Account discovery
How to find hidden bank accounts, legally
Nobody can lawfully hand you a stranger's balance. What is obtainable are the records that name their banks — and once you can name the institution, a subpoena or garnishment does the rest. Ledgerhound finds the institution, the entity that holds the account, and the filing that proves the link.
Signals that money is being hidden
Lenders named on filings
A UCC-1 or mortgage names a secured party. Operating accounts almost always sit at the same institution as the credit relationship.
Payment trails in litigation
Exhibits, settlement records and court-filed statements routinely disclose routing details, payer banks and account holders.
Entities that receive the money
The subject may be thin on paper while an LLC formed last year collects the receipts. Accounts follow the entity, not the person.
Round-number and layered transfers
Repeated even-dollar movements between related parties indicate a staging account rather than genuine trade activity.
What is legal and what is not
Buying account balances from a data broker, pretexting a bank, or accessing someone's online banking is illegal and destroys your case. Everything Ledgerhound does relies on lawfully accessible records, and every finding arrives with the filing behind it so it survives a challenge.
Records that name the institution
Bank relationships surface indirectly in filings that are public by design. These are the highest-yield sources.
- UCC-1 financing statements — the secured party is usually the subject's bank
- Mortgages and deeds of trust naming the lender
- Judgment liens, tax liens and garnishment records from prior creditors
- Court exhibits: cancelled checks, wire confirmations, settlement instructions
- Corporate filings that reveal the entity actually holding operating funds
From lead to subpoena
A named institution plus a named account holder is enough for counsel to serve a subpoena or a garnishment. The work before that step is what determines whether the subpoena hits or wastes a month.
- Confirm the exact legal name and jurisdiction of the account holder
- Match the institution to a branch or service address for service
- Sequence institutions by likelihood so the first subpoena is the strongest
Why the entity graph matters more than the person
Concealed funds move to entities the subject controls but does not obviously own. Ledgerhound maps shells, nominees and shared registered agents, then scores each connection so counsel knows which entity to name on the subpoena.
Model the economics, then open the file
The estimator shows what a trace returns against its cost. When the numbers work, secure intake takes about five minutes.
Common questions
Can you tell me someone's account balance?
No, and neither can anyone else lawfully. We identify the institutions and account holders, with the source filings attached. Balances come from a subpoena, garnishment or discovery served by your counsel.
Do bank-account search services that promise balances work?
Services promising live balances are typically either fabricating results or obtaining data unlawfully, which can taint your case. Insist on a source document for every claim — that is the standard we hold ourselves to.
What does an account discovery trace cost?
A single case trace is $499 one-time. Recurring work runs on Solo Desk at $299/mo (three traces) or Case Desk at $2,400/mo (unlimited, with analyst review).
What information should I bring?
Full legal name, known addresses, any business names, and any prior filings or judgments you already hold. Existing court documents frequently contain the banking details we can confirm and expand.
Ledgerhound works only from lawfully accessible records. We locate assets and evidence; enforcement runs through your counsel and the courts. Nothing here is legal advice.