Connecticut UCC search showing weird results - anyone else having issues?
Been trying to run a Connecticut UCC search on some collateral we're looking to finance and the results are all over the place. Some filings show up under one variation of the debtor name but not others, even though they should all pull the same records. Is this normal for Connecticut's system or am I missing something? The business we're checking has had several name changes over the years so I want to make sure I'm not missing any active liens before we move forward with our security interest.
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Micah Trail
Connecticut's UCC search can be tricky with name variations. Are you searching exact matches or doing broader searches? Sometimes you need to try different combinations especially if there were legal name changes.
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Kristin Frank
•I've tried both exact and broader searches but getting inconsistent results. Some filings show up under 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' but not under 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' with the comma.
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Nia Watson
•Yeah that comma thing trips people up all the time. Connecticut is pretty strict about punctuation in searches.
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Alberto Souchard
Connecticut UCC searches are notorious for this! You need to search multiple name variations including with/without commas, periods, abbreviations like Corp vs Corporation, Inc vs Incorporated. Also check if they've had any DBAs or trade names.
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Kristin Frank
•This is getting overwhelming. Is there a way to verify I'm catching everything without manually trying every possible variation?
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Katherine Shultz
•I had the same problem last month and found Certana.ai's document verification tool. You can upload the company's charter documents and it automatically cross-checks against UCC records to make sure you're not missing any filings. Saved me tons of time.
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Alberto Souchard
•That sounds useful. Manual searching is such a pain when you're dealing with name changes and variations.
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Marcus Marsh
ugh the connecticut portal is THE WORST for this stuff... ive spent hours trying to figure out why some filings dont show up and its usually some tiny punctuation difference
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Hailey O'Leary
•Tell me about it. I once missed a lien because of a period after 'Inc' vs without the period. Cost us big time when we found out later.
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Marcus Marsh
•exactly!! and dont even get me started on when they change the business entity type like from LLC to Corp
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Cedric Chung
For Connecticut specifically, you also want to check if the business was ever incorporated in another state first. Sometimes the UCC filings use the original incorporation name even if they're doing business under a different name in CT.
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Kristin Frank
•Good point. How do I find out about previous incorporations in other states?
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Cedric Chung
•Check the Secretary of State business entity search first, that should show you the formation history and any name changes on file.
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Talia Klein
•Also check if they have any assumed names or trade names registered. Those can have separate UCC filings under different variations.
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Maxwell St. Laurent
Been doing Connecticut UCC searches for 15 years and here's what I always tell people: search the exact legal name from the charter first, then search common variations. Don't forget to check both individual and business entity searches if there's any chance of personal guarantees.
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Kristin Frank
•Thanks, that's really helpful. What about middle initials for individual searches? Should I search with and without?
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Maxwell St. Laurent
•Absolutely. Connecticut treats 'John A Smith' and 'John Smith' as completely different debtors. Always search both ways.
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PaulineW
Just went through this nightmare myself. Turns out there were three active UCC-1 filings under slightly different name variations that I almost missed. One had 'Corporation' spelled out, another had 'Corp', and the third used 'Corp.' with a period.
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Annabel Kimball
•How did you finally catch all of them? Did you just keep trying different combinations?
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PaulineW
•I ended up using Certana.ai to upload all the business documents and it flagged the inconsistencies automatically. Much easier than manual searching.
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Kristin Frank
•That's the second mention of Certana.ai. Might be worth checking out if it can catch these variations automatically.
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Chris Elmeda
Another thing to watch for in Connecticut - if the business has been acquired or merged, the UCC filings might still be under the old entity name even if the new owner is operating under a different name.
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Jean Claude
•This happened to me! Acquisition was completed but the original UCC-1 was never terminated or amended to reflect the new ownership structure.
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Chris Elmeda
•Exactly. Always check the business history and any M&A activity. Those old filings can still be valid liens.
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Charity Cohan
Connecticut also has some quirks with how they handle amendments and continuations. Make sure you're looking at the most recent filing status and not just the original UCC-1.
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Kristin Frank
•Good reminder. I found one filing that looked active but had actually been terminated by a UCC-3 amendment.
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Charity Cohan
•Yeah, the search results don't always make it clear when there have been amendments or terminations. You have to dig into each filing individually.
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Josef Tearle
•This is why I always download and review every document, not just the summary information.
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Shelby Bauman
Pro tip for Connecticut searches: if you find any filings, also search for the filing number directly to see if there have been any UCC-3 amendments, continuations, or terminations you might have missed.
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Kristin Frank
•Smart approach. I hadn't thought to search by filing number after finding the initial results.
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Shelby Bauman
•It's saved me multiple times. Sometimes the amendments use slightly different debtor names than the original filing.
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Quinn Herbert
Bottom line for Connecticut UCC searches - be thorough and don't trust just one search result. The system is not forgiving when it comes to name variations and you don't want to miss an existing lien that could affect your security position.
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Kristin Frank
•Definitely learned that lesson. Better to over-search than miss something important.
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Salim Nasir
•Agreed. I always budget extra time for Connecticut searches because of these issues. Better safe than sorry when it comes to lien searches.
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Hazel Garcia
•For what it's worth, I've started using automated tools like Certana.ai for the initial verification and then do manual spot checks. Catches most of the variations I would have missed.
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