Learn how to find Articles of Incorporation in the Worth portal to make smarter business decisions.
Introduction
At Worth, we enhance our services by integrating data from multiple sources, including Secretary of State (SoS) filings such as Articles of Incorporation. These documents play a critical role in verifying a business’s legitimacy, outlining its legal structure, primary activities, and key officers. To streamline access, our platform now links directly to these filings, allowing users to view Articles of Incorporation within our case management system.
Why It Matters: Access to Secretary of State (SoS) filings—particularly Articles of Incorporation—is essential for conducting thorough due diligence during the underwriting process. Here’s why this integration matters:
- In-depth Business Insight: Articles of Incorporation offer a clear view of a company’s legal structure and key personnel, supporting credibility assessments and regulatory compliance.
- Streamlined Workflows: Embedded document links reduce time spent on manual searches, accelerating due diligence in fast-paced underwriting environments.
- Informed Decision-Making: Immediate access to verified filings ensures decisions are grounded in accurate, up-to-date information—vital for risk evaluation and compliance.
- Enhanced Platform Value: Easy access to critical documents boosts the overall functionality of our platform, reinforcing its role as a key resource for clients.
Accessing Articles of Incorporation: To view a business’s Articles of Incorporation, follow these steps within the platform:
- Navigate to the Business section in the left panel.
- Search for the business.
- Under Actions, select View Details.
- Click on the ticket number.
- Click on KYB.
- Scroll down to the SoS section where you can find and access the Articles of Incorporation.
- Depending on the level of third-party integration supported by the state, the link will either take you directly to the business record or redirect you to the state’s website, where you can manually search the business name to access the available records.
State-by-State Variation in Matching Criteria
Search functionality varies by state, with each Secretary of State or business registry applying its own matching logic. Some states require highly specific input, offering little to no flexibility in name variations.
Strict Matching States
These states typically require exact input or use limited matching logic, which may include sensitivity to punctuation, spacing, suffixes, or full legal names:
- Idaho – Requires exact or near-exact input; may necessitate use of full legal names or specific wildcards.
- Nevada – Often enforces strict matching for entity suffixes (e.g., Inc., LLC).
- Mississippi – Utilizes legacy systems that demand precise name entry.
- Alabama – Matching behavior can vary by entity type but is often strict.
- Alaska – Generally follows rigid input rules.
- South Carolina – Requires exact or closely matched names for search results.
- South Dakota – Allows minimal variation; input must closely match the registered name.
- New York – Uses limited matching logic; inputs must be very close to the official entity name, with little tolerance for variation.