Fun with the new SEC search function

On Tuesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced that company filings would now be searchable through a new function on the agency’s web site.

This afternoon was the first time that I’ve had to play around with it, and I must say that I am duly impressed.

Here is what you get when you search for mentions of “country club memberships” in SEC filings.

Here is what you get when searching for companies that offer their executives “personal use of corporate aircraft.”

Here is what I found when I searched for mentions of “backdated stock options.”

And here is what I got when I searched for my hometown of “Auburn, Ala.”

I realize that I have now exposed myself as a total geek by playing around with the SEC search function on a Thursday evening. But this kind of search function opens up a whole bunch of possibilities for business journalists. When you’re writing a story about a trend in corporate management or executive compensation, think of how easy it will be to search for other examples to support your trend.

Also, think of how easy it will be to find business news in cities and towns where public companies have operations, but there aren’t headquarters there. Two thumbs up for this new tool for business journalists.

Here is the link to the search function.