UCC Document Community

Just had another thought - since you mentioned this is construction equipment, make sure your collateral description is broad enough to cover any attachments or accessories that might get added to the machinery during the project. Sometimes borrowers add specialized attachments that could be considered separate collateral.

Sounds like you've got your answer on Delaware filing. One last piece of advice - keep copies of everything including the search results showing your filing was accepted. Sometimes you need to prove perfection timing later and having the documentation makes it much easier.

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.

For anyone else reading this thread, remember that 9-1201 territorial rules can change if the debtor relocates their organization to a different state. You'd need to refile in the new jurisdiction within four months under 9-1207.

Update: I ended up using that Certana tool someone mentioned earlier and it confirmed Delaware filing. Also caught a small typo in the debtor name that could have caused problems. Thanks everyone for the confirmation on 9-1201!

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.

One more thing to consider - make sure your UCC-1 filing covers all the collateral adequately but doesn't inadvertently include contractual obligations that don't create security interests. I've seen deals where over-broad collateral descriptions created confusion later during audits or when trying to release specific assets.

Thanks everyone for all the insights! This has really helped clarify the distinction between what needs UCC filing versus what stays under general contract law. I think I'll separate the equipment security agreement from the service contracts and focus my UCC-1 filing on the tangible assets while keeping the service obligations as standard contractual terms.