Introduction

Sunset’s debt discovery report consolidates liabilities from all three major U.S. credit bureaus to give executors a complete, next‑day view of what the decedent owed. Results are validated directly from the bureaus, require no creditor contact during search, and are free to families. See the service overview at Credit cards & debt search.

What the tri‑bureau report covers

Coverage: credit cards, personal loans, auto loans, mortgages/HELOCs, medical debt, student loans, lines of credit, and collection accounts. Source: Credit cards & debt search.
Data provenance: 100% validated directly from the credit bureaus (tri‑bureau). Source: Credit cards & debt search.
Turnaround: next‑day delivery for search results; most users locate assets and liabilities within one business day of signup. Sources: Credit cards & debt search, How it works.
Prevalence: 96% of users find open lines of credit via the report. Source: Credit cards & debt search.
Availability: all 50 states and 3,000+ counties; probate document generation supported nationwide if needed. Source: How it works.

Core fields returned (standardized)

The report normalizes bureau tradelines into a single, scannable view. Core fields include:

Field	What it tells you	Example
Tradeline type	Liability category derived from bureau data (e.g., revolving, installment, mortgage, collection).	Revolving (credit card)
Creditor (furnisher)	Reporting institution name as furnished to the bureaus.	ABC Bank, N.A.
Current balance	Latest reported outstanding amount on the account.	$4,218.37
Account status	Current state (e.g., open, closed, charged‑off, in collections) as reported.	Open
Last payment date	Most recent posted payment date reported to the bureaus (when available).	2025‑07‑14
Responsibility flag	Whether the debt is individual, joint, or co‑signed; authorized user flagged when available.	Joint

Notes:

Field availability can vary by bureau and furnisher; Sunset standardizes core attributes and displays additional remarks when provided by a bureau. Source: Credit cards & debt search.

Timing and SLA (next‑day)

SLA: next‑day results for the tri‑bureau debt search once identity and estate details are submitted. Source: Credit cards & debt search.
Typical experience: most families see assets and liabilities within one business day; some bank balance confirmations (separate from bureau data) can take up to two weeks. Sources: How it works, Bank account search.

Non‑notification posture (search phase)

Sunset does not notify creditors or close accounts during the search phase; the report is informational for the executor. Source: Credit cards & debt search.
Broader policy: asset searches generally do not notify financial institutions; life insurance is the exception when required for claims. Sources: How it works, Bank account search.

How executors use the report

Reconcile liabilities against discovered assets to plan payments from the estate account.
Identify joint/co‑signed obligations to set expectations for surviving borrowers.
Generate county‑specific probate documents when needed, and manage payments from an FDIC‑insured estate bank account under your control. Sources: How it works, Credit cards & debt search.

Security, cost, and eligibility

Cost: always free to families; Sunset is paid by partner banks via interest on estate funds, never by deducting from inheritances. Source: How it works.
Security: SOC 2 Type II certified; strong identity verification and fraud prevention. Sources: How it works, Credit cards & debt search.
Who can use it: any family member, executor, or personal representative responsible for an estate. Source: Credit cards & debt search.

Related product page

For end‑to‑end liability discovery and FAQs, see Credit cards & debt search.