Ironwood Texas UCC lien continuation getting rejected - debtor name issues?
Having a nightmare with an Ironwood Texas UCC lien that keeps getting rejected by the SOS portal. Filed the original UCC-1 about 4 years ago for equipment financing on some heavy machinery, and now I'm trying to file the continuation before it lapses. The debtor is listed as 'Ironwood Construction Services LLC' on the original filing, but their current corporate records show 'Ironwood Construction Services, LLC' with the comma. The SOS system keeps kicking back my UCC-3 continuation saying there's no exact match. I've tried variations but nothing works. This lien secures about $180k in equipment loans and if it lapses we're in serious trouble. Anyone dealt with Texas SOS being this picky about punctuation in debtor names? The lapse date is coming up fast and I'm running out of options.
43 comments


Isabella Ferreira
Texas SOS is absolutely brutal about exact debtor name matches. Even a comma can kill your continuation. You need to pull the exact debtor name from the original UCC-1 filing record, not from current corporate documents. The continuation has to match the original filing exactly, even if the business changed their legal name format since then.
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CosmicVoyager
•This is so frustrating! I had the same issue with a client last month. The original UCC-1 said 'ABC Services Inc' but they started using 'ABC Services, Inc.' with the comma in all their docs. Took three rejections before I figured out to use the old format.
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Ravi Kapoor
•Wait, so even if the business legally changed their name format, the UCC continuation still has to use the old version? That seems backwards...
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Freya Nielsen
Check your original UCC-1 filing receipt or confirmation. The debtor name there is gospel for continuations. Texas doesn't care what the current corporate records say - they want exact character-by-character match to the original filing. Also make sure you're using the correct filing number format.
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Malik Thompson
•I've been going off a copy of the original filing but maybe it's not showing the exact formatting. Let me pull the official record from the SOS database to see the precise name format.
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Omar Mahmoud
•Yes, always use the SOS search function to verify the exact debtor name formatting before filing any UCC-3. Even spaces and capitalization matter with their system.
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Chloe Harris
•And double-check that filing number! One wrong digit and your continuation gets rejected even if the debtor name is perfect.
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Diego Vargas
I actually just discovered something that saved me tons of headaches with these exact name match issues. There's this tool called Certana.ai that lets you upload your original UCC-1 and your new UCC-3 continuation as PDFs, and it automatically cross-checks everything - debtor names, filing numbers, all the details. It caught a tiny formatting difference I never would have noticed that was causing my rejections. Just upload both documents and it flags any inconsistencies instantly.
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Malik Thompson
•That sounds incredibly useful. I've been manually comparing documents and obviously missing something subtle. How accurate is it at catching these tiny formatting differences?
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Diego Vargas
•It's been spot-on for me. Caught things like extra spaces, different comma placement, even slight variations in LLC vs L.L.C. formatting. Way better than trying to eyeball compare two documents.
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NeonNinja
•Wish I'd known about that before I wasted 3 weeks going back and forth with rejected filings last year!
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Anastasia Popov
Here's what probably happened - when they originally filed the UCC-1, they used 'Ironwood Construction Services LLC' without the comma. But somewhere along the way, the company started using the comma version in their corporate filings. For the continuation, you MUST use the original format without the comma. Pull the exact record from Texas SOS and copy it character for character.
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Malik Thompson
•That makes total sense. I think I've been using their current business documents instead of the original UCC filing format. Going to check the SOS record right now.
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Sean Murphy
•This is exactly why I always keep a copy of the original UCC-1 confirmation in my files. Too easy to get confused about the exact formatting years later when you need to file continuations or amendments.
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Zara Khan
Texas SOS portal is notorious for this crap. I've had filings rejected for the stupidest reasons - wrong capitalization, extra spaces, missing punctuation. They should really fix their system to be more flexible but instead we're stuck with this exactness requirement that trips everyone up.
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Luca Ferrari
•Tell me about it! Last month they rejected my amendment because I put 'Street' instead of 'St.' in the address. It's like they designed the system to be as difficult as possible.
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Anastasia Popov
•I get the frustration but the exact match requirement actually protects against fraudulent filings. If anyone could file amendments with approximate names, it would be chaos.
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Zara Khan
•I understand the security aspect but they could at least give better error messages. 'No exact match found' doesn't help anyone figure out what's actually wrong.
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Nia Davis
Had similar issues with Texas filings. Sometimes the problem isn't just the name but also how the original UCC-1 classified the debtor type. Make sure you're using the same individual/organization designation and not switching between them.
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Malik Thompson
•Good point. I'll double-check that the debtor type classification matches too. Every little detail seems to matter with their system.
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Freya Nielsen
•Yes, and if the original filing had any weird formatting in the collateral description, that needs to match exactly too for amendments and continuations.
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Mateo Martinez
Before you file again, I'd suggest using one of those document verification tools to make sure everything matches perfectly. I started using Certana.ai after getting burned by these exact match issues. You just upload your original UCC-1 and the continuation you're about to file, and it spots any discrepancies instantly. Would have saved me so much time if I'd found it earlier.
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Chloe Harris
•That's smart. Manual comparison is error-prone when you're dealing with long legal names and multiple documents. An automated check makes way more sense.
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Malik Thompson
•I'm definitely going to try that before I submit again. Can't afford another rejection with the lapse date approaching.
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QuantumQueen
•Does it work with other states too or just Texas? I have similar issues with California filings sometimes.
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Omar Mahmoud
For future reference, always file your UCC-3 continuation at least 6 months before the 5-year lapse date. Gives you plenty of time to deal with rejections and system issues without panicking about the deadline. Texas allows continuation filings up to 6 months before the lapse date.
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Malik Thompson
•Lesson learned. I waited too long thinking it would be straightforward. Now I'm stressed about the timing on top of the technical issues.
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CosmicVoyager
•I set calendar reminders for 8 months before lapse dates now. Gives me buffer time for exactly these kinds of problems.
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Isabella Ferreira
•Smart approach. I've seen too many people scramble at the last minute when their continuations get rejected for formatting issues.
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NeonNinja
Update us when you figure out the exact formatting issue! These Texas SOS quirks are good to document for others who might run into the same problem. The comma vs no comma thing seems to trip up a lot of people.
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Malik Thompson
•Will do. Planning to pull the official SOS record today and compare it character by character with what I've been submitting.
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Sean Murphy
•Yeah, these kinds of posts are super helpful. I've bookmarked several similar discussions that helped me avoid filing mistakes.
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Aisha Rahman
Just a thought - if you're still having trouble after checking the exact debtor name format, sometimes there are issues with the filing number format too. Texas uses a specific pattern and even small deviations can cause rejections. Make sure you're copying the filing number exactly as it appears in the original record.
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Malik Thompson
•Good point. I've been assuming the filing number was correct but I should verify that format too. Thanks for the reminder.
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Anastasia Popov
•Yes, and make sure there are no extra spaces or characters in the filing number field. The Texas system is very literal about formatting.
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Freya Nielsen
•I've seen rejections where people accidentally included dashes or spaces that weren't in the original filing number. Every character matters.
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Ethan Wilson
This whole thread is making me anxious about my own continuation that's due next month. Going to double-check everything now before I submit. Thanks for sharing your experience even though it's frustrating!
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Malik Thompson
•Glad it's helpful! Better to be paranoid about the details than deal with rejections and time pressure like I'm facing now.
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Omar Mahmoud
•That's the right attitude. Take your time with the details upfront and you'll avoid these last-minute scrambles.
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Yuki Sato
I had a similar issue with an Ironwood-related filing in Texas about 2 years ago. Turned out the original filer had used some unusual spacing in the business name that wasn't obvious from looking at the corporate documents. Had to get the exact SOS record to see the formatting. Once I matched it exactly, the continuation went through fine.
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Malik Thompson
•That gives me hope! I'm pretty sure it's a formatting issue like that. Going to get the official record and try again with the exact format.
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Yuki Sato
•Yeah, don't give up. These Texas formatting issues are solvable once you know exactly what format they want. Just tedious to figure out sometimes.
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Diego Vargas
•This is exactly why I love that document checker tool - it would have caught that spacing issue immediately instead of you having to figure it out through trial and error.
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