Bankruptcy 2: Locating the "Disappearing Debtor"
Q: How does a creditors' rights practice locate the "disappearing debtor"?
A: Locating the debtor is only one part of the detective work that may be necessary. In addition to finding the location of the actual debtor, a creditors' rights attorney needs to thoroughly research information about the debtor's assets. There are many resources for this (i.e., the Internet, county real estate tax assessor records, motor vehicle registration records, commercial asset search services). The purpose of this is to determine first and foremost whether or not there are sufficient assets to warrant the time and expense associated with the litigation process, and, secondly, if there are, whether you will have an address at which you could serve the defendant with process.
