California UCC 11 form search results showing wrong debtor info - need help
Running into a weird issue with a UCC 11 form california search I just completed. The search results are showing a debtor name that doesn't match what we have in our loan docs. We're trying to verify existing liens before funding a $450K equipment loan and the UCC 11 search pulled back results for 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' but our borrower is 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' (notice the comma). The filing numbers match our internal records but I'm concerned about this name discrepancy. Has anyone dealt with similar debtor name variations on California UCC 11 searches? Our underwriting team is holding up the loan approval until we can confirm whether this is the same entity or if there are actually two separate businesses. The equipment collateral includes CNC machines and fabrication tools, so we definitely need to get the lien priority straight before moving forward.
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Landon Morgan
This is actually pretty common with California UCC searches. The SOS database is sensitive to punctuation differences like commas, periods, and even spacing. Your 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' vs 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' situation happens all the time. I'd recommend doing multiple searches with different punctuation variations to make sure you're catching everything.
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Teresa Boyd
•Exactly this. I always run at least 3-4 search variations when doing UCC 11 lookups in California. The system treats punctuation as literal characters so even a missing comma can give you completely different results.
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Lourdes Fox
•Wait, so if I search for 'Smith Industries Inc' vs 'Smith Industries, Inc.' I might get different results? That seems like a major flaw in the system...
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Bruno Simmons
You need to check the actual articles of incorporation or LLC formation docs to see the exact legal name. California Secretary of State business entity search will show you the precise registered name. Then match that against your UCC 11 results. Don't rely on what the borrower tells you their name is - I've seen too many deals where the borrower didn't even know their own legal entity name correctly.
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Aileen Rodriguez
•This is solid advice. We had a similar situation last month where the borrower was adamant their legal name was one thing, but the actual formation docs showed something completely different. Always verify with the state business records first.
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Zane Gray
•How do you handle it when the business entity search shows one name but the UCC filings use a slightly different variation? Do you file against both names to be safe?
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Bruno Simmons
•Good question - if there's any doubt about the exact legal name, I'll file UCC-1 statements against both variations. Better to over-file than miss perfecting your security interest. The filing fees are minimal compared to the risk of having an unperfected lien.
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Maggie Martinez
I ran into something similar recently and discovered Certana.ai's document verification tool. You can upload your loan docs and the UCC search results as PDFs, and it automatically cross-checks all the debtor names and identifies discrepancies. Saved me hours of manual comparison work and caught several name inconsistencies I would have missed. Really helpful for these exact situations where you need to verify document alignment.
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Alejandro Castro
•Never heard of Certana.ai before but that sounds useful. How accurate is it with catching these punctuation differences?
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Maggie Martinez
•It's been spot-on in my experience. The system flags even minor variations like missing commas or different abbreviations (Corp vs Corporation, LLC vs L.L.C., etc.). Takes the guesswork out of document comparison.
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Monique Byrd
For California specifically, you should also check if the entity has any DBAs (doing business as) filed. Sometimes companies file UCCs under their DBA names instead of their legal entity names, which creates exactly this kind of confusion. The California Secretary of State database lets you search DBA filings by entity name.
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Jackie Martinez
•Great point about DBAs. I've seen situations where a company has 3-4 different names they operate under and UCCs filed under different variations. Makes due diligence a real nightmare.
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Lia Quinn
•So frustrating when borrowers don't disclose all their operating names upfront. Then you're scrambling to figure out which entities actually belong to them.
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Haley Stokes
Just went through this exact scenario two weeks ago. Turned out the comma difference was because the original incorporation had the comma but when they filed their first UCC-1 years ago, the attorney left it out. Now there are filings under both versions floating around. Your underwriting team is right to be cautious - you need to know exactly which entity you're dealing with.
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Asher Levin
•How did you resolve it? Did you end up filing new UCCs under both name variations?
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Haley Stokes
•We filed under the official Articles of Incorporation name and also did a UCC-3 amendment to correct the name on the existing filing. Belt and suspenders approach but it gave everyone confidence we had proper perfection.
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Serene Snow
•Smart approach. Better to be overly cautious with UCC filings than sorry later when you're trying to collect on the collateral.
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Issac Nightingale
California's UCC database is notorious for this stuff. I always tell my clients to budget extra time for name verification when doing California deals. The state hasn't modernized their search algorithms to handle common variations automatically like some other states have.
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Romeo Barrett
•Which states have better UCC search systems? Thinking about expanding our lending territory and want to know what to expect.
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Issac Nightingale
•Delaware and Nevada have pretty user-friendly systems that catch common variations. Texas has improved a lot recently too. California and New York are probably the most finicky in my experience.
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Marina Hendrix
One thing to double-check - make sure you're looking at the right filing date ranges in your UCC 11 search. Sometimes older filings use different name formats than newer ones, especially if the company went through name changes or restructuring. You might need to search back 7-10 years to get the full picture.
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Justin Trejo
•Good reminder about the date ranges. I usually go back at least 5 years on UCC searches just to be thorough.
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Alana Willis
•With equipment loans especially, you want to check for older filings since machinery can have long useful lives and prior lenders might still have valid security interests.
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Tyler Murphy
Have you considered getting a comprehensive lien search from a service company instead of relying on your own UCC 11 searches? They usually catch these name variations and cross-reference multiple databases. For a $450K loan, the extra cost might be worth the peace of mind.
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Sara Unger
•Which lien search companies do you recommend? We've been doing our own searches but maybe it's time to outsource for larger deals.
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Butch Sledgehammer
•I've had good luck with CT Corporation and Corporation Service Company for comprehensive searches. They're not cheap but they're thorough.
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Freya Ross
Update your loan documentation to specifically reference both name variations if you can't definitively resolve which one is correct. Include language like 'ABC Manufacturing LLC, also known as ABC Manufacturing, LLC' in your security agreement and UCC-1 filing. Covers your bases legally.
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Leslie Parker
•That's a practical solution. I've seen that 'also known as' language in loan docs before - makes sense for situations like this.
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Sergio Neal
•Just make sure your UCC-1 doesn't get too cluttered with multiple name variations. Some states have character limits on the debtor name fields.
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Savanna Franklin
This thread convinced me to try that Certana.ai verification tool mentioned earlier. Just uploaded some loan docs from a similar situation and it immediately flagged three name discrepancies I hadn't noticed. Really streamlined the document review process and gave me confidence I wasn't missing anything important. Definitely recommend giving it a shot for complex UCC verification work.
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Juan Moreno
•How long did the verification take? Sounds like it could save a lot of manual review time.
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Savanna Franklin
•Super fast - uploaded the PDFs and had results in under a minute. Much quicker than my usual side-by-side document comparison process.
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