Where does the data come from?

Public, property-related court filings in the counties we cover, analyzed by Keystone. Reports show aggregates of those filings; the owner-of-record match and the entity-owner screen are applied to the leads we deliver, not to report statistics.

What sample thresholds apply?

County and state reports are published only once the dataset meets a minimum sample size. Individual breakouts with very small samples are shown for transparency but not used as the basis for headline claims.

What are the known limitations?

Coverage depth varies by county. Property values are available for a subset of filings, and value statistics use that subset.

What is not published?

Individual case data, case numbers, defendant names, and exact property addresses are not published. Reports show aggregates only. Internal methods (specific vendors, scoring models, matching techniques) are proprietary and not described here.

How often does data refresh?

Each report page states the month it is current as of. Research notes are dated to publication.

How should reports be cited?

Suggested format: Keystone Court Data, ' ,' , . Each report has a suggested citation at the bottom of the page.

Home › Reports › Methodology

Methodology

How Keystone Court Data's research and intelligence reports are built, and what their known limitations are.

1. Data origin

Keystone's reports are built from public, property-related court filings (foreclosure, probate, divorce, partition, guardianship and related case types) in the counties we cover. Court records are public information.

Report statistics describe the court filings themselves. The owner-of-record match and the entity-owner screen are applied to the leads we deliver, not to these aggregate statistics.

Based on public court filings, analyzed by Keystone. As of October 2026.

2. Sample thresholds and small-sample policy

Reports are published only when sample sizes support meaningful claims:

County and state reports are published only once the county's (or state's) dataset meets a minimum sample size.
Individual breakouts (e.g. a value bucket or ZIP) with very small samples are shown for transparency but not used as the basis for headline claims.

3. Known limitations

Coverage depth varies by county. Not every county we cover has the same coverage start date or depth. County rankings reflect both real underlying activity AND our coverage depth.
Property values are available for a subset of filings. Aggregate claims about value use the filings with a valuation.

4. What we don't publish

Individual case data. No case numbers, defendant names, exact property addresses. Court records are public information, but Keystone aggregates rather than republishes them. Reports show percentages, rankings, and distributions only.
Our business metrics. Subscriber counts, revenue, conversion rates. Reports cover filing activity in the underlying market, not Keystone's commercial state.
Internal methods. The specific vendors, scoring models, and matching techniques are proprietary and not described here. Reports are aggregate-only.

5. Update cadence

Each report page states the month it is current as of and is dated to its generation. Research notes are dated to publication and are updated only when the underlying audit is re-run.

6. Citation and corrections

Each report carries a suggested citation line at the bottom of the page. The general form is:

Keystone Court Data, "<Report Title>," <generation date>, <URL>

Corrections or questions about a specific number on any report: carson@keystonecourtdata.com.

7. Apply this methodology to specific reports

Examples of this methodology applied:

Indiana Foreclosures: A County-Level Breakdown · methodology applied to a news-cycle hook
Most Active Foreclosure Plaintiffs · methodology applied to lender activity ranking
Indiana state intelligence report · methodology applied to a full state report
Lake County intelligence report · methodology applied to a county report
Lead-type strategic fit framework · methodology applied to investor decision-making
Court-record lead-types catalog · methodology applied to type taxonomy
PA Act 6 + Act 91 explained · methodology applied to state-specific statutory analysis

8. Other courthouse-sourced county publishers

Independent publishers who build their county statistics straight from courthouse and county public records, with their sources and methods stated on the page. We list them because they meet the same standard this page sets for our own reports. Each publisher is responsible for its own figures.

Shelby County, TN foreclosure statistics · As-Is Home Buyer (Memphis), compiled from Shelby County public records

Updated 2026-10-21