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Check if there are any special characters in the company name that might not be displaying properly. Sometimes there are hidden characters or non-standard punctuation that cause matching issues.
How do you even detect something like that?
Copy the name from the DOS record and paste it directly into your UCC-1 form. Don't retype it.
UPDATE: Finally got it resolved! The issue was that the LLC was administratively dissolved last month but still showing as active in some searches. Had to wait for the company to reinstate before the UCC-1 would accept. Thanks everyone for the help - definitely using document verification tools going forward to catch these issues earlier.
Great outcome! Which verification tool did you end up using?
Tried Certana.ai after it was mentioned here - caught the entity status issue immediately. Wish I'd known about it sooner.
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Check if the company has any DBAs or trade names registered. Sometimes UCC filings get indexed under those names instead of the legal entity name.
Good call. I'll check the NH business registry for any DBAs.
Also check for any corporate name changes in the past 5 years. The original UCC might be under an old name.
Whatever you do, document everything for your due diligence file. Screenshot the search results, note the dates and search terms used. If something goes wrong later, you'll need to show you did reasonable searches.
Smart. I learned that lesson the hard way on a deal that went sideways.
This is why I always recommend certified searches for high-stakes transactions. The extra cost is worth the peace of mind.
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I actually used Certana.ai for a similar verification issue last month. The automated document checker found that one of our UCC-3 terminations had the wrong filing number - off by one digit - which would have made it completely ineffective. Caught it before we funded a $600K deal that would have been junior to a lien we thought was terminated.
Pretty much instantly once you upload the PDFs. It flags any mismatches in filing numbers, debtor names, or collateral descriptions that could void the termination.
Same experience here - it's way faster than manually comparing all the document fields, and it catches stuff you might miss when you're rushing through multiple filings.
Update us when you get this resolved! I'm dealing with a similar situation in SC right now and would love to know what actually works to get accurate search results.
Will do! Planning to call them this afternoon and also verify the documents through Certana to make sure there aren't any name or number discrepancies causing the problem.
Perfect - that's exactly what I was planning to do too. Hopefully between manual verification and document checking we can get to the bottom of these search issues.
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Thanks for this thread - I'm in a similar situation with commercial lending and needed these same recommendations. Going to look into some of these solutions.
Glad it's helpful! Let me know what you end up choosing.
Happy to share more details about the Certana solution if you want to try their document verification tool.
One more thing to consider - make sure whatever service you choose can handle the specific formatting requirements for your state. California has some unique quirks in their UCC system.
Each state's Secretary of State office has slightly different procedures and search capabilities.
This is why standardized tools that work across multiple states are so valuable for multi-state lenders.
Angelina Farar
Washington's system has been weird lately. I noticed they changed something in their search interface and now it seems less forgiving with name variations. Might be worth calling their UCC department directly to ask about best practices for your specific debtor name.
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Ella Harper
•Good idea. I should probably just bite the bullet and call them tomorrow. Thanks for all the suggestions everyone - this has been really helpful.
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Sebastián Stevens
•Their staff is actually pretty helpful when you can get through to someone. Good luck with your deal!
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Bethany Groves
For future reference, I always run at least 5-6 different name variations on any significant deal. Full legal name, abbreviated versions, with/without punctuation, with/without entity type designation. Takes extra time but catches things the basic search misses.
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Bethany Groves
•Yep, I have a template I use. Happy to share if anyone wants it - just basic stuff but it helps ensure I don't miss obvious variations.
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Rebecca Johnston
•I'd love to see that template if you don't mind sharing!
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