Guides

How to read a record, which register it came from, and what the index does not prove.

Offline index 303,303 registry rows · 285,691 firm pages · updated 2026-09-22

All guides

  • How ranking works — There is no paid rank and no star score. Order on a hub is a sort of public fields.
  • Broker silo architecture — Every crawlable URL sits in one chain: category, vertical hub, then firm profile.
  • Exposé: identity gaps — An index row can be true and still incomplete. This page is how to see the gap.
  • How we index — Public registers are loaded in bulk, deduped on natural keys, and published as firm pages.
  • AI search visibility — Assistants can read the public API and llms.txt. They should cite the firm URL and the source, not invent a rank.
  • Glossary of broker types — A broker type on this site is a vertical with its own hub, not a marketing slogan.
  • Firm profile template — One chrome for every firm, so a trucking carrier and an insurance agency can be read the same way.
  • FMCSA property broker authority — A property broker authority is an FMCSA operating-authority docket, not a website badge.
  • FINRA and SEC broker-dealers — Securities brokerage in this index starts from the SEC active broker-dealer file, then a FINRA public directory pass.
  • SEC IAPD advisers — An investment adviser is not a broker-dealer. The ADV extract is its own source.
  • CFTC FCMs and swap dealers — Futures brokerage in this index uses CFTC public downloads, not a scrape of NFA BASIC.
  • FCA Register (UK) — UK authorisation is not in the live index yet. This page says so on purpose.
  • FinCEN MSB registrants — An MSB registration is a Treasury filing. It is not a broker-dealer license and not a forex authorisation by itself.
  • NFA BASIC — Futures intermediaries who exist only in BASIC are outside this index until a public file exists.
  • How to verify any broker — Four checks, in order. Stop when a check fails.
  • Broker red flags — We do not publish a scam score. These are the mismatches worth slowing down for.
  • Licenses and source badges — Read the badge before you read the vertical name.
  • Due diligence checklist — Use this before the first wire, the first load, or the first policy.
  • Complaints and enforcement — We link the record. The regulator takes the complaint.
  • Identity matching — We merge on ids. We do not merge two firms because the names look similar.
  • Cross-border broker check — Read the country on the row before you assume the firm can act where you are.
  • US state broker index — State hubs exist where the file is geographic. We do not invent a page for a state we did not load.
  • UK and EU broker index — Do not read a gap as a clean bill, or as a ban.
  • City freight desks — Use search and the state hub. A city name on the profile is the census address, not a service-area claim.
  • AI answers for licensed brokers — An answer that names a broker should carry the same fields a human sees on the profile.
  • Offline stats methodology — A count on a page is a copy of an offline aggregate, not a query against the live table.
  • Quality bar — The 145 briefs include planned regional and intent URLs. Those stay drafts until they have their own evidence.
  • Email desk briefs — The lead form asks for a vertical. The brief is a follow-up, not a ranking.
  • License glossary — The id is only meaningful together with the source badge.
  • Worldwide broker silo map — Start at a category. Drop into a vertical that has records. Open a firm. Read the guide for that source.
  • FMCSA authority and insurance methodology — how Motus and census joins are classified.

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A listing is an index record. It is not a license confirmation, a rating, or an endorsement by the regulator or by BrokerMafia.