What Is OldCompany.com and What Does It Do?

Updated

OldCompany.com is the online home of the Old Company Stock Research Service, a paid research service that investigates old stock and bond certificates to determine whether they still carry value. It is aimed at people who hold certificates from companies that no longer trade on an exchange or cannot be found through a normal internet search. The site presents itself as an accredited Better Business Bureau member with an A+ rating and states that it charges no hidden fees.

What the service actually does

When a stock or bond certificate is old, the company name printed on it may no longer match anything active. The research service answers the questions that follow from that:

  • Did the company go out of business?
  • Is it operating under a different name?
  • Was it acquired by another company?
  • How do you contact the current company?
  • Does the certificate have collector value?

The site notes that old stock and bond certificates may still be valuable even if the stock no longer trades under the name printed on the certificate. That is the core problem the service exists to solve: tracing a defunct or renamed company forward to whatever entity, if any, now carries its obligations.

Who runs it and how long it has operated

The service is managed by Bob Kerstein, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). He has been a CPA since 1978 and is a member of the California Society of CPAs, the Virginia Society of CPAs, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Before founding the service, he worked as a Chief Financial Officer for both public and non-public companies.

The site states the research has been performed continuously since 1880 — 142 years at the time of the page — and has been on the internet since 1996. It also states that the service is the successor to the archives, publishing rights, and copyrights on obsolete research reference material originally published by the Marvyn Scudders Manuals, the Robert D. Fisher Manuals, R.M. Smythe, and the Herzog & Co., Inc. obsolete research services.

Credibility signals listed on the site

Signal What the site states
Better Business Bureau Accredited member, rated A+ (highest rating)
Fees No hidden fees
Track record Research performed continuously since 1880
Online presence Operating on the internet since 1996
Principal Bob Kerstein, CPA, CGMA

These are the site's own claims. If you are deciding whether to use the service, treat them as the starting point for your own check — for example, verifying the Better Business Bureau listing directly — rather than as independent confirmation.

When this service is relevant to you

It fits a specific situation: you have acquired old stock or bond certificates from anywhere in the world, the company is no longer traded on an exchange, and you cannot locate it on the internet. If the company is still active and easy to find, you likely do not need a research service — you can contact the company or its transfer agent directly. If your certificate is from a company that is clearly still trading under the same name, start there instead.