Direct lenders & credit funds
Underwriting and deal teams that need borrower principals and sponsors screened inside a signing window, not after funding.
Due Diligence— Private Credit
Private credit due diligence investigations.
Private credit due diligence investigates borrower principals, sponsors and guarantors at origination, throughout the loan and after a default — identity, litigation, liens and UCC filings, related parties and asset verification.
For direct lenders, credit funds and lender's counsel. Level 1 screening has a 48-hour average turnaround; Level 2 is custom scope for the loans that need more.
- Texas DPS licensed
- Private Investigations Company License #C31261501 Verify →
- 100% veteran & LEO
- Every investigator and analyst a veteran of the U.S. military or law enforcement
- $100B+
- Assets and crypto located since 2015. Includes casework by our team before OnTrial was founded.
- Analyst-verified
- Source-cited findings, documented chain of custody with SHA-256 hashed evidence
What it is
Know who stands behind the loan.
A guarantee is only as good as the guarantor. Collateral is only as good as the claims already on it.
Credit underwriting tests the numbers a borrower provides. Investigative due diligence tests the people: their litigation history, the liens and UCC filings already against them, the related parties behind the borrower, and whether the assets a guarantor represents actually exist.
It is part of OnTrial's due diligence practice and runs alongside asset searches, skip tracing and China & APAC due diligence. For how funds engage us, see for private credit funds.
Across the loan
At origination, through the loan, and after a default.
01
At origination
A Level 1 screen on borrower principals, sponsors and guarantors before signing. Identity, criminal, civil, watchlist, regulatory, and adverse-media screening with analyst verification.
02
Throughout the loan
Re-checks at amendments, refinancings, new guarantors or a change of control, so a new lawsuit, lien or related party surfaces before it becomes a loss.
03
After a default
Asset searches on guarantors and principals, skip tracing when they go quiet, and related-party mapping that shows where value went — for workout, enforcement and recovery.
Who this is for
Built for the people who lend the money.
Asset-based & specialty lenders
Lenders whose collateral and guarantees depend on what principals represent about their assets, entities and existing obligations.
Portfolio & workout teams
Portfolio managers watching for changes in a borrower's people, and special-situations teams preparing for a default.
Lender's counsel
Counsel who need sourced findings on guarantors and related parties for loan documents, enforcement and recovery.
What it includes
What an engagement can cover.
Identity & background
True identity, aliases and address history for each principal and guarantor, with criminal and civil history and analyst verification.
Litigation & judgments
Civil suits, judgments and bankruptcies on principals, sponsors and borrower entities — including disputes with prior lenders.
Liens & UCC filings
Tax liens, judgment liens and UCC filings that show who else has a claim on the borrower, the guarantor or the collateral.
Related parties & ownership
Affiliated entities, beneficial owners and related-party relationships behind the borrower, with sanctions, PEP and adverse-media screening.
Asset verification
Real estate, business interests and cryptocurrency-exchange accounts tied to a guarantor, checked against what the guarantor represented.
Locates for recovery
When a guarantor or principal goes quiet after a default, skip tracing confirms where they are now and supports service and enforcement.
Two tiers
Scoped to the loan.
Level 1
Comprehensive Screening
Identity, criminal, civil, watchlist, regulatory, and adverse-media screening with analyst verification. One company plus up to three principals (additional principals can be added). Requires the subject's signed authorization.
48-hour average turnaround
Level 2
Enhanced Business Intelligence
A custom-scope engagement, quoted individually: discreet source inquiries, open-source digital analysis, beneficial-ownership and OFAC 50 Percent Rule analysis, ground-truth verification, and an intelligence briefing.
Custom scope · timeline set at intake
How it works
From names to a credit-committee-ready report.
- 01
Scope
Name the borrower, principals, sponsors and guarantors, and where the loan is in its life. A case manager confirms subjects, permissible purpose and tier.
- 02
Authorize
Level 1 runs on the subject's signed authorization. Level 2 is scoped as a discreet engagement and quoted individually.
- 03
Investigate
Analysts work court records, lien and UCC filings, registries, sanctions lists and media, and escalate anything that needs a closer look.
- 04
Deliver
An analyst-verified report through the secure client portal: red-flag summary first, every finding source-cited.
The deliverable: a red-flag summary, findings by subject, and the source behind every one. Documented chain of custody with SHA-256 hashed evidence.
Texas lenders
Licensed in Texas. Working nationwide.
Where the borrower is a family, the guarantor is the credit.
Texas guarantees often rest on land, mineral and royalty interests and closely held entities. We check what a guarantor represents against county property records, recorded liens and UCC filings, and state entity records, then map the related entities that hold the rest.
OnTrial is a licensed private investigator in Texas working with Texas-based lenders, and covers borrowers anywhere through records research. Field work outside Texas is handled through vetted partners and contractors.
From a client
“OnTrial handles our fast deal-flow, effortlessly. Hyper-responsive and accurate.”
Why the work holds up
Findings a credit committee can rely on.
Written for the credit memo: what each guarantor owns, what is already pledged, and who else has a claim.
Every one of our investigators and analysts is a veteran of the U.S. military or law enforcement. Operated and advised by members of the U.S. military, law enforcement and special operations communities, and subject-matter experts in the investigations industry — decades of combined experience.
SOC 2 aligned; FCRA, GLBA, CCPA and California SB 1454 compliant. Client data is never used to train AI. See AI Governance and Data Security.
OnTrial, LLC holds Texas Department of Public Safety Private Investigations Company License #C31261501.
FAQ
Private credit due diligence, explained.
- What is private credit due diligence?
- Private credit due diligence investigates borrower principals, sponsors and guarantors at origination, throughout the loan and after a default — identity, litigation, liens and UCC filings, related parties and asset verification. It sits alongside credit underwriting: the model tests the cash flows, and investigative diligence tests the people who control them.
- Who does OnTrial investigate on a loan?
- Borrower principals, sponsors and guarantors, plus the entities they own or control. Level 1 covers one company plus up to three principals, and more principals can be added. Related-party and beneficial-ownership work identifies the people behind layered structures.
- Can OnTrial screen guarantors before signing?
- Yes. Level 1 — Comprehensive Screening has a 48-hour average turnaround on the borrower plus up to three principals or guarantors, with more added as needed. The clock starts once the subject names, loan details and each subject's signed authorization are in, so build it into the timeline before the signing date.
- Which tier fits a loan?
- Level 1 — Comprehensive Screening fits most originations and re-checks: Identity, criminal, civil, watchlist, regulatory, and adverse-media screening with analyst verification. One company plus up to three principals (additional principals can be added). Requires the subject's signed authorization. Larger or more complex credits, layered sponsor structures and pre-enforcement work call for Level 2 — Enhanced Business Intelligence. A custom-scope engagement, quoted individually: discreet source inquiries, open-source digital analysis, beneficial-ownership and OFAC 50 Percent Rule analysis, ground-truth verification, and an intelligence briefing.
- Can OnTrial help after a borrower defaults?
- Yes. OnTrial runs asset searches on guarantors and principals, skip tracing to locate parties who have gone quiet, and related-party mapping that shows where assets moved. The work supports lender's counsel in workout, enforcement and recovery.
- Does OnTrial work with Texas lenders and out-of-state borrowers?
- Yes. OnTrial, LLC is licensed by the Texas Department of Public Safety as a Private Investigations Company (#C31261501). It works with Texas-based lenders and examines family-owned and energy-sector borrowers. Borrowers anywhere in the U.S. or abroad are covered through records research, and field work outside Texas is handled through vetted partners and contractors.
- Does OnTrial trace a borrower's cryptocurrency?
- A Global CryptoScan identifies potential cryptocurrency-exchange and payment-app accounts linked to a principal's known identifiers. On-chain cryptocurrency tracing is a separate custom engagement on retainer.
Know who you're lending to.
Become an OnTrial client and order due diligence directly through the secure client portal. No subscription, no monthly fees.