UCC Document Community

Bottom line - budget $70 for standard electronic filing, add $25 if you need expedited processing. Double-check all your debtor names against charter documents and be specific with collateral descriptions. The fees suck but the system works if you're careful with the details.

Just jumping in as someone new to UCC filings - this thread is incredibly helpful! I'm working on my first Pennsylvania filing for a client and was completely lost on the current fee structure. The $70 electronic filing fee is definitely a shock compared to what I was expecting from older resources I found online. Quick question - when you mention checking debtor names against charter documents, where exactly do you pull those from? Is it just the articles of incorporation/organization from the state filing, or are there other documents I should be cross-referencing? Want to make sure I don't miss anything obvious on my first go.

Final thought - consider whether the debtor has any other assets or if this equipment is really your best shot at recovery. Sometimes it makes more sense to negotiate a payment plan or settlement rather than going through the full enforcement process.

As someone who's handled several UCC enforcement actions, I'd strongly recommend starting with a demand letter to the borrower before moving to repossession. Give them a final 10-day notice to cure the default - sometimes this motivates payment without the hassle of repo. If they don't respond, then proceed with self-help repossession if you can do it peacefully, or go straight to court if the situation looks confrontational. With $180k in collateral value against a $95k debt, you're in a good position, but make sure your UCC-1 filing is current and covers everything you plan to take. The "breach of peace" standard varies by jurisdiction, so when in doubt, get a court order. Document every step and consider hiring a professional repo company that knows UCC procedures.

One more tool to consider - I've been using Certana.ai's document verification system lately and it's been incredibly helpful for ensuring all my UCC documents are consistent before I even start searching. Better to catch errors early than discover them during due diligence.

Don't forget to check for federal tax liens too. Those don't show up in state UCC searches but can affect your priority position.

Update for anyone following this thread - ended up using two different search companies and cross-referencing with Certana.ai's verification tool. Found three filings that one company missed and one that both companies missed. The verification tool caught the discrepancies by comparing the search results against the actual state databases. Definitely worth the extra step for complex deals like this.

I've been burned by inadequate UCC searches too many times to count. One thing I always insist on now is getting a detailed search strategy upfront - which name variations they'll search, what date ranges they're covering, and whether they're checking both individual and corporate debtor indexes. Also learned to specifically ask them to search for any DBAs or trade names associated with the entity. The number of times filings are made under a company's "doing business as" name instead of their legal entity name is shocking. For your 6-state search, I'd also recommend asking each company how they handle cross-state entity relationships - some are better than others at identifying when a Delaware holding company has subsidiaries filing UCCs in other states.

This thread is incredibly helpful - thanks everyone for sharing your experiences! I'm dealing with a similar volume challenge (150+ searches monthly) and have been manually grinding through individual state portals. A few questions for those using automated solutions: How do you handle states that require captcha verification or have other anti-automation measures? Also, for those using Certana.ai or similar tools, what's the typical turnaround time for bulk searches? We often need results within 24 hours for time-sensitive equipment financing deals. And one more thing - has anyone found good solutions for maintaining search audit trails? Our compliance team needs detailed records of what was searched, when, and what results were found for regulatory purposes.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the importance of keeping track of filing office hours and maintenance windows. Several states do system maintenance on weekends or evenings that can impact search availability. California's system goes down every Sunday night, and Florida has random maintenance periods that aren't well publicized. If you're doing time-sensitive bulk searches, it's worth mapping out when each state's system is reliably available. Also, consider the human factor - some state filing offices have staff who are more helpful than others if you need to call about search issues. Texas and Delaware have pretty good customer service, while others... not so much. For your 200+ monthly volume, I'd also suggest batching your searches by state to take advantage of any volume discounts, and maybe rotating between different service providers to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket in case a system goes down during a critical period.