How to search public UCC lien records when debtor moved states?

That's what I was afraid of. So the Michigan search coming up empty doesn't mean there aren't any liens there - it could just mean they haven't filed any NEW liens since the move?

Exactly. Plus some lenders might file protective UCC-1s in the new state even if the original liens are still valid in Ohio. You really need to search everywhere the debtor has had business operations.

How does that work with the public UCC lien searches? Does it help find liens I might have missed?

It doesn't search for you, but once you've pulled records from multiple states, you can upload all the PDFs and it verifies everything aligns properly. Really helpful for catching name variations that might cause you to miss liens.

Name variations are huge - I've seen 'John Smith' vs 'John J Smith' vs 'John James Smith' all showing up as different entries in public records

Good point. They operate under a DBA in Michigan but the LLC was formed in Ohio. Should I be searching under both names?

Search under the legal entity name first, but yes - also search variations and any DBAs. Public UCC lien records can be indexed under different name formats.

I didn't think about pending filings. How long do those typically take to show up in the public records?

Usually 1-2 business days but I've seen it take longer during busy periods. Michigan's portal shows filing status if you have the specific filing number.

Ohio is usually faster but their search interface is terrible. Half the time I get timeouts.

Try searching early morning or late evening when there's less traffic. The system seems more stable then.

I shouldn't have to time my searches around their server capacity! This is 2025 for crying out loud.

The equipment is mobile construction equipment, not fixtures. Would that still apply?

Probably not for mobile equipment, but worth checking if any of the collateral could be considered fixtures or real estate related.

Some lenders file fixture filings as belt-and-suspenders protection even for mobile equipment. Better safe than sorry.

That sounds useful for the verification step. Still need to do the leg work of searching each state though?

Right, it's not a search tool but it's great for making sure all the documents you find are consistent. Upload your PDFs and it flags any discrepancies.

I didn't know you could search by tax ID. Does that work in both Ohio and Michigan?

Michigan allows it but Ohio's search is pretty limited. Tax ID search sometimes finds liens that don't show up in name searches due to spelling variations.

Be careful with tax ID searches - make sure you're using the right format. Some states want dashes, others don't.

How much do those typically cost? Trying to balance thoroughness with budget constraints.

Usually $50-150 depending on how many states and the complexity. Worth it for a $180K loan to avoid missing a prior lien.

Professional searches are good but you still need to verify the debtor name accuracy. I've seen search companies miss liens due to name variations.

Good point. The Ohio filings are from 2021 and 2022 so they should still be active, but I should verify the continuation status.

2021 would need a continuation by 2026, but 2022 still has time. Double-check the exact filing dates to be sure.

This is another area where Certana.ai helps - it automatically flags any filings that are approaching their continuation deadlines or have already lapsed.

That's a nightmare for compliance. How do you account for all possible variations?

Start with the exact legal name from their formation documents, then try common variations. Drop punctuation, add punctuation, try abbreviations.

Some states are more forgiving with name matching than others. Ohio is pretty strict about exact matches.