> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nextlevelmca.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How do I search PACER for bankruptcies and court cases?

> Connect your own PACER account and search federal court records for a deal's business and owners.

PACER is the federal courts' public records system. From a deal's **Underwrite** tab you can check whether the business or an owner has filed for bankruptcy or is a party to a federal civil or criminal case. Searches run on **your own PACER account**, and PACER bills that account for them.

<Note>
  Connecting PACER needs Settings access (admins, or a role that includes it). Anyone who can edit deals can run a search.
</Note>

## What PACER will and won't find

PACER covers federal courts only: bankruptcy courts, and federal civil and criminal cases. It does **not** include state courts, so most MCA lawsuits (for example funder suits and confessions of judgment in state court) and UCC liens won't show up. A clear PACER search doesn't mean the merchant has no court history.

## What it costs

PACER charges your account, not NextLevel MCA. Each search costs about $0.10, even when nothing is found, so searching the business and an owner together is about $0.20. PACER doesn't bill an account whose usage in a quarter is \$30 or less. The fee PACER reports is shown next to each result.

Nothing runs by itself: every search is started by someone clicking **Search**.

## Connect your account

<Steps>
  <Step title="Use a search-only PACER account">
    Register a PACER account for searching at pacer.uscourts.gov, or use one you already have. Don't use an attorney filing account.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open Settings → Integrations">
    On the **PACER** card, click **Connect**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter your login">
    Fill in **PACER username** and **Password**, the ones you sign in to pacer.uscourts.gov with.

    * **Client code** is optional. Only fill it in if your PACER account asks for one to search.
    * **Two-factor secret key** is optional. Only fill it in if the account has two-factor sign-in. It's the key shown under the QR code in Manage My Account on PACER.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect & test">
    Click **Connect & test**. The login is stored encrypted, checked once, and never shown again.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Once connected, the PACER card in Settings has **Test**, **Replace** and **Disconnect**, and a switch in its header to turn PACER off without forgetting the login. Disconnecting deletes the login; searches already on deals are kept.

## Search a deal

The **PACER** card is on the deal's **Underwrite** tab, under DataMerch.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start a search">
    Click **Search PACER** (or **New search** if there are results already).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose who to search">
    Pick **Business**, **Owner** or **Both**. The business name is filled in from the legal name on file, without the "LLC" or "Inc" part so every spelling of it matches. The owner's name is filled in from the deal; if the business has more than one owner, pick one from the list. You can type a different name.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Narrow it if you want">
    * For a business, the search finds names that **start with** what you typed. Tick **Exact name only** to match the name exactly.
    * For an owner, the search matches the exact first and last name. Tick **Include names that start the same** to widen it.
    * **Bankruptcies only** leaves out civil and criminal cases.
    * **Match last 4 of SSN** appears when the owner on file has the last four digits of their SSN saved. It's on by default: it sends those four digits so only that person's bankruptcies come back, and the result is marked **SSN match**. It limits the search to bankruptcies.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Search">
    The form shows what PACER will bill before you click **Search**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Reading the results

The card header shows **Clear** when nothing was found, or the number of records found. Each search shows who was searched, when and by whom, how the name was matched, and the fee.

Each record shows:

* the party's name and role. A debtor in a bankruptcy or a defendant in a criminal case is red, a defendant or respondent in any other case is amber, and other roles (such as a creditor or plaintiff) are grey
* the type of case, for example **Bankruptcy · Ch. 7**, **Civil** or **Criminal**
* the case title, court, case number, date filed, and whether it's open, closed, dismissed or discharged
* a **Docket** link, which opens the case on the court's site. PACER sign-in and fees apply there.

The card lists the first few records; click **Show all** for the rest. Each search brings back one page of results, newest first. If PACER has more matches than that, the card says so. Narrow the search with an exact name or **Bankruptcies only**.

Records match by name unless marked **SSN match**, so check the party name and the court before relying on one.

## Searching again

* An identical search from the last 24 hours is shown again instead of asking PACER, so it isn't billed twice.
* **Again** on a result asks PACER again, which bills a new search.
* Results are saved to the business, so the next deal for the same merchant shows them without paying again.
* Every search is written to the deal's activity log.

## Common problems

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="There's no PACER card on the Underwrite tab">
    The card only shows when PACER is connected and switched on. Someone with Settings access connects it, or turns its switch back on, under **Settings → Integrations**. People with that access see a line on the Underwrite tab naming what isn't connected yet. A deal searched before PACER was disconnected or turned off still shows those results, read-only.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A search failed">
    The card shows what went wrong and what to do, for example when PACER isn't responding or rejected the login. A search PACER didn't answer isn't saved and isn't billed. If the login was rejected, ask someone with Settings access to **Test** the connection and **Replace** the login if it changed.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Too many results">
    A common name can match hundreds of cases. Tick **Exact name only** (business) or leave **Include names that start the same** off (owner), or tick **Bankruptcies only**.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.