UCC Document Community

Bookmarking this thread for the Louisiana filing tips. The late night approach and early filing strategy are both really helpful.

Wow, what a roller coaster! I've been following this thread and I'm so glad you got it sorted out in the end. As someone who's been burned by last-minute filing issues before, this is a great reminder that state UCC systems can be unpredictable. The late night filing strategy is brilliant - I never would have thought to try that. I'm definitely going to start filing my continuations months in advance rather than waiting until the last week. Also really interested in the Certana.ai tool that was mentioned - seems like it could save a lot of headaches by catching those tiny formatting issues that cause rejections. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and tips!

Bottom line on UCC signature definition: authorization matters more than signatures. If your security agreement authorizes UCC filings and your debtor names match, you're probably in good shape. The SOS accepting the filing is also a good sign - they typically catch obvious problems.

As someone who's dealt with similar authorization questions, I'd recommend documenting everything clearly for your file. Even though the consensus here is right - authorization through your security agreement should suffice - it's worth creating a memo explaining why your filing is valid. Include references to the specific authorization language in your loan docs and cite UCC 9-502. This way if anyone questions it later (auditors, regulators, or even internal compliance), you have a clear paper trail showing you did your due diligence. For a $240K loan, that extra documentation step is definitely worth the peace of mind.

This is a really common situation that catches homeowners off guard. As others have mentioned, solar panel financing almost always involves UCC fixture filings - the solar company needs to protect their interest in the equipment until it's paid off. The good news is that this type of filing is very specific and limited in scope. It only covers the solar panels and related equipment, not your house itself. Your title company should be familiar with these since they've become so prevalent with the rise in solar installations. Make sure you get copies of all your original solar financing documents and have them ready for your mortgage lender. Most importantly, verify that your solar loan payments are current - that's usually the main concern for refinancing approval. This shouldn't derail your refi, just add a bit of documentation to the process.

I went through something very similar when I bought my house last year - discovered a UCC filing from the previous owner's solar installation that wasn't properly disclosed. The key thing that helped me was getting a subordination agreement from the solar company, which basically confirms that their lien is secondary to your mortgage. Most reputable solar companies are familiar with this process and can provide the documentation quickly. Also, make sure to check if there's a UCC-3 termination statement that should have been filed when the solar loan was paid off - sometimes these get overlooked and the filing stays active even after the debt is satisfied. Your title company should be able to help coordinate with the solar company to get everything sorted out properly.

Don't forget that even after publication, you'll need to track the continuation deadline. For a new UCC-1, you have 5 years before needing to file a continuation to maintain your perfected security interest. Mark your calendar now!

Great advice from everyone here! Since you mentioned this is for manufacturing equipment worth $450K, I'd also recommend keeping a copy of your filing confirmation and the accepted UCC-1 in your loan file for future reference. If you ever need to provide proof of your security interest to other parties (like in a bankruptcy proceeding or asset sale), having that documentation readily available will save you time. The SOS database search results are helpful, but nothing beats having the original filing documents properly organized in your records.

Bottom line for Indiana: Use regular search for preliminary research, use UCC-11 for official verification. Always use exact legal names from charter documents. Allow 2-3 days for UCC-11 responses. Hope this helps!

As someone who just went through this exact confusion with Indiana UCC searches, I can confirm what others have said - the distinction is crucial. I made the mistake of relying on portal searches initially and nearly missed a critical filing that only showed up clearly in the UCC-11 response. The extra cost and time for UCC-11 is worth it when you need certainty. One tip I learned: if you're unsure about debtor name variations, consider running both the exact charter name AND common variations through separate searches. Indiana's system can be finicky with punctuation and abbreviations like "Inc." vs "Incorporated.