By International Credit Reports
Start with the name on the proposed agreement
A brand is a useful way to find a business, but your research needs an identifiable company. Start with the name on the quotation, purchase order, proposed agreement, or invoice. Ask the contact to confirm the full registered name, registration jurisdiction, and company number, retaining any legal suffix and original-language spelling.
Keep the trading name in your file as an alias. Do not overwrite it with the registered name: preserving both helps another reviewer understand why the website and the company report look different. If the paperwork names multiple companies, establish each one’s role before selecting a report subject.
Build a name-reconciliation worksheet
Use one row for each document. Copy names exactly before normalizing abbreviations, punctuation, or translations. A close spelling match can help a search, but an identifier and registration jurisdiction provide a stronger basis for comparing records.
| Evidence | Record | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Website or storefront | Brand, URL, and date checked | Which company operates this brand? |
| Quotation or agreement | Named seller or buyer, address, and identifier | Is this the intended contracting company? |
| Registration record | Registered name, number, jurisdiction, and source | Does it match the company on the agreement? |
| Invoice | Issuer or billed entity and any trading-name wording | Why does this name differ from the agreement? |
Use the appropriate register as a matching source
Search the official register for the stated jurisdiction using the company number when you have it. Preserve a reference to the result and the date checked. If a business supplies an older incorporation document, look for evidence explaining any later name change instead of assuming the old and new names identify separate businesses.
For a UK example, Companies House supports searches by company name or number and provides access to company records. Registry coverage and available documents differ elsewhere. Companies House company search.
Example: an export brand and a different seller
In this hypothetical example, a website uses the brand ‘Harbor Tools’, while the proposed contract names ‘Harbor Industrial Trading Limited’. The contact provides a registration number that matches the latter name. Record the brand as context and research the named seller. If a factory with another legal name manufactures the goods, add it as a separate entity rather than silently replacing the seller.
- Ask the contact to explain the relationship in writing.
- Check that the next version of the commercial paperwork uses the intended entity.
- Keep unresolved differences visible in the request; do not choose the nearest search result simply to proceed.
Resolve the report subject
Provide the registered identity and any trading names together. If the documents still point to different companies, ask about the research scope before purchasing.