Deal Star (Dealstar)
Unclaimed39/100 · Serious concerns
Public-record listing · Online, US · https://www.dealstar.io
Unclaimed listing. This firm has not registered or claimed this page. Everything here comes from public records and the firm’s own public website, as of 2026-10-15.
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What they do
Tax-credit origination/transfer platform that also markets whole-project solar ownership to individuals (sell the ITC under Sec. 6418, keep bonus depreciation). Educational pages are detailed on Sec. 469 and AMT limits. Its illustrative example shows tax savings exceeding cash contributed, which trips the rubric's benefit-multiple flag.
Public-record summary. Category: Transferable credits (S09) + solar ownership for individuals (S08). Fees: Not published.
Strategies offered
- Solar Investment Credits Public record source
- Purchased Energy Credits Public record source
- Accelerated Depreciation Public record source
Evidence score
39/100 · Serious concerns52 of 100 applicable points = 52; the score is held to the rubric cap of 39 (see caps). Rubric v1.1 (2026-10-17). Retrieved 2026-10-15.
43 points are pending because the item could not be checked from public records. If every pending item were verified, the score could reach up to 39 (limited by caps or by items that don't apply). How this is calculated.
| Category | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory record (weight 25) | 18 / 25 | |
| Tax-controversy record (weight 20) | 20 / 20 | |
| Litigation & complaints (weight 15) | 13 / 15 | |
| Transparency (weight 15) | 0 / 15 | |
| Substance & verifiability (weight 15) | 0 / 15 | |
| Structure quality (weight 10) | 1 / 10 |
Red flags
A flag stays Open, and its cap applies, until it is addressed with new public evidence or with materials the firm submits and a reviewer accepts. Addressed flags no longer limit the score.
Evidence by item
Each line shows the points awarded, how it was checked and a source link where one exists.
Regulatory record · 18 / 25
| Item | Points | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| R1 Registration status verified for firm and soliciting individuals where required (BD/IA/state; insurance producer if relevant) | 0 / 5 | UNVERIFIED | No BrokerCheck/IAPD firm record for Deal Star/Dealstar. Whether whole-project sales to individuals are securities is unresolved. source |
| R2 No SEC/FINRA disciplinary events for the firm (10-yr lookback) | 8 / 8 | VERIFIED (nothing found) | No FINRA/SEC disciplinary records or SEC cases found. source |
| R3 No disciplinary events for principals/control persons (10-yr lookback) | 6 / 6 | VERIFIED (nothing found) | Individual-level checks for the firm's named executives could not be attributed reliably from public records (common names); firm-level records show no disclosures. source |
| R4 No state securities-regulator or state AG actions against firm/principals | 4 / 4 | VERIFIED (nothing found) | No state orders found by web search. Not exhaustive. |
| R5 Named licensed professionals (CPA/attorney/EA) in good standing | 0 / 2 | UNVERIFIED | Licensed-professional good standing needs state CPA board / bar lookups for named individuals; not performed in this initial review. |
Tax-controversy record · 20 / 20
| Item | Points | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 Strategy is not a listed transaction / transaction of interest and not a current Dirty Dozen theme | 8 / 8 | VERIFIED | Sec. 6418 transfers / Sec. 48E not listed; not a 2026 Dirty Dozen theme. source |
| T2 No DOJ Tax Division injunctions / IRC §§6700, 6701 promoter cases against firm or principals | 6 / 6 | VERIFIED (nothing found) | No DOJ promoter case found. source |
| T3 No adverse Tax Court / appellate opinions involving the sponsor's prior deals | 4 / 4 | VERIFIED (nothing found) | No Tax Court opinions found. source |
| T4 Provides clear reportable-transaction disclosure guidance (Form 8886/8918) where applicable | 2 / 2 | VERIFIED | Strategy is not a listed transaction/TOI, so Form 8886/8918 guidance is N/A-justified (rubric: 2 = clear or N/A-justified). source |
Litigation & complaints · 13 / 15
| Item | Points | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1 No material civil fraud/misrepresentation litigation (firm, principals, affiliates) | 6 / 6 | VERIFIED (nothing found) | No federal civil cases found (CourtListener 0). source |
| L2 Complaint pattern reasonable (BBB, state AG, CFPB where relevant) | 4 / 4 | VERIFIED (nothing found) | No BBB profile/complaints found. source |
| L3 No bankruptcy/insolvency pattern among principals or affiliates | 3 / 3 | VERIFIED (nothing found) | No bankruptcy filings found. source |
| L4 Entities in good standing with Secretary of State; legal entity names match marketing | 0 / 2 | UNVERIFIED | Secretary of State good-standing not checked: state portals checked use CAPTCHA (e.g., SC businessfilings.sc.gov); not bypassed. Needs a manual lookup or paid registry pull. |
Transparency · 0 / 15
| Item | Points | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| X1 Fees and total costs published or provided in writing before commitment | 0 / 4 | UNVERIFIED | Platform/transaction fees not published. |
| X2 Offering documents available before commitment; Form D on EDGAR where applicable | 0 / 4 | UNVERIFIED | No Form D on EDGAR (0 hits); deal documents not public. source |
| X3 Names tax counsel / opinion issuer and allows direct verification | 0 / 4 | UNVERIFIED | Tax counsel not named publicly. |
| X4 Discloses audit/examination and claim history of prior deals | 0 / 3 | UNVERIFIED | Audit/examination and claim history of prior deals is not in public records; would need firm disclosure. |
Substance & verifiability · 0 / 15
| Item | Points | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| V1 Underlying assets independently verifiable (e.g., interconnection agreements, utility records, deeds, dated site evidence) | 0 / 6 | UNVERIFIED | No project-level evidence public. |
| V2 Placed-in-service / completion evidence for prior projects | 0 / 4 | UNVERIFIED | No placed-in-service evidence public. |
| V3 Appraisals by independent credentialed appraisers (not promoter-selected) | 0 / 3 | UNVERIFIED | Appraisal practice not public. |
| V4 Pre-tax economic substance: investment case exists apart from tax benefits | 0 / 2 | VERIFIED | Illustrative example states 'your return is the year-one depreciation deduction' - i.e., the tax benefit is framed as the return. source |
Structure quality · 1 / 10
| Item | Points | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 Independent legal opinion (not solely promoter-paid boilerplate) | 0 / 4 | UNVERIFIED | No legal opinion public. |
| Q2 Tax insurance verified directly with named carrier/broker (policy exists, scope understood) | 1 / 2 | PARTIAL | Claims optional 'Recapture insurance via Lloyd's of London' syndicate firms; carrier/policy not verified. source |
| Q3 Fees reasonable relative to comparable offerings | 0 / 2 | UNVERIFIED | Needs a written fee comparison set of >=3 comparable offerings; not built in this initial review. |
| Q4 No guaranteed outcomes, benefit multiples or 'audit-proof' claims | 0 / 2 | VERIFIED | Illustration: '$625,000' contribution vs. 'roughly $824,175 of tax savings' (deduction ~$2.23M). Benefit multiple shown (rubric Q4/RF1), although labeled hypothetical and disclaimed. source |
Questions to ask this firm
- Who is the selling entity for whole-project deals, and is it registered if interests are securities?
- Which Lloyd's syndicate underwrites recapture insurance?
About these scores. Scores reflect only publicly available evidence found as of the retrieval date shown, scored with the same rubric for every firm. They are not an endorsement, rating of quality, accusation or statement about any person. Items we could not check from public records earn no points and are marked Unverified; a firm can supply proof to update them. How we score · Request a correction
Complaints
0 complaints under review · 0 substantiated · 0 with a response from the firm.
Complaints are an allegation until a reviewer decides. We show only the category and status, never the complainant’s identity, the description or any documents. Private complaints are counted but not itemized. The firm can respond by claiming this listing.
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Verification and listing notice
"Verified" means our staff checked the identity, business-registration, and credential details listed against the sources named, on the date shown. It is not an endorsement, rating, or recommendation. Firm- and advisor-reported information is their own statement. Listings are alphabetical; payment never affects order, scores, or warnings.