Author: johnpratt

At our house we have an ongoing game of coming up with names for a hypothetical band, despite the fact that none of us are currently in one. Because I work in the due diligence industry, I think we should call the band “Perfected Deed”. It’s an awesome name, but my teenage sons aren’t having… Continue reading A U.C.C. Glossary: Confusing Terms and Their Definitions

Filing a business license with the City of Chicago can, in fact, go smoothly – especially when you work through a licensed expediter like Boomerang. But many applicants start the process confused and with misconceptions that can come back to haunt them later. Taking a minute to get clear up front information can save you… Continue reading Business License: Five Must-Know Facts Before Filing

The other day we got an interesting order.  A request came in to do a search on a former school property.  When initial online inquiries yielded very little, we decided we’d need to go on site and made the decision to send our head of Title, Dave Albrecht, on the road – dispatching him to… Continue reading Going the Extra Mile

Last spring, Forbes published an article that cited a growing demand for digital mortgages. With Baby Boomers moving out of the home-buying market, and impatient millennials entering it, lenders are feeling the pressure to speed up. Not so fast, says Forbes. Despite customer desire for mortgages to be accessible through a quick on-line click-thru process,… Continue reading Speed and Accuracy – The Way of the Future

What do King Arthur Flour, New Belgium Brewing, Eileen Fisher, and Kleen Kanteen all have in common? Each of these companies is a certified B Corp: businesses that meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. And in 2016, Boomerang joined their ranks. Why… Continue reading Putting the B in Boomerang

In a complex unfolding story, it appears that Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia may have underreported her 2017 income by almost a third.  Enyia’s financial troubles may, in fact, run deeper as reporting by the Chicago Tribune reveals that the IRS filed a tax lien against her for errors on her taxes in 2011-2013, and… Continue reading The Race for Public Records: Investigating Chicago’s 14 Mayoral Candidates

By: John Pratt Who knew collateral could be so much fun? Here in Chicago, a well-known restaurateur is financing his newest venture with a loan obtained with his aging wine collection as collateral. Rather than simply letting his $300,000 wine collection age for years in a forgotten cellar, Nick Gangas decided to put it to… Continue reading The Ultimate Liquid Asset