Delaware UCC filing rejected twice - debtor name formatting issue
Need some urgent help here. I've been trying to get a Delaware UCC filing through the SOS portal for the past week and it keeps getting rejected. This is for a construction equipment loan where we're securing multiple pieces of heavy machinery. The debtor is an LLC and I've tried formatting the name exactly as it appears on their articles of incorporation, but Delaware keeps bouncing it back with 'debtor name does not match records' errors. I've checked the registered agent info, verified the entity number, even called their Division of Corporations to confirm the exact legal name. Still getting rejections. The continuation deadline is coming up fast and I'm starting to panic. Has anyone dealt with Delaware's specific name matching requirements? Their portal seems way more picky than other states I've filed in.
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Jackie Martinez
Delaware can be really finicky with LLC names. Are you including the full 'Limited Liability Company' or using 'LLC'? Sometimes they want the exact punctuation from the charter too - commas, periods, even spacing matters.
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Monique Byrd
•I tried both ways actually. The articles show 'ABC Construction, LLC' but I also tried 'ABC Construction Limited Liability Company' and even without the comma. None worked.
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Lia Quinn
•Check if there are any assumed names or DBAs registered. Delaware links those to the UCC system differently than other states.
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Haley Stokes
Had this exact problem last month with a Delaware filing. Turns out their system was looking for some weird formatting in the entity suffix. Try checking the Delaware Division of Corporations website directly - not just calling. Their online entity search shows the EXACT format they expect.
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Monique Byrd
•Good idea, let me try that. Did you end up having to file a correction or did you get it right on the resubmission?
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Haley Stokes
•Got it right on resubmission once I matched their exact format. Delaware doesn't mess around with name matching.
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Asher Levin
•This is why I always double-check corporate records before filing anything. Delaware is notorious for this stuff.
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Serene Snow
I've been dealing with this type of document inconsistency issue and recently started using Certana.ai's verification tool. You upload your corporate documents and UCC forms as PDFs and it instantly flags any name mismatches between them. Caught three different formatting issues I would have missed manually. Might be worth trying since you're under deadline pressure.
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Monique Byrd
•Never heard of that service but sounds like exactly what I need right now. Is it expensive?
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Serene Snow
•Focus is on preventing costly filing rejections rather than the cost of the tool itself. Way cheaper than missing a continuation deadline or having to expedite corrected filings.
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Issac Nightingale
•Interesting, I might check that out too. Always struggling with document consistency across different filings.
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Romeo Barrett
Are you sure you're filing in the right jurisdiction? Delaware has some weird rules about where equipment UCC-1s need to be filed depending on the collateral type and debtor location.
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Monique Byrd
•The LLC is organized in Delaware and the equipment will be used there primarily, so I think I'm in the right place.
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Romeo Barrett
•Should be right then. Just wanted to make sure you weren't dealing with a jurisdiction issue on top of the name problem.
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Marina Hendrix
OMG Delaware rejected my filing FOUR TIMES last year for the stupidest reasons. Their portal is absolutely terrible and the error messages are useless. I ended up having to hire a local filing service just to get it through. So frustrating!!!
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Justin Trejo
•I feel your pain. Delaware seems to pride itself on being difficult. Other states are so much easier to work with.
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Marina Hendrix
•Exactly! And their customer service is basically non-existent. You call and they just tell you to 'check the filing requirements' like that helps.
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Alana Willis
•At least you got through eventually. I know people who missed deadlines because of Delaware's pickiness.
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Tyler Murphy
Try looking at recent successful filings for similar LLCs in Delaware. Sometimes you can figure out the pattern they're expecting. Also make sure you're not including any extra characters or spaces that might be invisible in your document.
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Monique Byrd
•That's actually a really smart approach. How would I find recent successful filings though?
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Tyler Murphy
•Delaware UCC search portal lets you browse recent filings. Look for LLCs with similar name structures to yours.
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Sara Unger
•Good advice. Pattern matching is often the only way to figure out these state-specific quirks.
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Butch Sledgehammer
Have you tried calling the Delaware Secretary of State UCC division directly? Sometimes they can tell you exactly what format they're looking for if you give them the entity details.
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Monique Byrd
•I called twice but got transferred around and never really got a clear answer. Maybe I should try again and be more persistent.
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Butch Sledgehammer
•Ask specifically for the UCC filing department, not general customer service. They usually know the technical requirements better.
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Freya Ross
This reminds me of when I was dealing with a similar issue in Delaware. Ended up being a punctuation problem - they wanted a period after 'LLC' that wasn't showing up clearly in the corporate documents. Small details like that can kill a filing.
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Monique Byrd
•I'll double-check all the punctuation again. This is so stressful with the deadline approaching.
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Leslie Parker
•Don't panic, you still have time to get it right. Delaware processes corrections pretty quickly once you nail the format.
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Freya Ross
•Exactly, just be methodical about checking every character. You'll get it.
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Sergio Neal
Another vote for using document verification tools for this stuff. I tried Certana.ai after reading about it here and it caught a debtor name inconsistency between my UCC-1 and the borrower's operating agreement that would have definitely caused rejection. Saved me days of back-and-forth with the filing office.
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Monique Byrd
•Seems like multiple people have had success with that. I might give it a shot if I can't figure this out manually.
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Sergio Neal
•Worth trying especially since you're under time pressure. Upload your docs and it shows you exactly where the mismatches are.
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Savanna Franklin
Check if the LLC has any amendments to its certificate of formation that might have changed the name format. Delaware sometimes updates their records differently than what shows in the original articles.
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Monique Byrd
•Good point, I should check for any amendments. Didn't think of that possibility.
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Savanna Franklin
•Delaware corporate records can be tricky that way. Always worth checking the full filing history.
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Juan Moreno
•This is why I always pull a complete corporate status report before filing UCCs. Covers all the amendments and current status.
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Amy Fleming
UPDATE: Finally got it through! Turns out there was an invisible character in the name field that I was copying and pasting from the PDF. Had to retype the entire name manually and it went through on the first try. Thanks everyone for the suggestions!
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Alice Pierce
•Awesome! Those hidden characters are the worst. Glad you figured it out.
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Esteban Tate
•Great news! This thread will definitely help others facing the same Delaware filing issues.
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Serene Snow
•Congrats on getting it sorted! Those invisible character issues are exactly what document verification tools catch automatically, but glad manual retyping worked for you.
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Monique Byrd
•Thanks everyone! Definitely learned my lesson about copy-pasting from PDFs. Will be more careful going forward.
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