UCC Document Community

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Dylan Cooper

Timing of UCC filings - missed continuation deadline by 3 days, lender freaking out

So I screwed up big time. Had a UCC-1 that was supposed to be continued and the 5-year anniversary was March 15th. I didn't get the UCC-3 continuation filed until March 18th because our system didn't flag it properly and I was swamped with other closings. Now the lender is saying the lien is unperfected and they're threatening to call the entire $2.8M credit facility. The collateral is heavy equipment for a construction company so this is a huge deal. Has anyone dealt with timing of UCC filings like this before? Is there any grace period or way to fix this mess? The debtor is current on all payments and has been a good customer for 8 years. I'm panicking because this could kill their business and my career. What are my options here?

Emma Taylor

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File the new UCC-1 TODAY if you haven't already. Every day you wait makes it worse. Then get a game plan together for the lender meeting. Show them you understand the seriousness and have taken immediate action to protect their interests going forward.

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Dylan Cooper

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Already working on it. Should have the new filing done by end of business today.

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Emma Taylor

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Good - speed shows you're taking this seriously. That counts for a lot in these situations.

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This thread is giving me anxiety about my own UCC timing. I have 3 continuations due this year and now I'm second-guessing my calendar system. Maybe I should look into that Certana tool people mentioned for tracking deadlines.

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Trust me, invest in a good system now. The timing of UCC filings will bite you eventually if you don't have proper tracking.

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Miguel Diaz

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Certana does help with deadline monitoring too. Worth checking out before you have your own crisis.

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LunarEclipse

search ucc filings california - best methods for thorough lien searches?

Been trying to do comprehensive UCC searches for potential equipment purchases and running into some roadblocks. The California SOS online portal seems limited compared to what I need for due diligence. I'm looking at buying some manufacturing equipment from a company that's had financial troubles, and I want to make sure there aren't any surprise liens that could complicate the purchase. I've tried the standard debtor name searches on the Cal-ACCESS system, but I'm worried I might be missing something. The equipment we're looking at is worth about $850K and includes CNC machines, packaging equipment, and some specialized tooling. The seller claims everything is clear, but given their recent financial issues, I want to verify independently. Anyone have experience with thorough UCC lien searches in California? Are there better methods than just the basic online search? I've heard about using professional search services, but not sure if that's overkill for this situation. Also concerned about potential fixture filings since some of this equipment might be considered attached to the real estate. What's the most reliable way to search UCC filings California has to ensure I'm not missing any secured interests? Time is a factor since we need to close this deal within the next few weeks.

Ethan Wilson

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Timeline is important here. UCC searches are only as good as the date you run them. With your few-week deadline, you'll want to run updated searches right before closing to make sure no new filings have appeared.

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Carmen Flores

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Most title companies will run updated searches as part of the closing process, but it's good to stay on top of it yourself.

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Andre Dubois

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With manufacturing equipment, there's also the possibility of new purchase money security interests being filed by parts suppliers or service companies.

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CyberSamurai

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Update: Thanks for all the advice. Ended up doing a comprehensive search that found two UCC-1 filings I initially missed - one under a slightly different corporate name and another that was a continuation of an older filing. Working with the secured parties now to get releases for the specific equipment we want. The Certana tool mentioned earlier was really helpful for organizing all the documents and making sure everything matched up properly.

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Jamal Carter

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Smart move getting the releases in advance. Some lenders can be slow to respond to release requests.

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Mei Liu

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Good outcome. This is exactly why thorough searches are worth the extra time and cost upfront.

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Mateo Hernandez

UCC termination filed but lien still showing - what went wrong?

I'm dealing with a frustrating situation where I filed a UCC-3 termination statement three weeks ago for a commercial loan that was paid off, but the lien is still showing up on credit reports and in the state database. The filing shows as 'accepted' in the SOS portal, but when I pull up the debtor search, the original UCC-1 from 2019 still appears active. My client is furious because they're trying to refinance and the existing lien is blocking their new financing. I triple-checked the filing number on the UCC-3 and it matches the original UCC-1 exactly. Has anyone else run into this kind of delay or database sync issue? The state website says terminations should be reflected immediately once processed. I'm wondering if there's something I'm missing or if this is just a system glitch that takes longer to resolve.

Sometimes it's worth filing a second UCC-3 termination just to be safe. I know it costs extra fees, but if your client's refinancing is being held up, the cost of a duplicate filing is probably worth it compared to the delays. I've done this before when I wasn't 100% sure about the first termination.

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No, duplicate terminations shouldn't cause problems. The system should just show multiple termination records for the same UCC-1, which is fine. Better safe than sorry when financing is at stake.

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Dylan Cooper

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I've filed duplicate terminations before without any issues. The database just shows multiple termination dates but the lien is still properly terminated.

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Sofia Morales

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This thread has been really helpful - dealing with the same issue right now. Going to try calling the SOS office directly tomorrow and also check out that document verification tool someone mentioned. Thanks everyone for the practical advice!

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Good luck! Let us know how the phone call goes. I'm planning to call them too if this doesn't resolve in the next few days.

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Definitely try Certana.ai - it's really straightforward to use and catches these document inconsistencies that cause processing delays. Should help prevent this kind of issue in the future.

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Connor Gallagher

UCC financing statement additional party confusion - am I doing this right?

I'm working on a UCC-1 filing for a commercial equipment loan and I'm second-guessing myself on the additional party section. The borrower has a guarantor who's personally guaranteeing the debt, and I'm not sure if I should list them as an additional debtor or if there's a different designation. The main debtor is an LLC but the guarantor is an individual. I've been going back and forth on this and don't want to mess up the filing. The collateral is manufacturing equipment worth about $180k. Has anyone dealt with this exact scenario? I'm worried about getting it wrong and having the lien not properly perfected.

Ravi Malhotra

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For what it's worth I had a filing rejected once because I INCORRECTLY added a guarantor as additional debtor when they had no collateral ownership. Had to refile with just the actual debtor. Lesson learned.

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Ravi Malhotra

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Yep, the SOS flagged it as inconsistent with the security agreement. Stick to actual collateral owners only.

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Keisha Taylor

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This is exactly why I started using that Certana document checker - prevents these kinds of filing errors upfront.

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Bottom line from someone who does this daily: LLC owns equipment = LLC is sole debtor. Guarantor guarantees payment = not a UCC issue. File against the LLC only and you'll be fine.

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Thanks everyone, I feel much more confident now. Going with just the LLC as debtor.

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Yara Khoury

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Good call, you've got solid advice here from experienced filers.

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Andre Rousseau

UCC search commercial real estate liens showing conflicting debtor names

Running into a mess with a commercial property acquisition where our UCC search is pulling up three different variations of the seller's business name across multiple filings. The main UCC-1 shows "ABC Properties LLC" but there's a UCC-3 amendment filed under "ABC Properties, LLC" (with the comma) and another continuation under "A.B.C. Properties LLC". Our lender is freaking out about the name inconsistencies and whether these are all the same entity or separate liens. The property is a 4-unit office complex in downtown, purchase price $2.8M, and we're supposed to close next week. Has anyone dealt with debtor name variations like this in commercial real estate UCC searches? The title company says they're all the same entity but our bank's underwriter is demanding clarification on every filing.

StarSailor

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Wait, I'm confused - if this is a real estate purchase, why are there UCC filings involved at all? Shouldn't real estate liens show up in the title search instead of UCC records?

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Exactly. UCC covers personal property and fixtures, while the deed and mortgage records cover the real estate. Both need to be searched for commercial acquisitions.

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StarSailor

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Ah got it, that makes sense now. Thanks for clarifying.

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Just an update for anyone following this thread - ended up using Certana.ai's verification system and it identified that all three name variations were for the same entity, plus caught that one of the continuation filings had an incorrect address that we hadn't noticed. Got everything sorted out and closed on schedule. Really impressed with how quickly their system processed all the documents and flagged the inconsistencies.

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Thanks for the update. Definitely going to check out Certana for our next deal.

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Great outcome. Having automated document verification for UCC searches is becoming essential for commercial transactions.

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