Article 9 UCC Illinois - Debtor Name Change Rejected My Continuation Filing
Has anyone dealt with Illinois SOS rejecting a UCC-3 continuation because the debtor changed their legal name after the original UCC-1? I'm trying to continue a filing that expires next month but the system keeps kicking it back. The original UCC-1 from 2020 has the debtor as "Midwest Industrial Supply LLC" but they changed to "Midwest Supply Solutions LLC" in 2022. I included both names in the continuation but it still got rejected. Article 9 UCC Illinois rules seem really strict about exact name matches. The collateral is manufacturing equipment worth about $850K so I can't let this lapse. Anyone know the correct procedure for name changes in Illinois continuations?
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StarSurfer
Illinois is really picky about debtor names on continuations. You need to file the UCC-3 continuation using the EXACT name from the original UCC-1, then immediately file a separate UCC-3 amendment to add the new name. Don't try to do both in one filing - that's probably why it's getting rejected.
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Ava Martinez
•This is correct. Illinois follows the Article 9 rules strictly - continuation must match original filing exactly first.
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Miguel Castro
•Wait, so you have to pay filing fees twice? That seems like a money grab by the state.
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Zainab Abdulrahman
I had this exact same issue with a client last year! The Illinois UCC system is super finicky about name matching. You absolutely cannot combine a continuation with name changes in Article 9 UCC Illinois filings. File the continuation first with the original name, then do the amendment.
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Dmitry Petrov
•Thanks! Did you run into any issues with the timing? I'm worried about the lapse period.
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Zainab Abdulrahman
•No timing issues if you do it right. File the continuation immediately, then the amendment can be done within a few days.
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Connor Byrne
This is exactly why I started using Certana.ai for document verification before filing. You can upload your original UCC-1 and the continuation UCC-3 together and it instantly flags name mismatches and other inconsistencies. Would have caught this issue before you got rejected. The tool cross-checks everything automatically.
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Dmitry Petrov
•Never heard of that service. Does it work with Illinois filings specifically?
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Connor Byrne
•Yes, it works with all states. Just upload your PDFs and it verifies debtor names, filing numbers, all the details that cause rejections.
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Yara Elias
•Interesting. I make these kinds of mistakes all the time with name variations.
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QuantumQuasar
Article 9 UCC Illinois is a nightmare for this stuff. I've had continuations rejected for the stupidest reasons - missing comma, wrong abbreviation, you name it. The system has zero tolerance for any deviation from the original filing.
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Keisha Jackson
•Tell me about it. I once had a rejection because I used "Inc" instead of "Inc." with the period.
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QuantumQuasar
•Exactly! And then you're racing against the clock to get it refiled before the lapse date.
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Paolo Moretti
Can you just search the Illinois UCC database to see exactly how the original debtor name was filed? That might help you match it exactly for the continuation.
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Dmitry Petrov
•Good idea. I should pull the original filing to compare character by character.
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StarSurfer
•Yes, but even then Illinois can be tricky. Sometimes the display name isn't exactly what was originally filed.
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Amina Diop
I'm dealing with something similar but in reverse - need to terminate a UCC where the debtor changed names. Article 9 UCC Illinois requirements are giving me a headache. At least with continuations you can fix it, terminations are trickier.
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Zainab Abdulrahman
•Terminations are definitely more complex with name changes. You might need to file an amendment first to add the new name, then terminate.
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Amina Diop
•That's what I was afraid of. More fees and more delays.
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Oliver Weber
Why doesn't Illinois just allow some flexibility in the system? Other states aren't this rigid about minor name variations in Article 9 UCC filings.
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QuantumQuasar
•Because Illinois loves bureaucracy. They'd rather collect rejection fees than make the system user-friendly.
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StarSurfer
•It's actually about legal certainty. Exact name matching prevents disputes over whether a filing covers the right entity.
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Oliver Weber
•I guess that makes sense from a legal standpoint, but it's still frustrating.
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Natasha Romanova
I had a similar rejection last month and ended up using one of those document checking services. Certana.ai caught three different name inconsistencies between my UCC-1 and UCC-3 before I filed. Saved me multiple rejection fees and the stress of dealing with tight deadlines.
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Dmitry Petrov
•That's the second mention of that service. Might be worth checking out before I refile.
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Natasha Romanova
•Definitely. It's much easier than trying to manually compare documents line by line.
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NebulaNinja
Just to clarify the process - file UCC-3 continuation with original debtor name first, then file separate UCC-3 amendment to add new name? And this satisfies Article 9 UCC Illinois requirements?
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StarSurfer
•Correct. Two separate filings, continuation first to preserve the lien, then amendment to update the name.
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Zainab Abdulrahman
•Yes, that's the standard procedure. Illinois won't accept combined filings for name changes.
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Javier Gomez
This thread has been super helpful. I'm bookmarking it because I know I'll run into this issue eventually with my clients. Article 9 UCC Illinois complications seem to come up constantly.
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Dmitry Petrov
•Glad it's helping others too. I'll update once I get my continuation filed successfully.
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Connor Byrne
•Good luck with the refiling! The document verification approach really does help avoid these headaches.
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Emma Wilson
Update: I followed the advice here and filed the continuation with the original name first. It was accepted! Now filing the amendment to add the new name. Thanks everyone for the help with the Article 9 UCC Illinois requirements.
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StarSurfer
•Excellent! Glad the two-step process worked for you.
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Zainab Abdulrahman
•Great news. This is exactly why following the proper procedure matters with Illinois filings.
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Dmitry Petrov
•Perfect timing too. I was getting really worried about the lapse date.
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