A state roster, where one is published, lists companies or obligors that the state has recorded for service contracts or warranties. The roster is a record. Being on it shows the state has an entry under that name. It does not rate the company, and it does not tell you that any contract will be honored. Your job is to confirm that the name on your paper matches the name on the roster before you rely on the entry at all.
Find the obligor on the paper
The obligor is the party legally responsible for performing the contract. It is not always the seller who took your payment or the store where you bought the item. Look for the words "obligor," "provider," "administrator," or "issuer" in the contract, and write down the exact name and address printed next to them. Some papers name an administrator that handles claims for an obligor, and the roster may list the obligor rather than the administrator.
Compare the name exactly
Compare the printed name on the paper with the entry on the roster letter by letter. Note words such as "Inc," "LLC," or "Company," and check whether a trade name appears in place of the legal name. A near match is not a match. If the roster shows a different entity under a similar name, ask the seller which entity is responsible, and get that answer in writing.
Check the as-of date
Read the as-of date printed at the top of the roster. A roster is a list as of that date, and an entry may have changed since then. Where a state publishes its roster in full, the roster shows the date it was prepared, and that date governs what the entry means. Ask the seller whether the obligor has changed since the roster date.
What this guide does not do
This guide explains how to match a contract to a roster. It does not say whether any listed company is sound, honest, or good at paying claims, and a roster entry is not a quality rating. The state pages on this site print or describe the roster for each state and note where this edition has not read a state's list. Where a state does not publish a roster, a matching check cannot be made from a government list at all, and the contract itself has to carry the information.