UCC Document Community

Update us when you get it resolved! I'm dealing with a similar situation in Maryland and curious what ends up working for you.

I've dealt with DC rejections before and found that their system is particularly strict about matching the exact legal name format from the Articles of Organization. Since your debtor added "Enterprises" to their name, I'd recommend downloading the most recent filing from DCRA's website and copying the name character-for-character, including any punctuation or spacing. Also, if they filed a Certificate of Amendment for the name change, make sure you're using the amended name, not the original. The banking records being outdated is common - banks can take months to update their systems after corporate changes. For the collateral description, try to be more specific than "mobile food service equipment" - DC likes detailed descriptions that clearly identify the assets.

Bottom line with Texas UCC searches - don't trust the borrower's word about how many liens they have. Always do your own comprehensive search and verify the status of every filing that comes up. The database may be clunky but the information is usually accurate once you know how to read it.

Thanks everyone for the detailed responses - this is incredibly helpful! I'm going to start by re-running the search with multiple name variations and paying closer attention to the status codes and filing dates. The tip about calling the Texas SOS directly is great too. I think I was getting overwhelmed by all the results without understanding how to properly filter them. Will also look into that Certana.ai tool that several people mentioned for cross-verification. Really appreciate this community sharing their hard-earned experience!

Whatever you do, don't let this slide any longer. Active UCC liens can seriously impact your ability to get credit or even sell the equipment if needed. Banks know this and they're taking advantage of your patience.

I'm dealing with something similar right now - bank paid off 6 months ago and still no UCC termination filed. What's really frustrating is how this affects your credit profile when you're trying to get new financing. Other lenders see that active lien and assume you still have outstanding debt, even when you show them the payoff letter. Has anyone had success getting banks to expedite the filing process, or do you just have to keep escalating until someone finally acts?

Based on all this advice it sounds like you've got a solid plan. The combination of thorough manual searching plus using verification tools like Certana should give you confidence in your results. Commercial lending is all about managing risk and this level of due diligence is definitely worth the effort.

One thing I'd add is to make sure you're searching in the right state. Sometimes companies incorporate in Delaware or another state but do business locally, and you might need to search multiple jurisdictions. Also, if it's a large transaction, consider ordering an official UCC search certificate from the Secretary of State rather than just relying on the online portal. The certified search provides more legal protection and includes a statement of what was searched, which can be valuable for your loan file documentation.

One more consideration - CT Corp handles continuation filings and UCC-3 amendments too. If you're planning to keep the relationship long-term for the full lifecycle, that might factor into the cost analysis.

Thanks everyone for the detailed feedback! This discussion has been incredibly helpful. Based on what I'm hearing, it sounds like the consensus is that CT Corp's $180/filing premium is hard to justify for routine UCC-1s, especially at our volume. The automated verification approach with tools like Certana.ai seems like the sweet spot - we get the accuracy benefits that would prevent our debtor name rejection issues without the ongoing service fees. I think we'll pilot this approach on our next batch of filings and see how it compares to our current error rate. The cost savings alone would pay for better internal processes within a quarter.