How does Baselayer match my search to a registration, and what makes a match strong?

Last updated: September 15, 2026

A business search starts with the name. We look for Secretary of State registrations whose name matches what you entered, then use the other inputs you provide to pick the right one and to judge how confident the match is.

The more you give us, the better the match:

  • Name is required and drives the search. The full legal name works best; a trade name or abbreviation can match a different entity with a similar name.

  • Address narrows candidates to the right business when several share a name, and is compared against the registration.

  • State tells us where to look first and matters most when the same name is registered in several states.

  • Officer names confirm the association between the people you know and the registration we found.

  • TIN is verified separately with the IRS and feeds the rating.

The response tells you how good the match is:

  • business_name_match: Exact, Similar, or No Match between what you entered and the legal name and alternative names of the business.

  • business_address_match: Exact, Similar, City, State or No Match between what you entered and the addresses listed in the Baselayer business profile.

  • business_officer_match and registered_agent_match: how any officer names you submitted compare to the filing.

  • verified: true when the overall KYB rating is A or B. It reflects the match quality together with the registration’s status and standing and any watchlist hits, so a business can have an Exact name match and still not be verified if its registration is inactive.

What most customers treat as a strong match:

  • Exact name match plus an Exact address match

  • Exact name match plus a Similar, City or State address match

  • Similar name match plus an Exact address match

  • Officer matches when there are similar name and address matches

If you see a lot of No Match results, check what you are searching. Sole proprietors and businesses that have never registered with a Secretary of State have no registration to match, so No Match is the expected outcome for them.