SEC filings now searchable using keyword function

Looking for news in SEC filings just got a lot easier, according to an AP story that states that the SEC has rolled out a search function for the thousands of documents that get posted every day in its database.

The AP story stated, “The full-text search tool allows users to enter a keyword or other search query and retrieve a list of related SEC filings, going back four years, on the SEC’s Edgar online reporting system. The tool allows searches of SEC filings by type of filing _ stock registration statement, annual or quarterly financial report, etc., by company name, by industry code or by a specific time period.

“The development of interactive data for corporate filings is one of several technology initiatives pushed by SEC Chairman Christopher Cox.

“The SEC in September awarded four contracts worth a total $54 million for its program meant to make the data in periodic financial reports easier for the public to find and understand. The use of so-called XBRL, or extensible business reporting language, will eventually replace the Edgar system, which has been in place since the 1980s.

“Cox on Tuesday called the newly available search tool ‘a milestone in our interactive data initiative.'”

Read more here.