or the business name might be a common one, or it might use a person's name (e.g., Bob Smith Realty). In these instances, using the TIN search option is easier and it returns more precise results.

A business's Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) is the same as its Employer Identification Number (EIN). It uniquely identifies the business just like a Social Security number identifies an individual. How do you find a company's EIN? If it is a public company, you can find the EIN in its annual report, which should be available for free through EDGAR.

If the company is a private one, you might locate the EIN with EIN Finder at FreeERISA. Access to FreeERISA requires registration (free). The database covers companies that have qualified retirement and welfare benefit plans. You can search by company name, and opt to limit the query by state or zip code. The search page provides tips to help you formulate a query. Once you find an EIN, connect to the U.S. Party/Case Index and conduct a TIN search.

Sarah Mauldin is the Director of Library Services at Lionel Sawyer & Collins.