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- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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One more tip - if you find existing liens, make sure you understand the lien priority before advising your client. NJ follows the standard first-to-file rule but there can be exceptions for PMSI and other specialized security interests.
This is crucial advice. I've seen junior lenders get surprised by purchase money security interests that they didn't properly analyze.
Exactly. The UCC search gives you the basic info but you need to actually read the financing statements to understand what you're dealing with.
Quick question - are you familiar with NJ's continuation requirements? If you find liens that are close to their 5-year expiration, it might affect the timing of your transaction.
Good point - I'll need to check the filing dates on any existing liens to see if there are continuation issues brewing.
Yeah, nothing worse than having a supposedly secured position become unperfected right before or after closing because someone missed a continuation deadline.
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One more consideration - make sure you understand InfoUSA's update frequency. Some lead services only refresh their UCC data monthly or quarterly, which means you could be working with information that's weeks or months old by the time you get it.
Good reminder! We always ask about data refresh cycles when evaluating these services. Daily updates are ideal but even weekly can be acceptable depending on your use case.
Emma Davis
•The refresh frequency definitely matters especially for time-sensitive opportunities like continuation deadlines or recent terminations.
GalaxyGlider
For what it's worth, we've had decent success using InfoUSA UCC leads as part of a broader prospecting strategy rather than relying on them exclusively. Combined with other research methods and proper verification, they can add value to your pipeline development.
That's probably the right way to think about it - one piece of the puzzle rather than the whole solution.
Exactly. And tools like Certana.ai help bridge the gap by letting you verify the lead data against actual UCC documents before you invest time in outreach.
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Check if the LLC has any amendments to its certificate of formation that might have changed the name format. Delaware sometimes updates their records differently than what shows in the original articles.
Delaware corporate records can be tricky that way. Always worth checking the full filing history.
Juan Moreno
•This is why I always pull a complete corporate status report before filing UCCs. Covers all the amendments and current status.
Amy Fleming
UPDATE: Finally got it through! Turns out there was an invisible character in the name field that I was copying and pasting from the PDF. Had to retype the entire name manually and it went through on the first try. Thanks everyone for the suggestions!
Serene Snow
•Congrats on getting it sorted! Those invisible character issues are exactly what document verification tools catch automatically, but glad manual retyping worked for you.
Monique Byrd
•Thanks everyone! Definitely learned my lesson about copy-pasting from PDFs. Will be more careful going forward.
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For Martinez Construction LLC specifically, make sure you're searching exactly as it appears on their Articles of Organization. If the search still isn't working properly, you can always call the Illinois SOS UCC division directly. They're usually helpful with search issues.
Noah Lee
•I didn't know you could call them directly about search problems. Do they actually help or just tell you to figure it out yourself?
They're generally helpful, especially if you have specific filing numbers to reference. Much better than trying to navigate their online help system.
Just to close the loop - I ended up using one of those document verification services someone mentioned earlier and found that our UCC-1 had the debtor name correct, but I was searching using a slightly different variation. The tool flagged that the Articles of Organization showed "Martinez Construction LLC" exactly as we filed it. Crisis averted, but definitely learned my lesson about double-checking entity names before panicking about search results.
Probably the Certana.ai one that was mentioned earlier. I've heard good things about their UCC document checker.
Mason Davis
•Good reminder that sometimes the problem is operator error, not system error. Although the Illinois UCC search could definitely be more user-friendly.
Tyler Lefleur
Been lurking but had to comment - this thread is why I'm paranoid about UCC deadlines. Set multiple calendar reminders, backup systems, everything. The UCC 120 day rule is unforgiving and $2.8M is life-changing money.
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Madeline Blaze
•Same here. Reading these horror stories makes me triple-check every filing date.
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Rachel Clark
•Trust me, implement whatever backup systems you can think of. This situation is every lender's nightmare.
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Max Knight
Update us on how the re-filing process goes. Would be helpful to know what challenges you run into with debtor cooperation and whether any equipment issues arise. Good luck with the cleanup.
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Rachel Clark
•Will definitely post an update once we work through this mess. Hopefully it helps others avoid the same mistakes.
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Emma Swift
•Please do - these real-world examples are invaluable for understanding UCC compliance challenges.
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