Who needs to run SCRA searches?

Any business that takes action against a person that the SCRA restricts: lenders and servicers (interest rates, foreclosure), collectors and law firms (default judgments, garnishment), auto finance (repossession), and landlords and property managers (eviction). Searches are run by businesses with a permissible purpose, not by consumers.

What's the difference between an SCRA search and an MLA check?

An SCRA search asks whether a person is on active duty, which triggers protections such as the 6% interest cap and limits on default judgments, foreclosure, and eviction. A Military Lending Act (MLA) check asks whether a borrower is a covered member or dependent at the time credit is extended, which triggers MLA rate limits and disclosures.

Can I check military status as of a past date?

Yes. Status can be checked as of a date of interest, such as the origination, filing, or sale date, which matters when you're reviewing past actions or preparing a court filing.

What evidence should I keep from an SCRA search?

Keep the Department of Defense status certificate for each search with the account or case, along with the date and the identifiers used. Examiners and courts look for evidence that the check was made before the action, not after.

How often should a portfolio be re-checked?

People enter active duty after accounts are opened, so a one-time check at origination isn't enough. Re-check portfolios on a recurring cycle, and check again immediately before any action the SCRA restricts.

Guides

What is an SCRA search?

Reviewed October 23, 2026

The short answer

An SCRA search checks Department of Defense records to find out whether a person is on active military duty, as of a given date, so a business can apply the protections of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act before it sets interest rates, collects, repossesses, evicts, forecloses, or seeks a default judgment.

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) protects people on active military duty from certain civil actions while they serve: it caps interest on debts taken on before service at 6%, and restricts default judgments, foreclosures, repossessions, and evictions. Businesses that take those actions have to know, first, whether the person is on active duty.

An SCRA search is how they find out. It checks the person against the Department of Defense’s records, maintained by the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), and returns their active-duty status, as of today or as of a date that matters.

When you need an SCRA search

Before setting or reviewing interest rates, to apply the 6% cap to servicemembers who entered active duty after the debt was opened.
Before collection activity, such as collections, charge-offs, garnishment, or litigation.
Before seeking a default judgment, where courts require an affidavit of military status.
Before repossession, foreclosure, or eviction.
When reviewing a portfolio, such as before a sale or securitization, or on a recurring compliance cycle.

The Military Lending Act (MLA) is related but separate: an MLA check asks whether a borrower is a covered member or dependent when credit is extended, which limits rates and requires disclosures. Many lenders run both.

How an SCRA search works

Identify the person. A search uses identifiers such as name, date of birth, and SSN.
Check DoD records. The search returns active-duty status, as of the date you supply.
Keep the certificate. The DoD status certificate is the evidence that the check was made.
Act on the result. Apply protections, pause the action, or proceed, and record the decision.

The DoD offers a public website for one-at-a-time lookups. At volume, businesses use a verification service that searches in real time from their own systems, in batches, or by monitoring a whole portfolio.

Why searches miss

Most SCRA failures aren’t from skipping the search. They’re from searches that didn’t match:

Messy names. Names keyed with aliases (“AKA”, “FKA”), estates, hyphens, transposed first and last names, or missing middle names don’t match the record.
The wrong date. Status today doesn’t answer whether someone was on active duty on the filing or sale date.
Stale checks. A check at origination misses people who entered active duty later.
No evidence. A search that isn’t recorded with its certificate is hard to prove to an examiner or a court.

What to look for in an SCRA verification service

Real time, batch, and monitoring. One record while a customer is on the phone, a file of thousands, and a portfolio re-checked on a schedule, with a report of what changed.
Name handling that separates aliases and searches the variations people actually go by.
Status as of any date, not just today.
Certificates and affidavits delivered with each search and ready for the file or the court.
Integration options: a REST API, file pickup by sFTP, and simple uploads for ad-hoc work, with results returned to your system of record.
Security for regulated data: authenticated access, masked SSNs in standard output, and independently audited controls.
Both SCRA and MLA, so one service covers origination and servicing.

How Quandis approaches SCRA search

Military Search (QMS) verifies active-duty status from DoD records for SCRA and MLA, in real time, in batch, or by monitoring your portfolio. It parses aliases out of name fields and searches name variations, checks status as of any date you supply, returns DoD certificates with your loan or case number, and can generate military status affidavits for court filings. Connect through a REST API, sFTP, or a spreadsheet upload. Military Search is a business-to-business service for organizations with a permissible purpose; it isn’t available to consumers.