As a rule, I generally don't unless there's something on record that indicates that I should.  An example of this would be what's known in PA as a "Suggestion of Bankruptcy" which is filed by the Debtor's attorney at the county level once foreclosure proceedings have commenced.  I've also seen notations made in the files maintained by the County Tax Claim Offices.

Funny you should mention this, I've been considering offering that search as a "value-added" service to my existing product line.  I know I'm gonna get Dave Bloys' hackles up as soon as I say this, (lol) but there's a website, http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov, by which you can access federal court case information.  The cost of access is nominal, about 0.08¢ per page and they bill quarterly.

I'll be interested to see the results of your poll.

Regards,
Scott Perry