Merlin Locate Services – Flathead Valley, Montana

Merlin Locate Services is a private investigation agency licensed in both California and Montana. The first iteration of the company, Merlin Investigations, was licensed in California in 1981. It’s founder, Mike Dores, was previously the manager of one of the largest process serving companies in Los Angeles. He started the company with an IBM Selectric typewriter, a telephone and a stack of Haines Cross Directories. For over a decade he provided skiptracing services to some of California’s largest process serving agencies.
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The Swan River - Bigfork, Montana

Photo by Mike Dores

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A Montana Winter Sunset

Photo by Mike Dores

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Going to the Sun Road - Glacier Park

Photo by Mike Dores

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Glacier Park Water Fall

Photo by Mike Dores

In 1990, Mike bought the first national phone directory on CD-ROM, the PhoneDisc. This database fundamentally changed the way he conducted skiptraces and led him to the idea of putting California public record on searchable CD-ROM. While continuing to run the skiptracing business, Mike, his wife Jordonna, and their partner, Chuck O’Leary, formed Merlin Information Services, which produced and sold subscription-based CD-ROMs of numerous California databases including Civil, Criminal, UCCs, Corporations, Real Property, Fictitious Business Names and many more. Merlin’s databases became a staple for a large percentage of California PIs and collection agencies, including the Los Angeles IRS Collections Unit with over 200 users. Mike sold Merlin Investigations to his employees in 1994 and moved to Montana to focus on the sale of public record.

In 1997, Merlin Information Services introduced one of the first Internet-based public record websites, www.merlindata.com, which continued to focus on access to California public record. Merlin the went national in 1999 by offering a great new skiptracing product, National Flatrate. In 2001, Merlin became a reseller of Accurint. In 2005 it became the first reseller licensed to sell and house the Experian Credit Header file to private investigators. Merlin had over 5,000 clients when it was sold in 2012 to a private company that merged with TLO right after the sale.

Shortly thereafter, Mike hired fifteen employees who had been displaced from the sale, and created MDI Verify, Inc. dba Merlin Locate Services. This new company provided large volume skiptracing and place-of-employment locates to debt buyers, collection agencies and collection attorneys. In 2015, Merlin downsized by ending its relationship with these high-volume customers. Along with three top-notch employees, the company turned its focus to in-depth skiptracing for investigators and attorneys.

Today, Merlin has downsized again and now operates it’s asset location business with just Mike and Kristin.  Merlin’s clients include some of the best Collection Attorney’s, Debt Buyers and PI’s in the country.  We have been licensed PIs for over 40 years and continue to amaze our clients with our ability to find liquid assets others cannot. Mike is still the Chief Investigator and spends most of the year in the beautiful Flathead Valley in Northwest Montana. But when winter comes, Mike, his wife Jordonna and their 14-year-old Morkie, Oso are in Morro Bay, California while the Merlin staff continues to work its magic in the Flathead.

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Morro Rock - Morro Bay, CA

Photo by Mike Dores

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Otters in Morro Bay, CA

Photo by Mike Dores

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Sweet Springs Preserve
Los Osos, California

Photo by Mike Dores

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Mike, Jordonna and Oso

Photo by Kelly Kennedy