Everything plaintiff attorneys ask about insurance policy search.

An insurance policy search is a focused investigative engagement to identify the insurance coverage carried by a specific party — typically a defendant in plaintiff litigation. The deliverable is a structured coverage map showing the primary carrier, policy number where lawfully disclosed, layered excess and umbrella policies, and a permissible-purpose attestation. It is distinct from a general "background check" because it is performed by a licensed investigator under a documented legal basis.

Plaintiff law firms exclusively. We do not work for defendants, insurance carriers, or third-party claim administrators. The reason is structural: our entire methodology is built around the plaintiff-side coverage-discovery question, and the conflict of interest in serving both sides is irreconcilable.

Standard turnaround is 4–72 hrs. Rush requests are accommodated when records are accessible — same-day on simple auto cases, 24 hours on most commercial files. Wrongful death and trial-prep matters get priority routing.

Pricing depends on case complexity. Simple auto cases are priced at a flat per-search rate. Commercial trucking and product-liability cases — which involve mapping multiple-layer coverage towers — are priced based on scope. Call us or request a search and we will quote before any work begins. We never charge for files we cannot complete.

Yes. We operate under FDACS A1800135, issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The license is active and in good standing. Our investigators can testify to any search if the disclosure is challenged.

Yes. Every search file documents the permissible-purpose basis under GLBA §6802 / DPPA §2721(b) / FCRA framework, logs each record touched with source attribution, and is signed by the licensed investigator. If opposing counsel deposes the basis, our investigator is available to testify.

GLBA §6802 prohibits financial institutions from disclosing non-public personal information. §6802(e) carves out exceptions — including disclosures in connection with an actual or threatened legal proceeding. Plaintiff litigation typically qualifies under this exception. We document the §6802(e) basis on every search file.

The Driver's Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. §2721) restricts disclosure of personal information from state DMV records. §2721(b) lists 14 permissible uses, including §2721(b)(4) — use in connection with court proceedings, including anticipation of litigation. Plaintiff-side coverage searches typically log under §2721(b)(4).

No. Credit reports are governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act and require their own permissible purpose. Our work does not implicate FCRA because we are not pulling consumer reports — we are locating insurance coverage that already exists.

About 14% of our PI searches conclude with no policy beyond statutory minimums. When that happens we route the analysis into your client's UM/UIM stack — we map your client's own auto policy, any resident-relative policies in the household, and any employer-fleet UM coverage. UM/UIM cases settle on the cumulative stack, which most attorneys do not map fully.

Yes. That is the most valuable part of what we do. A defendant's carrier will volunteer the primary policy because it has to — but umbrella and excess layers are rarely disclosed pre-suit. Finding the umbrella often converts a policy-limits letter at primary into a multi-million-dollar settlement conversation.

Yes. Commercial searches are our specialty for trucking, premises, and product-liability cases. We map the primary motor-carrier liability, MCS-90 endorsements, excess layers, broker contingent coverage, and any umbrella sitting at the parent-entity level. Commercial coverage towers often run four or five policies deep.

Yes. Hit-and-run is one of our highest-volume search types — particularly in Miami. We work the vehicle identification, registered-owner lookup, and carrier verification, then pivot to your client's UM stack if the at-fault cannot be identified or insured.

Yes. We are headquartered in Miami and operate nationwide. Every state has its own DMV system and insurance department, and we have records access fluency in all of them. Our state-specific landing pages describe the practice mix in each state.

A structured coverage map. It includes: (1) primary carrier name and policy number where lawfully disclosed, (2) effective dates, (3) any excess or umbrella layers, (4) for commercial cases, the full coverage tower, (5) source citations for each finding, (6) a permissible-purpose attestation signed by the licensed investigator. The format drops into your damages workup.

No — and neither can any compliant search firm pre-suit. The actual policy text is the carrier's proprietary document and is produced under subpoena post-suit. What we deliver is the coverage map you need to size your demand and decide whether to file. Once you subpoena, we can advise on scope.

Yes. Our investigator is licensed, the search file documents the basis, and we are available for deposition testimony at standard expert-witness rates. We provide written attestation letters on request without additional charge.

We operate nationwide from Miami. The license that matters is the one held by the investigator running the search — we hold that license. State-specific records access is a function of having permissible-purpose documentation and the relationships with state insurance verification systems. We have that everywhere.

Yes — redacted, on request. Email Operations@policysearchusa.com or call (888) 831-FIND and we will send a redacted exemplar that shows the structure and format of the deliverable.

Our parent firm, Miami Private Investigations, has been in licensed practice since 2015 — 11 years. The PolicySearchUSA practice line developed organically out of repeated plaintiff-attorney engagements asking for the same thing: structured, defensible coverage maps.

PolicySearchUSA is the public-facing practice line of Miami Private Investigations. Our investigators include former U.S. Military Intelligence officers, former federal/state/local law enforcement, and former corporate due-diligence analysts. The firm holds FDACS A1800135.

Yes. We do not disclose engagement to anyone other than the commissioning firm. We do not market client lists. We do not publish case studies without explicit written consent and anonymization. The relationship is governed by professional-confidentiality norms, not data-broker terms of service.

Yes — and most of our clients are. The firm is Florida-licensed but our service is nationwide. The license is what makes the search defensible; the service is geography-agnostic.

Yes. Rush requests are accommodated based on record accessibility. Most auto cases turn same-day on rush. Commercial cases vary based on the number of entities and layers. Rush pricing is quoted upfront.

Minimum: the defendant's name and last known address (or, for commercial defendants, the entity name and state of incorporation). For vehicle cases, the VIN, plate, or vehicle description. For wrongful death and catastrophic cases, the incident date and brief facts so we can scope. Permissible-purpose basis is documented from your retainer / case status.

Limited. We can locate U.S. coverage on overseas-headquartered entities (most international defendants carry U.S. coverage through U.S. subsidiaries or distributors). We typically cannot reach overseas carriers directly. For international cases, we work with local counsel and U.S.-facing entity coverage.

The search file includes the structured coverage map, a permissible-purpose attestation letter signed by the licensed investigator, source citations on every finding, and the investigator's availability for follow-up questions at no additional charge. Deposition testimony is billed at standard expert-witness rates if requested.

Invoice on completion. Payment terms net-15. We accept ACH, check, and credit card. Larger engagements may be retainer-billed with milestone draws — discussed at engagement.

Yes. If your client's UM/UIM carrier is preparing to subrogate against the at-fault, we run the at-fault coverage search and deliver the file to the carrier's subrogation counsel. We are coverage-side specialists; the subrogation strategy stays with the carrier.

We tell you. We do not invoice for searches that produce no actionable coverage information — that is our risk, not yours. The exception is when the search confirms a verifiable "no coverage" status that has independent value (e.g., to support UM/UIM tender); in that case, we invoice at a reduced rate and the attestation is the deliverable.