In the US, while the federal government is vested with the power to take care of all central matters, record keeping is not one of its responsibilities. This work comes under the state authorities. It includes recording the births and deaths, marriages and divorces, as well as other information such as criminal, financial and bankruptcy records. All this information is needed by both the state as well as federal authorities from time to time for different purposes such as census, social security, medical claims and even during the tracking and apprehension of anti social elements.