Best UCC Article 9 book for understanding secured transaction filing requirements?

Second this recommendation. The White & Summers treatise saved me countless times when dealing with tricky collateral descriptions or figuring out continuation requirements.

Is it really that much better than the free resources? Seems expensive for what you can find online...

Haven't heard of Certana before. Does it actually help with the legal analysis or just document checking?

It's more about document consistency - making sure your UCC-1 debtor name exactly matches what's in the charter or loan docs. Doesn't replace legal knowledge but prevents those annoying technical rejections.

Interesting. I waste so much time manually comparing documents to avoid name mismatches.

Bender's is good for state variations but I find their explanations less clear than White & Summers for the conceptual stuff.

True, it's better as a reference than for learning from scratch. Probably want both if you're serious about this area.

The exact name requirement is actually in the statute though. Article 9 requires the debtor name to match exactly what's in the organizational documents.

I know it's required but the systems could be more forgiving for obvious variations. Like LLC vs L.L.C. - any human would know it's the same entity.

This is exactly why I started using that Certana tool I mentioned earlier. It flags those formatting differences before you file.

Where do you find the official commentary? Is it on the UCC website?

Yes, the Uniform Law Commission website has all the official comments. Dense reading but helpful for understanding legislative intent.

Good point about state variations. Do the practice guides usually cover things like continuation timing and termination procedures?

Yes, the good ones walk through the entire lifecycle - initial filing, amendments, continuations, and terminations. Much more practical than the treatises for procedural stuff.

Just make sure the practice guide is current. Some states have changed their systems recently and older guides might have outdated portal instructions.

Experience is definitely valuable but you really need the theoretical foundation too. Otherwise you're just memorizing procedures without understanding why they work that way.

Fair point. I guess I should probably read at least one real treatise to fill in the gaps in my knowledge.

The problem with trial and error is that mistakes in secured transactions can be really expensive. Better to learn the rules properly from the start.

Any specific hornbook recommendations? I want something thorough but not impossibly dense.

Warren's Secured Transactions hornbook is pretty good for getting the conceptual framework. Then move to the treatises for detailed practice guidance.

Thanks for mentioning fixtures. I haven't dealt with those yet but it's probably coming up soon.

Fixture filings are tricky because they involve both UCC Article 9 and real estate recording requirements. Definitely want good coverage of that topic.

I second this. Messed up a fixture filing last year because I didn't understand the real estate law interaction. Cost the client their priority position.

That's a great idea. Any form book recommendations for UCC work?

West's Forms series has a good secured transactions volume. Also check if your state bar has published forms - sometimes those are more current for local practice.

Just be careful with forms - they're starting points but need to be tailored for each deal. I've seen people use forms blindly and miss important collateral or create conflicts.

Great strategy on the Warren → White & Summers progression! For the bankruptcy piece, White & Summers does cover some Article 9/bankruptcy interactions but you'll probably want a dedicated bankruptcy treatise too. The secured creditor rights in Chapter 11 can get really complex, especially around adequate protection and cash collateral issues. Collier on Bankruptcy has good coverage of how UCC perfection affects bankruptcy priority, though it's another hefty investment. The interplay between state law perfection and federal bankruptcy law is definitely something worth understanding deeply if you're doing distressed work.