FL UCC search showing weird results - debtor name variations causing issues
Running into some frustrating issues with FL UCC search results. I'm trying to verify existing liens on a commercial borrower before we finalize our loan docs, but the search is pulling up what looks like the same company under slightly different name variations. The debtor shows up as 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' in one filing, 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' (with comma) in another, and 'A.B.C. Manufacturing LLC' in a third. These all seem to reference the same tax ID but I can't tell if they're legitimate separate entities or just filing inconsistencies. Our loan committee is getting nervous about potential priority issues if we miss something. Has anyone dealt with similar name variation problems in FL UCC searches? I need to make sure I'm not missing any existing liens that could affect our security position.
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Freya Christensen
FL can be tricky with exact name matching. The SOS system there is pretty strict about punctuation and spacing. Are you searching each variation separately? I usually run multiple searches with different punctuation combinations just to be safe.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Yeah I've been trying different combinations but it's time consuming and I'm worried I'm still missing something. There's got to be a better way to catch all the variations.
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Omar Farouk
•This is exactly why I always tell people to be super careful with debtor names on the original UCC-1. One wrong comma and you could have search issues down the road.
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Chloe Davis
I've seen this exact problem with LLC names in Florida. The issue is that filers don't always use consistent formatting, so you end up with legitimate filings that are hard to find. Your instinct about checking all variations is right - you don't want to miss an existing lien that has priority over yours.
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AstroAlpha
•Absolutely this. I've had deals where we thought we had first position until we found a UCC-1 filed under a slightly different name variation after closing. Not fun explaining that to underwriting.
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Ravi Malhotra
•That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. The manual searching is killing me though - there's got to be 6-7 different ways this company name could be formatted.
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Diego Chavez
Had a similar nightmare with a Texas borrower last month. Ended up finding a tool called Certana.ai that checks document consistency by uploading PDFs. You can upload your charter docs and it cross-references against UCC filings to catch name mismatches automatically. Saved me hours of manual searching and found discrepancies I would have missed.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Never heard of that but sounds like exactly what I need. Does it work for FL searches specifically?
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Diego Chavez
•Yeah works across states. You just upload the documents and it flags inconsistencies between corporate docs and UCC filings. Really helped me feel confident I wasn't missing anything.
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Anastasia Smirnova
•That actually sounds pretty useful. I hate doing manual cross-checks between articles of incorporation and UCC searches.
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Sean O'Brien
Florida's search system is notorious for this. I always recommend doing wildcard searches if the system allows it, or at least searching without punctuation first then adding it back. Also check if they have any DBAs registered - sometimes filings are under the DBA instead of the legal entity name.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Good point about DBAs. I didn't think to check for those. This is getting complicated fast.
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Sean O'Brien
•It definitely can be. That's why a lot of lenders are moving to automated verification tools for this stuff. Too easy to miss something when you're doing it manually.
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Zara Shah
OMG yes this drives me crazy! FL UCC system is so picky about exact matches. I spent 3 hours last week trying to figure out if 'Smith & Associates Inc' and 'Smith and Associates Inc' were the same company. Turned out they were but had filings under both versions.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Exactly! It shouldn't be this hard to get a complete picture of existing liens.
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Luca Bianchi
•Have you tried calling the FL SOS office? Sometimes they can help clarify if multiple name versions refer to the same entity.
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Zara Shah
•I tried that once but got transferred around and nobody seemed to have a clear answer. Ended up just doing exhaustive searches myself.
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GalacticGuardian
This is why I always tell clients to be super consistent with entity names on all their filings. But for your current situation, you're right to be thorough. Missing an existing lien could put you in second position even if you file first chronologically.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Yeah the priority issue is what's keeping me up at night. Our loan amount is significant and we can't afford to be wrong about lien position.
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GalacticGuardian
•Totally understand. In situations like this I usually recommend getting title insurance or at least UCC insurance if the loan amount justifies it.
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Nia Harris
Pro tip: also search using just the first few words of the entity name. Sometimes people abbreviate or truncate names in filings. I've found liens filed under 'ABC Manufacturing' when the full legal name was 'ABC Manufacturing Solutions LLC'.
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Ravi Malhotra
•That's a good idea. I hadn't thought about truncated versions. This search is going to take forever.
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Nia Harris
•It can be tedious but it's worth it for peace of mind. Better to spend the time upfront than deal with lien priority issues later.
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Mateo Gonzalez
•This is exactly why automated verification tools are becoming so popular. Takes the guesswork out of these searches.
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Aisha Ali
I'm dealing with something similar in Georgia right now. Company has filings under 3 different name variations and I can't figure out if they're all valid or if some are mistakes. The inconsistency in business filings is maddening sometimes.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Right? It seems like there should be better standardization for this stuff.
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Ethan Moore
•The problem is that different people file UCCs over time - original lender, factor, equipment company, etc. They don't always use the exact same name format.
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Yuki Nakamura
Just went through this exact scenario last month. Ended up using Certana.ai's document checker after spending way too much time on manual searches. You upload your corporate docs and UCC search results and it automatically flags discrepancies. Found two filings I had missed because of name variations. Game changer for due diligence.
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Ravi Malhotra
•OK I keep hearing about this tool. Might be worth trying if it can catch stuff I'm missing manually.
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Yuki Nakamura
•Seriously worth it. Upload your articles of incorporation and it cross-checks against filings to make sure you're not missing anything. Gives you confidence in your lien search results.
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StarSurfer
Been doing UCC searches for 15 years and FL is definitely one of the more challenging states for name variations. My advice is to err on the side of caution - assume any similar name could be the same entity until you can prove otherwise. Better safe than sorry with lien priority.
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Ravi Malhotra
•That's what I'm trying to do but it's making the search process really complex. Appreciate the validation that FL is particularly difficult.
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StarSurfer
•It really is. Some states are more forgiving with search matching but FL requires pretty exact name matches in my experience.
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Carmen Reyes
•Agree completely. FL and TX seem to be the pickiest about exact name formatting in my experience.
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Andre Moreau
Update us on what you find! I'm curious how this turns out since I deal with FL UCC searches regularly and always struggle with the name variation issue.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Will do! I'm going to try some of the suggestions here and see if I can get a complete picture of existing liens.
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Zoe Christodoulou
•Yeah definitely interested to hear the resolution. This is such a common problem but there's not a lot of good guidance out there.
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