📖 Skip Tracing Glossary & Terminology
Comprehensive Dictionary of Skip Tracing, Debt Collection, Judgment Enforcement, and Investigation Terms — The Definitive Reference for Legal and Financial Professionals — 2025
The skip tracing, debt collection, and legal investigation industries use specialized terminology that can be confusing for newcomers and even experienced professionals working across different specialties. This glossary defines over 100 key terms used in skip tracing, judgment enforcement, service of process, asset investigation, and related fields. Whether you are an attorney, debt collector, process server, private investigator, landlord, or creditor, this reference helps you understand the language of the industry. 📖
🅰️ A
📌 Abstract of Judgment
A court-issued document summarizing a judgment — including the judgment creditor, judgment debtor, amount, interest rate, and case number. Filing (recording) an abstract of judgment with the county recorder creates a judgment lien on real property owned by the debtor in that county.
📌 Adverse Action
Under the FCRA, any action taken against a consumer based on information in a consumer report — such as denial of employment, credit, insurance, or housing. The FCRA requires specific notice procedures before and after taking adverse action.
📌 Alter Ego Liability
A legal doctrine allowing courts to “pierce the corporate veil” and hold individual owners personally liable for the debts of their LLC or corporation. Applies when the business entity was used as a personal alter ego with no separation between business and personal finances. See our alter ego liability guide.
📌 Asset Search
An investigation to identify property, vehicles, business interests, and other assets owned by an individual or business. Used in judgment collection, pre-litigation assessment, and due diligence. See our asset search services.
🅱️ B
📌 Batch Skip Tracing
Processing multiple skip trace requests simultaneously — common for collection agencies, property managers, and law firms that need to locate many individuals at once. Batch processing is typically faster and more cost-effective per search than individual requests.
📌 Bond (Surety Bond)
A financial guarantee required by some states for collection agencies and private investigators as a condition of licensing. The bond protects consumers against illegal or unethical practices by providing a source of compensation.
📌 Business Asset Search
An investigation focused on identifying the assets, ownership structure, officers, and financial condition of a business entity. Includes Secretary of State filings, UCC filings, property records, and other public records. See our business asset search services.
🅲 C
📌 Cease and Desist Letter
Under the FDCPA, a written notice from a consumer directing a debt collector to stop all communication. Once received, the collector must cease contact except to confirm compliance or notify of specific legal actions.
📌 Consumer Report
Under the FCRA, any communication from a consumer reporting agency that bears on a consumer’s creditworthiness, character, reputation, or personal characteristics, used for employment, credit, insurance, or rental decisions. Includes credit reports, background checks, and tenant screening reports.
📌 Credit Bureau Header
The non-financial identifying information at the top of a credit file — name, address, SSN, date of birth, and employer. Credit headers are a primary data source for skip tracing because they provide current address and employer information without revealing credit account details.
🅳 D
📌 DBA (Doing Business As)
A trade name or fictitious business name under which a person or entity conducts business. DBA filings connect trade names to the legal entity behind them — essential for identifying whom to sue and serve when a business operates under a trade name.
📌 Debtor Examination
A court proceeding (also called supplemental proceedings, examination of judgment debtor, or citation to discover assets) in which a judgment debtor is compelled to appear and answer questions under oath about their income, assets, bank accounts, and financial condition. See our debtor examination guide.
📌 DPPA (Driver’s Privacy Protection Act)
A federal law (18 U.S.C. §§ 2721-2725) restricting access to personal information in state motor vehicle records. Allows access for 14 specific permissible uses including litigation, service of process, and judgment enforcement. See our DPPA guide.
📌 Due Diligence Declaration
A sworn statement filed with a court documenting the efforts made to locate and serve a defendant. Required when seeking permission for alternative service methods such as service by publication. See our due diligence declaration guide.
🅴 E
📌 Exempt Assets
Property that is legally protected from seizure by creditors under state and federal exemption laws. Common exemptions include a homestead exemption (primary residence equity up to a certain amount), retirement accounts, personal clothing, tools of trade, and certain vehicle equity. See our exempt vs non-exempt assets by state guide.
📌 Execution (Writ of Execution)
A court order directing the sheriff or marshal to seize a judgment debtor’s non-exempt assets to satisfy a judgment. The writ authorizes bank levies, wage garnishments, and seizure of personal and real property. See our writ of execution guide.
🅵 F
📌 FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act)
Federal law (15 U.S.C. § 1681) governing the collection, dissemination, and use of consumer information including credit reports, background checks, and tenant screening reports. Requires permissible purposes and adverse action procedures. See our FCRA compliance guide.
📌 FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act)
Federal law (15 U.S.C. § 1692) governing how third-party debt collectors communicate with consumers and third parties. Prohibits harassment, deception, and unfair practices. Limits when and how collectors can contact debtors and third parties. See our FDCPA guide.
📌 Fraudulent Conveyance (Fraudulent Transfer)
The transfer of assets by a debtor for the purpose of placing them beyond the reach of creditors. Courts can void fraudulent transfers and recover the assets. See our fraudulent conveyance guide.
🅶 G
📌 Garnishment (Wage Garnishment)
A court-ordered process requiring a debtor’s employer to withhold a portion of the debtor’s wages and send them directly to the judgment creditor. Federal law limits garnishment to 25% of disposable earnings; some states impose lower limits. See our wage garnishment guide.
📌 GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act)
Federal law governing how financial institutions handle consumer financial information. Most critically for skip tracers, the GLBA prohibits pretexting — obtaining financial information through false pretenses. Violations carry up to 5 years imprisonment. See our GLBA guide.
🅷 H
📌 Heir Location (Heir Search)
The process of identifying and locating heirs, beneficiaries, and next of kin in probate and estate matters. Required when estates must be distributed and not all beneficiaries can be found. See our heir location services.
📌 Homestead Exemption
A legal protection that shields a portion of a homeowner’s equity in their primary residence from seizure by most creditors. The amount of protected equity varies dramatically by state — from a few thousand dollars in some states to unlimited protection in Florida and Texas.
🅸 I
📌 Investigative Consumer Report
Under the FCRA, a consumer report that includes information obtained through personal interviews with neighbors, associates, and acquaintances. Has additional disclosure requirements beyond standard consumer reports.
🅹 J
📌 Judgment
A court order establishing that one party owes money to another. A judgment gives the creditor legal authority to use enforcement tools — writs of execution, bank levies, wage garnishments, and property liens — to collect the debt. See our judgment collection guide.
📌 Judgment Lien
A lien placed on real property owned by a judgment debtor. Created by recording an abstract of judgment with the county recorder. The lien attaches to all real property owned by the debtor in that county and must be satisfied when the property is sold or refinanced. See our judgment lien guide.
🅻 L
📌 Levy
The legal seizure of a debtor’s assets to satisfy a judgment. Bank levies freeze and seize funds in the debtor’s bank accounts. Personal property levies seize tangible assets. Both require a writ of execution. See our levy guide.
📌 Long-Arm Statute
A state law that allows courts to exercise jurisdiction over out-of-state defendants who have sufficient contacts with the state — such as conducting business, owning property, or committing a tort within the state. Relevant when serving someone in another state.
🅼 M
📌 Managing Agent
A person with sufficient authority within an organization that it is reasonable to expect they would deliver legal documents to decision-makers. Relevant in business entity service of process — a managing agent may accept service on behalf of a corporation.
🅽 N
📌 NPI (Nonpublic Personal Information)
Under the GLBA, any personally identifiable financial information provided to a financial institution — including account numbers, balances, transaction history, SSN (when linked to financial accounts), and income. Protected from disclosure without consent or permissible purpose.
🅿️ P
📌 Permissible Purpose
A legally authorized reason for accessing protected information. The FCRA lists permissible purposes for consumer reports (employment, credit, insurance, rental). The DPPA lists 14 permissible uses for motor vehicle records. Accessing protected records without a permissible purpose is illegal.
📌 Personal Service
Hand-delivery of legal documents directly to the named individual. Generally considered the most reliable form of service of process and required as the first attempt in most jurisdictions before alternative service methods can be used.
📌 Pretexting
Obtaining someone’s personal information (especially financial information) through false pretenses, deception, or impersonation. A federal crime under the GLBA punishable by up to 5 years in prison and $100,000 in fines. The most important legal boundary for skip tracers to understand.
📌 Process Server
A person authorized to deliver legal documents (summons, complaints, subpoenas, court orders) to parties in a legal proceeding. Most states require process servers to be over 18 and not a party to the case. Some states require registration or licensing. See our skip tracing for process servers guide.
📌 Proof of Service (Affidavit of Service)
A signed, sworn document filed with the court confirming that legal documents were properly served. Identifies who was served, when, where, and by what method. Required for the court to proceed with the case.
🅡 R
📌 Registered Agent
A person or entity designated by an LLC, corporation, or other business entity to receive service of process and official government correspondence on its behalf. Every business entity is required to maintain a registered agent. See our business service guide.
📌 Renewal of Judgment
The legal process of extending a judgment beyond its initial enforcement period. Judgments typically expire after a set number of years (often 10) but can be renewed before expiration to extend enforcement rights.
🅢 S
📌 Service by Publication
A method of serving legal documents by publishing a summons in a newspaper of general circulation when the defendant cannot be located through diligent efforts. Requires a court order and a due diligence showing. See our service by publication guide.
📌 Skip / Skip Out
Industry slang for a person who has left their last known location without providing forwarding information — typically to avoid a debt, lawsuit, or other obligation. The origin of the term “skip tracing.”
📌 Skip Tracing
The process of locating a person who cannot be found at their last known address. Uses a combination of proprietary databases, public records, investigative techniques, and cross-referencing to find current addresses, phone numbers, employers, and assets. See our skip tracing services.
📌 Statute of Limitations
The legal time limit within which a lawsuit must be filed or a judgment must be enforced. Varies by state and by type of claim. Once expired, the claim is generally unenforceable. See our statute of limitations by state guide.
📌 Substituted Service
An alternative method of serving legal documents when personal service cannot be accomplished — typically by leaving documents with another responsible adult at the defendant’s home or workplace, followed by mailing a copy. Requires prior attempts at personal service. See our substituted service guide.
📌 Supplemental Proceedings
Post-judgment proceedings used to discover a debtor’s assets and compel payment. Includes debtor examinations, orders to produce documents, and orders to assign rights to payment. See our debtor examination guide.
🅣 T
📌 Third-Party Contact
Under the FDCPA (Section 1692b), a debt collector’s contact with someone other than the debtor for the purpose of obtaining location information. Strictly regulated — the collector may not reveal the debt, may not contact the same person more than once (absent changed circumstances), and must identify themselves.
📌 Till Tap (Cash Register Levy)
A type of business asset levy where the sheriff physically enters the debtor’s business and seizes cash from the cash register and/or safe. Used when a business debtor refuses to pay a judgment. Also called a “keeper levy” when the sheriff stations a keeper at the business to collect receipts.
🅤 U
📌 UCC Filing (Uniform Commercial Code)
A public record filed to perfect a security interest in personal property — such as equipment, inventory, or accounts receivable. UCC filings reveal who has loaned money to a business and what collateral secures those loans. A valuable source of financial intelligence in business asset searches.
🅥 V
📌 Veil Piercing
See “Alter Ego Liability.” The legal action of disregarding the limited liability protection of an LLC or corporation to hold individual owners personally responsible. See our alter ego liability guide.
📌 Vehicle Asset Search
An investigation to identify vehicles registered to an individual or business — including cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, and aircraft. Vehicle records reveal current addresses (where the vehicle is registered) and identifiable assets that may be seized to satisfy judgments. See our vehicle asset search services.
🅦 W
📌 Wage Garnishment
See “Garnishment.” A court-ordered withholding of a portion of a debtor’s wages to satisfy a judgment. Requires identifying the debtor’s employer. See our wage garnishment guide.
📌 Writ of Execution
A court order authorizing the sheriff or marshal to seize a judgment debtor’s non-exempt assets. The primary enforcement tool in judgment collection. See our writ of execution guide.
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📋 Disclaimer
This glossary is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Legal definitions may vary by state and by court. People Locator Skip Tracing provides professional skip tracing and investigation services — we do not provide legal advice or legal representation. Information current as of 2025.
