UCC Document Community

I went through something very similar when I bought my house last year - discovered a UCC filing from the previous owner's solar installation that wasn't properly disclosed. The key thing that helped me was getting a subordination agreement from the solar company, which basically confirms that their lien is secondary to your mortgage. Most reputable solar companies are familiar with this process and can provide the documentation quickly. Also, make sure to check if there's a UCC-3 termination statement that should have been filed when the solar loan was paid off - sometimes these get overlooked and the filing stays active even after the debt is satisfied. Your title company should be able to help coordinate with the solar company to get everything sorted out properly.

I deal with UCC fixture filings regularly in my work, and solar installations are by far the most common reason homeowners encounter these unexpected liens. The filing you found is almost certainly related to your solar panel financing - it's become standard practice for solar companies to file UCC-1 statements to secure their interest in the equipment. What you're seeing is completely normal and legitimate. The filing protects the lender's collateral (the panels) while they're being financed, but it's very specific to just the solar equipment, not your entire property. For your refinance, you'll need to provide your original solar financing agreement and proof that payments are current. Most mortgage lenders see these regularly now and know how to handle them. The key is proper documentation - make sure the debtor name on the UCC filing matches your legal name exactly, and verify the collateral description is limited to the solar panels and related equipment. This shouldn't kill your refi, but it will require some additional paperwork to satisfy your new lender's requirements.

As someone who just went through this process, I can confirm what everyone is saying about needing both documents. The security agreement is your actual loan contract that creates the lender's rights to your collateral - it has all the detailed terms about payments, defaults, and what happens if things go wrong. The UCC-1 financing statement is just a simple public notice that gets filed with the state to tell other potential lenders "hey, this collateral is already claimed." Think of it like the difference between your mortgage (private contract) and recording the deed (public notice). You definitely need both, but only the UCC-1 gets filed publicly. The security agreement stays private between you and your lender but is what actually gives them the legal right to take your equipment if you default.

Great question! I was confused about this same thing when I started my business last year. The way my attorney explained it really helped - the security agreement is like the "rulebook" that creates the actual security interest and spells out all the terms between you and your lender. It has to be signed and includes things like what constitutes default, how the lender can collect, payment terms, etc. The UCC-1 financing statement is more like a "public announcement" that just says "this debtor has pledged this collateral to this secured party." It's much simpler - just basic identifying info - but it's what actually protects your lender's priority position against other creditors. You absolutely need both, but they serve completely different purposes. The security agreement creates the rights, the financing statement perfects and publicizes them.

This is exactly why I always recommend double-checking everything when dealing with UCC searches, especially for newcomers like myself. I'm just starting to handle secured transactions for our company and this thread has been incredibly educational - and honestly quite scary! The fact that these scammers are sophisticated enough to create fake official seals and fabricated filing numbers is disturbing. What really bothers me is how they prey on businesses during time-sensitive deals when we're most likely to rush through verification processes. I'm definitely bookmarking the official Ohio SOS .gov site and implementing a strict protocol to always cross-reference filing numbers with the actual state database. Aaron, I'm sorry you had to learn this lesson the expensive way, but thank you for sharing it with our community - your experience is going to save so many other businesses from falling into these traps!

This is such an important warning for our community! As someone who's new to handling UCC searches for our small business, I'm genuinely shocked by how sophisticated these scams have become. The $395 price tag alone should have been a red flag, but I can totally understand how the pressure of a time-sensitive deal combined with an official-looking website could fool anyone. What's particularly terrifying is that they're not just overcharging - they're creating completely fabricated documents that could have serious legal consequences if used in actual business transactions. I'm immediately bookmarking the official Ohio Secretary of State .gov site and will always verify that domain before entering any payment information. Aaron, thank you for sharing this expensive lesson with all of us - your $400 loss is going to save countless other businesses from falling into this same trap. Has anyone had success reporting these sites to get them shut down faster?

Update us on how it goes! Always helpful to hear about successful addendum filings for future reference.

Pro tip from someone who's been there - when you're dealing with equipment financing collateral descriptions, consider organizing your addendum by equipment type or location if that makes sense. So all manufacturing equipment in one section, inventory in another, etc. Makes it easier to read and reduces the chance of duplication or omission. Also, if you have equipment that might be moved between locations, make sure your description accounts for that possibility. For an $850K deal, you definitely want to be thorough but also organized in your approach.

One last thing to consider - check if your state has any special rules for commercial kitchen equipment. Some states have specific provisions for restaurant fixtures that might affect your filing requirements.

Just want to add that timing is critical with fixture filings. If you're financing equipment that's already installed and attached, you need to get that fixture filing done ASAP. The UCC fixture filing definition requires the filing to be made before or within 20 days after the goods become fixtures in some states. Don't wait too long or you could lose your priority position against other creditors who might have claims on the real estate.