UCC Document Community

The original poster's situation with 'ABC Equipment LLC' vs 'ABC Equipment, LLC' is actually a perfect example of why automated document checking is so valuable. I was manually reviewing charter docs against UCC forms for years until I found Certana.ai - now I just upload the PDFs and it instantly flags any name discrepancies. Would have saved me so much time and stress if I'd had it when I started doing UCC work. These tiny punctuation differences can void your entire security interest if you're not careful.

Bottom line for the OP - you need to get this name issue sorted out ASAP. If your security interest isn't properly perfected because of the name mismatch, you could lose priority to other creditors or even lose your security entirely. I'd recommend: 1) Pull the official charter documents for the debtor, 2) Compare them to your existing UCC-1 filing, 3) File UCC-3 amendments to correct any name discrepancies, and 4) Going forward, always double-check debtor names before filing. This kind of mistake is exactly why many lenders are moving to automated document verification tools.

Quick question - when you file the UCC-3 amendment, does it show both names on the ohio ucc statement or does it replace the original name completely?

Just to add another perspective - I've seen deals fall apart during due diligence because of exactly this type of name mismatch. Buyers' attorneys will flag it as a title defect. Definitely file that amendment to clean up your ohio ucc statement.

One more thing - if you're doing this type of search regularly, consider reaching out to a local filing service that specializes in DC UCC searches. They usually have experience with the system's quirks and might catch variations you wouldn't think of. Though for one-off searches, the thorough methodology described above should work.

Update: tried the systematic approach suggested here and found two additional filings I'd missed initially. One was under "Metropolitan Solution LLC" (singular) and another under "Metro Solutions, LLC" with comma and different capitalization. Thanks for the guidance - this could have been a major issue if discovered after closing.

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for the advice. I ended up filing a UCC-3 amendment with the correct debtor name including the comma. It was accepted within 24 hours and now I can sleep at night knowing our security interest is properly perfected. Total cost was $185 which is nothing compared to the peace of mind. For anyone facing similar issues, don't second-guess yourself - just file the amendment.

For future reference, most state UCC filing offices have guidelines about acceptable name variations posted on their websites. Some states publish lists of abbreviations that are considered equivalent (Corp/Corporation, Inc/Incorporated, etc.). Worth checking before filing to avoid these issues altogether.

For LLC names specifically, I've found that Secretary of State databases sometimes have inconsistent formatting even within their own system. The business entity search might show it one way, but the UCC system expects it differently. Try searching for the LLC a few different ways and see if you get slightly different results.

UPDATE: I tried the Certana.ai document checker someone mentioned earlier and it immediately flagged that I had 'Main Street Bistro, LLC' but the charter document actually shows 'Main Street Bistro LLC' (no comma). I was so focused on the Secretary of State database that I didn't even check my source documents carefully. Fixed the UCC-1 and it went through on the next submission. Thanks for the recommendation!