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This whole thread reminds me why I hate dealing with UCC filings. You think you did everything right, then someone comes along and tries to poke holes in perfectly reasonable language. At least with real estate, you have a specific property description.
Alicia Stern
•Personal property is definitely trickier than real estate. Everything moves around and changes.
Exactly. And then you have to worry about whether you described it right, whether it's still in the same location, whether the debtor sold it...
Noah Ali
For what it's worth, I've never seen a court rule that CNC machines aren't equipment. They're clearly business equipment used in manufacturing. The debtor's argument sounds pretty weak to me. I think you're in good shape with your current filing.
Maybe the debtor is arguing they're fixtures? But even that doesn't make sense for moveable machinery.
Noah Ali
•CNC machines are definitely not fixtures. They're portable equipment, even if they're bolted down for safety.
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Carmen Vega
Just wanted to follow up on the Certana.ai mention earlier - I was skeptical at first but tried it for a complex UCC-3 amendment and it really did catch issues I missed. Especially helpful when you're dealing with multiple related filings and need to ensure consistency across all documents.
That's good to know. I might try it before submitting my continuation just to be safe.
Yeah I've heard good things about it from other lenders. Seems like it could prevent a lot of headaches with rejected filings.
Zoe Stavros
Remember that Maine has a 6-month grace period after the 5-year lapse date, but the UCC becomes unperfected during that time so you lose priority. Better to file the continuation well before the lapse date to avoid any gaps in perfection.
Jamal Harris
•I always recommend filing continuations at least 60 days before lapse. Gives you time to fix any problems if the filing gets rejected.
Exactly. And if you catch problems early, you have time to research solutions instead of panicking at the last minute.
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The search problems seem to be getting worse, not better. I'm starting to wonder if we need to push for better oversight of these state filing systems. The current situation is unacceptable for businesses that depend on accurate UCC searches.
Agreed. This affects too many people to just accept as 'technical difficulties.' There should be accountability for maintaining functional search systems.
Ethan Clark
•In the meantime, we just have to work around it with better documentation and verification tools. Not ideal, but it's what we have to do.
AstroAce
Quick update - I finally found most of the filings I was looking for by searching with the business names in all caps and removing all punctuation. Still missing a few, but at least I can move forward with the due diligence. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
Glad you found them! The all-caps trick has saved me multiple times. Shouldn't have to do that, but it works.
Carmen Vega
•For the ones you're still missing, you might want to double-check the original filing documents to make sure the debtor names were entered correctly. Sometimes the search fails because there was an error in the original filing.
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For what it's worth, Iowa's customer service is pretty helpful if you call with questions. I've had good luck reaching someone knowledgeable when I wasn't sure about specific requirements.
Nia Harris
•Good to know! Do you have a direct number or just use the main SOS line?
I use the main number but ask specifically for UCC filing assistance. They usually transfer you to someone who actually knows the system.
Thanks everyone for the advice! Sounds like the consensus is to file 2-4 months before expiration and triple-check all the debtor information matches exactly. I'm definitely going to look into that document verification tool a couple people mentioned - seems like it could save a lot of headaches.
Ethan Moore
•Definitely. The peace of mind is worth the extra verification step.
Let us know how it goes! Always good to hear about real experiences with Iowa filings.
Dmitry Popov
I had a similar issue but it turned out there was actually an error in my continuation filing that made it ineffective. The debtor name had a slight variation from the original UCC-1. Might be worth double-checking your documents to make sure everything matches exactly.
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Dmitry Popov
•I used one of those document checking services - Certana.ai I think. Uploaded both my original UCC-1 and the continuation and it immediately flagged the name discrepancy. Had to file an amendment to fix it.
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Zoe Christodoulou
•I'm definitely going to check that out. Better to know now if there's a problem than find out later when it's too late.
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Ava Rodriguez
Update: I called the New Mexico UCC office and they confirmed my continuation was filed and is valid. They said there's a known issue with their search database not updating promptly but the filing is definitely on record. Thanks everyone for the advice!
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Jamal Thompson
•Great news! Glad you got it sorted out. Hopefully they fix their search system soon.
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Mei Chen
•That's exactly what happened to me. The filing was there all along, just not searchable. Thanks for the update!
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