Confused about accession in UCC collateral descriptions - need clarification

Accession in UCC terms refers to goods that become physically united with other goods in a way that their identity becomes lost in the product or mass. Think of raw materials becoming part of a finished product. But it sounds like you're dealing with equipment additions rather than true accession. For equipment that gets upgraded or has components added, you typically want broader collateral language.

I had a similar issue last year with manufacturing equipment. The key thing about accession is that once goods become accessions, the security interest in the original collateral continues in the whole. But like the previous poster said, sounds more like you need broader equipment language rather than worrying about true accession scenarios.

Accession gets confusing because people use it differently. Technically UCC 9-335 covers accessions - when goods become so related to other goods that removing them would cause material harm. But for equipment financing, you're probably more concerned with after-acquired property clauses and making sure your security interest extends to future additions.

Been doing UCC filings for 15 years and accession issues come up maybe once or twice a year in practice. Most of the time when people think they have an accession situation, they actually just need better after-acquired property language. Your printing press components sound like they'd be covered by standard 'additions and replacements' language.

Wait I'm confused now... I thought accession just meant anything that gets added to the original collateral? Like if I finance a truck and later add a lift gate, isn't that an accession?

Just file with comprehensive language and stop overthinking it. 'All equipment, machinery, and fixtures, together with all additions, accessions, substitutions, and replacements' covers pretty much everything you'll encounter.

For what it's worth, true accession situations are more common in manufacturing or construction contexts. Your equipment scenario sounds straightforward - just use standard equipment language with additions coverage.

One thing to watch for - make sure your security agreement matches your UCC-1 collateral description. I've seen cases where the UCC said 'all equipment' but the security agreement was more specific, creating gaps.

Bottom line - accession under UCC Article 9 is a specific concept about goods becoming physically united. Your equipment additions probably don't qualify as true accessions, but good collateral language will cover them anyway.

Just to add - if you're ever dealing with actual accession situations, remember that UCC 9-335 has priority rules that can affect your security interest. But like others said, doesn't sound like your situation.

Great discussion here! As someone who's dealt with similar confusion, I'd recommend focusing on practical terminology rather than getting caught up in legal technicalities. For equipment financing like your printing press situation, think of it this way: you want your security interest to cover not just what exists today, but anything that gets added, attached, or becomes part of the equipment later. The magic words are usually "including all additions, accessions, attachments, parts, and accessories." This catches both true legal accessions (rare in equipment deals) and the more common scenario of components being added over time. Your lender's attorney can fine-tune the language, but broad coverage is definitely the way to go here.