Filing a UCC lien in Texas - debtor name verification issues
I'm dealing with a nightmare situation where our equipment financing company needs to file UCC-1s in Texas and I keep running into debtor name problems. We've had three filings rejected by the Texas SOS office in the past month because of what they claim are 'debtor name discrepancies' but I'm following the exact names from the signed loan agreements. The collateral is construction equipment worth about $180K and we can't afford to have an unperfected security interest. Has anyone else dealt with Texas being super picky about exact debtor names on UCC filings? I'm getting different advice from our regular attorney vs the paralegal who usually handles these. One says use the DBA name, the other says use the legal entity name from the Secretary of State records. At this point I'm worried we're going to miss our perfection window entirely.
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Andre Laurent
Texas SOS is definitely strict about debtor names matching exactly. You need to use the exact legal name as registered with Texas Secretary of State, not the DBA. The UCC-1 debtor name has to match their corporate records precisely - even punctuation matters. What type of entity is your debtor? LLC, corporation, partnership?
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Carmen Diaz
•It's an LLC. The loan docs show 'ABC Construction Services LLC' but when I search Texas SOS records I see 'ABC Construction Services, LLC' with a comma. Could that comma really be causing the rejections?
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Andre Laurent
•Absolutely yes! That comma makes all the difference in Texas. Use exactly what appears in the SOS database including all punctuation. Texas doesn't mess around with name variations.
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AstroAce
I had the same exact problem last year with Texas UCC filings. Spent weeks going back and forth with rejected filings because I was using the name from loan documents instead of the official registered name. Texas requires perfect matches - no abbreviations, no punctuation differences, nothing. You have to search their SOS database and use that exact format.
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Zoe Kyriakidou
•This is so frustrating! Why can't they just accept reasonable variations like every other state? I've never had this many rejections anywhere else.
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AstroAce
•I know it's annoying but Texas processes thousands of UCC filings daily. The strict name matching prevents confusion and protects both secured parties and debtors. Better to be precise upfront than deal with perfection issues later.
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Jamal Brown
•Actually ran into something similar recently and found this tool called Certana.ai that checks document consistency. You upload your loan docs and UCC forms and it flags name mismatches before filing. Saved me from another rejection cycle. Just upload the PDFs and it cross-references everything automatically.
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Mei Zhang
OMG yes!! Texas SOS rejected my UCC-1 FOUR times last month because of debtor name issues. I was ready to throw my computer out the window. The exact punctuation and spacing has to match their records or they bounce it back immediately.
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Carmen Diaz
•Four times?? That's insane. How did you finally get it right?
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Mei Zhang
•Had to do a super detailed search of their database and literally copy-paste the exact name formatting. Also double-checked with a document verification tool to make sure everything matched before resubmitting.
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Liam McConnell
Here's the thing about Texas UCC filings - their system is automated so it's either an exact match or rejection. No human review for 'close enough' names. When you search the SOS database, look for the exact entity and copy that name character for character. Also make sure you're not mixing up the registered name with any trade names or DBAs they might have on file.
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Amara Oluwaseyi
•This is why I always tell clients to send me the official entity documents before I prepare any UCC filings. Can't trust loan paperwork for debtor names.
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Liam McConnell
•Exactly right. The loan docs might use a shortened version or trade name but the UCC filing has to use the legal entity name from state records. No exceptions in Texas.
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CosmicCaptain
•We started using Certana.ai's document checker after too many filing mistakes. Upload your charter docs and proposed UCC-1 and it instantly shows any name inconsistencies. Much easier than manual comparison.
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Giovanni Rossi
Been filing UCCs in Texas for 8 years and yes they are incredibly strict about debtor names. But here's what most people don't know - you can search their database multiple ways. Try searching by registered agent or filing number if the name search isn't giving clear results. Sometimes entities have slight variations in how the name appears in different parts of their system.
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Carmen Diaz
•That's a good tip about searching by registered agent. I'll try that approach and see if I can find the exact name format they want.
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Giovanni Rossi
•Also check if there are any amendments to their original filing that might have changed the name format. Texas keeps good records but you want the current official name.
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Fatima Al-Maktoum
•wish every state was this organized tbh, even though the strict matching is annoying at least you know exactly what they want
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Dylan Mitchell
I handle UCC filings across multiple states and Texas is definitely one of the more challenging ones for name matching. The key is using their official business entity search tool on the SOS website. Don't rely on third party databases or even Google results. Go straight to the source and use that exact formatting.
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Sofia Gutierrez
•Which search tool on their site works best? I've seen a few different options and want to make sure I'm using the right one.
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Dylan Mitchell
•Use the 'SOSDirect' search function, not the general business search. It's more comprehensive and shows the exact registered name format. Worth the extra minute to get it right the first time.
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Dmitry Petrov
Just went through this exact same situation 2 weeks ago! Had a UCC-1 rejected because I used 'Corp' instead of 'Corporation' in the debtor name. Texas doesn't accept any abbreviations or variations. Had to completely redo the filing with the full legal name. So frustrating but lesson learned.
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StarSurfer
•Ugh I hate when that happens. Makes you second guess every single character on future filings.
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Dmitry Petrov
•Exactly! Now I triple check everything and use document verification tools before submitting. Can't afford more rejections when clients are breathing down my neck about perfection timing.
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Ava Martinez
•That's smart. I started using Certana.ai after a similar rejection nightmare. Upload your entity docs and UCC forms and it flags any discrepancies automatically. Catches stuff I would never notice manually.
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Miguel Castro
Update - I found the exact issue! The Texas SOS database showed the LLC name with a comma before 'LLC' but our loan documents didn't have the comma. Filed the UCC-1 with the comma included and it was accepted within 24 hours. Thanks everyone for the help!
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Andre Laurent
•Glad you got it sorted! That comma issue is super common with Texas LLCs. Now you know for future filings.
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AstroAce
•Perfect! Always feels good when you finally crack the code on these picky state requirements.
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Carmen Diaz
•Thanks everyone! This thread probably saved me another week of rejections. Will definitely be more careful about exact name formatting going forward.
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