UCC Document Community
Financial Services
/
Ask the community...
- 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 :)
UCC filing got rejected - how do you perfect a security agreement on a car loan properly?
Posted my first UCC-1 last week for a $47,000 auto loan and it got kicked back from the Secretary of State office. The rejection notice says "debtor name discrepancy" but I copied everything exactly from the title. This is for a 2023 Ford F-150 that we're financing through our credit union. I thought I had everything right - VIN number, borrower's full legal name from their driver's license, our lender info as secured party. What am I missing here? The loan documents are already signed and we need this perfected ASAP before the 21-day grace period expires. Has anyone dealt with this kind of rejection before? I'm starting to panic because if we don't get this filed correctly soon, we could lose our security interest in the vehicle.
Join the conversation
UCC1 filing search turning up blank results - debtor name variations causing issues?
I'm having trouble with a UCC1 filing search and getting zero results when I know there should be active filings. The debtor is "Advanced Manufacturing Solutions LLC" but I've tried searching under "Advanced Mfg Solutions LLC", "Advanced Manufacturing Solutions", and even just "Advanced Manufacturing" with no luck. The SOS portal keeps returning empty results. Is there a trick to searching for UCC1 filings when you're not sure of the exact debtor name format? This is for a due diligence review and I really need to find any existing liens. The company was incorporated in 2019 so there should definitely be some financing statements on file if they have any equipment loans or credit facilities.
Join the conversation
Another option is to contact the company directly and ask if they have any secured financing. They should be able to tell you the exact debtor name used on any UCC1 filings.
That's not really an option for this situation - it's a competitive acquisition process and we can't tip our hand that we're doing due diligence.
In that case you might need to hire a professional search service that has access to better databases and search tools.
I ran into something similar last year and ended up using Certana.ai to verify I had all the right documents. When I uploaded the target company's charter and the UCC forms I eventually found, it flagged that the debtor names weren't consistent and helped me identify the correct search terms.
I'm always suspicious of these automated tools but if it's catching filing discrepancies that manual searches miss, that's actually pretty valuable for due diligence work.
I was skeptical too but it found two UCC1 filings I completely missed because the debtor names had minor variations. Could have been a major problem if those liens weren't accounted for in the deal structure.
State of Utah UCC Filing Name Verification Issues - Missing Middle Initial Problem
Running into a frustrating situation with our state of Utah UCC filings and hoping someone here has dealt with this before. We've got a commercial borrower whose legal name on their articles of incorporation shows as 'Mountain Peak Equipment LLC' but their operating agreement and bank accounts all show 'Mountain Peak Equip. LLC' (abbreviated). Filed our UCC-1 using the exact corporate name from the Secretary of State records, but now we're getting pushback during our annual lien audit because the abbreviated version appears on most of their other business docs. Our compliance team is worried about enforceability if we need to foreclose - has anyone dealt with name variations like this in Utah? The borrower says both versions are 'the same company' but I know debtor name accuracy is critical for perfection. Should we file a UCC-3 amendment to add the abbreviated version as an additional debtor name, or are we overthinking this? The loan amount is substantial ($2.8M equipment financing) so we can't afford to have an unperfected lien.
Join the conversation
I've had good luck contacting the Utah SOS office directly when I have questions about debtor names. They're usually pretty helpful about clarifying what's acceptable for UCC filings. Might be worth a quick call before you file the amendment.
Good suggestion - do you have a direct number? Sometimes it's hard to get through to someone who actually knows UCC rules.
I usually call their main business services line and ask to speak with someone about UCC filings. They transfer you to the right department.
Update us on what you decide to do! I'm dealing with a similar name variation issue in Colorado and curious how this plays out.
Will do! Planning to file the amendment this week after I verify there's no DBA filing that resolves this.
I'd be interested in the outcome too. These name consistency issues seem to be getting more common.
New Jersey UCC filing system completely broken - rejected 3 times for same debtor name
I'm at my wit's end here. Been trying to file a UCC-1 continuation for a client and the New Jersey system keeps rejecting it for "debtor name inconsistency" even though I'm copying the exact name from the original filing. This is the third rejection in two weeks and the lapse date is coming up fast. The original UCC-1 was filed 4.5 years ago and shows the debtor as "ATLANTIC COASTAL EQUIPMENT LLC" but somehow the system is saying my continuation doesn't match. I've tried variations like adding periods, removing spaces, even called the filing office twice and got different answers each time. Anyone else dealing with this nightmare? The collateral is heavy equipment worth over $800k so this can't lapse.
Join the conversation
If all else fails and you're running out of time, consider filing a new UCC-1 instead of continuing the old one. Yes, it means starting over with a new filing number, but at least your client stays perfected. You can always terminate the old one later when you figure out what went wrong.
No gap if you time it right. File the new UCC-1 a few days before the old one expires. Just make sure the collateral description is identical or broader.
Smart approach. I've done this when dealing with impossible state systems. Sometimes starting fresh is easier than fighting bureaucracy.
Update us when you get it figured out! I'm dealing with a similar issue in Pennsylvania and wondering if it's a regional thing with these northeastern states making filing harder.
Will do. Going to try the Certana tool someone mentioned and also pull all the entity docs to compare. Really hoping I don't have to file a new UCC-1.
PA has been getting pickier about name matches too. Seems like all these states are tightening up their systems but not making them any clearer.
Pennsylvania UCC filing search showing old terminated liens - help with cleanup
I'm dealing with a messy situation where our Pennsylvania UCC filing search is pulling up liens that should have been terminated years ago. We're trying to close on equipment financing and the lender's search is showing UCC-1 filings from 2019-2021 that we definitely filed terminations for. The problem is some of these terminations might have had debtor name mismatches or weren't properly cross-referenced to the original filing numbers. Now we're scrambling to prove these liens are actually released. Has anyone dealt with Pennsylvania SOS being slow to update their search results even after proper UCC-3 terminations are filed? Our closing is next week and the lender won't proceed until we can show clean search results.
Join the conversation
Another thought - make sure you're searching under all possible versions of your company name. If there were any corporate name changes or DBA registrations, those old names might still have UCC filings attached that need separate terminations.
Yeah, that could definitely complicate things. You'll want to search under every historical version of the entity name to make sure you're not missing any old filings.
Corporate name changes are UCC nightmares. Always good to do a comprehensive historical search when dealing with older entities.
Update us on how this resolves! I'm dealing with similar issues in Ohio and curious if the approaches mentioned here work for other states too.
Will do. Hopefully I'll have good news to report after we get through this closing process.
Ohio's system is actually pretty similar to Pennsylvania's in terms of search lag time, so the same strategies should work.
Connor O'Brien
Just wanted to add that you should also verify the vehicle wasn't previously reported as a total loss or salvage. Some states have special requirements for UCC filings on vehicles with branded titles. It's rare but could cause additional complications if not handled properly.
0 coins
Ingrid Larsson
AuthorHow would I check that? The borrower didn't mention anything about salvage history.
0 coins
Connor O'Brien
Usually shows up on the title itself if there's a brand. Look for words like "salvage," "flood," "lemon," etc. on the title document.
0 coins
Amina Diallo
Update us when you get it resolved! These UCC rejection stories always stress me out because I know how critical the timing can be for loan closings. Hope you get it sorted out quickly with the corrected debtor name.
0 coins
Ingrid Larsson
AuthorWill do! Going to resubmit tomorrow morning with the exact name from the title. Fingers crossed this time works.
0 coins
Amina Diallo
Good luck! That name correction should definitely solve it based on what everyone's saying here.
0 coins