KY UCC search missing active liens - debtor name variations issue
Running into a major problem with Kentucky UCC searches that's got me worried about missing active liens. I'm doing due diligence on a potential acquisition and the target company has had several name changes over the past 8 years. When I search under their current legal name in the KY Secretary of State system, I get clean results. But I found out they operated under 3 different variations of their name during different periods, plus they had a DBA that was completely different. I'm concerned there could be UCC-1 filings under the old names that aren't showing up in my current searches. The company had equipment financing and working capital lines during those periods, so there should definitely be some filings. Has anyone dealt with this kind of comprehensive debtor name search situation in Kentucky? I need to make sure I'm not missing any liens that could affect the deal structure. The variations include abbreviated versions of 'Corporation' vs 'Corp' and different spacing in the company name. Kentucky's search system seems pretty literal about exact matches.
35 comments
Join the conversation
Charlotte White
You're absolutely right to be cautious about this. Kentucky's UCC search system is notorious for being literal with debtor names. Even minor variations like 'Corp.' vs 'Corporation' or extra spaces can cause you to miss filings. I've seen deals where significant liens were discovered late because someone didn't search all the name variations. You need to search every single version of the name the company has used, including DBAs, and try different spacing and punctuation combinations.
0 coins
Admin_Masters
•This is exactly why I always tell people to get the complete corporate history from the Secretary of State's office first. You can't do proper UCC due diligence without knowing every name the entity has operated under.
0 coins
Matthew Sanchez
•How far back should you typically search for name variations? Is there a practical limit or do you really need to go back to the company's incorporation?
0 coins
Charlotte White
•I typically go back 7-10 years minimum, but it depends on the company's financing history. If they've had equipment loans or credit facilities during name changes, you need to search those periods specifically.
0 coins
Ella Thompson
I ran into this exact issue last month with a Kentucky company. Spent hours doing manual searches for every name variation I could think of and still worried I was missing something. Then I discovered Certana.ai's UCC verification tool - you can upload the company's charter documents and it automatically cross-references all the name variations against UCC filings. Saved me probably 6 hours of manual searching and gave me confidence I hadn't missed anything. Just upload the PDFs and it handles all the name matching logic.
0 coins
Anthony Young
•That sounds interesting - does it work specifically with Kentucky's system quirks? I'm dealing with some pretty obscure name variations here.
0 coins
Ella Thompson
•Yes, it's designed to handle state-specific search variations and catches things like punctuation differences and spacing issues that trip up manual searches. Really helped with my peace of mind on the due diligence.
0 coins
JacksonHarris
•I've heard of that tool but haven't tried it yet. Does it actually search the state databases or just analyze your documents?
0 coins
Jeremiah Brown
OMG this gives me anxiety just reading it! I'm supposed to be doing UCC searches for our loan committee next week and now I'm paranoid about missing variations. How do you even know if you've found all the possible name combinations? What if there are nicknames or informal versions you don't know about?
0 coins
Charlotte White
•Don't panic, but do be thorough. Start with the official corporate records from the state, check old financing statements if you have access, and ask the company directly for a complete list of names they've operated under.
0 coins
Jeremiah Brown
•Should I be searching for partial names too? Like if the company is 'ABC Manufacturing Corporation', do I search for just 'ABC Manufacturing'?
0 coins
Charlotte White
•Yes, definitely try variations like that. Also try 'ABC Mfg Corp' and similar abbreviations. Lenders sometimes get creative with how they enter debtor names on UCC-1 forms.
0 coins
Royal_GM_Mark
This is why the Kentucky UCC system drives me crazy. Other states have better fuzzy search capabilities, but Kentucky's system is stuck in the stone age. You literally have to think like every possible lender who might have filed a UCC-1 over the years and guess how they might have entered the debtor name. It's ridiculous that we have to play these guessing games when doing due diligence.
0 coins
Amelia Cartwright
•Agreed, the technology exists to do better matching but most state systems haven't been updated in years. Makes you wonder how many liens get missed in transactions.
0 coins
Royal_GM_Mark
•Exactly! And then when problems surface later, everyone acts surprised. The search systems should be designed to help users find relevant filings, not hide them behind exact spelling requirements.
0 coins
Chris King
I always recommend creating a systematic checklist for name variations when doing these searches. For corporate entities, try: full legal name, name with abbreviated corporate designators (Corp, Inc, LLC), name without corporate designators, any DBAs or trade names, former legal names from amendments, and common abbreviations of key words in the name. Also check if the company has any subsidiaries that might have similar names.
0 coins
Anthony Young
•That's helpful - do you have a template or standard format you use for tracking all these variations?
0 coins
Chris King
•I just use a simple spreadsheet with columns for the name variation, search date, results found, and notes. Nothing fancy but keeps me organized and provides documentation for the file.
0 coins
Rachel Clark
•Good point about subsidiaries. I've seen cases where liens were filed against related entities that weren't immediately obvious from the main company name.
0 coins
Zachary Hughes
Had a similar situation in Kentucky last year where we almost missed a significant equipment lien because it was filed under an old DBA that the company had stopped using 5 years earlier. The lender never filed a termination when the loan was paid off, so it was still showing as active. Only found it by accident when doing a broader search. Made me realize how many 'gotchas' are lurking out there in these databases.
0 coins
Admin_Masters
•That's a perfect example of why you can't rely on just the current legal name. Old DBAs can really trip you up, especially if they're completely different from the main company name.
0 coins
Zachary Hughes
•Right, and in that case the DBA was something like 'Mountain Equipment Solutions' while the actual company name was 'Regional Industrial Services Corp' - no way you'd connect those without inside knowledge.
0 coins
Mia Alvarez
Pro tip: if you have access to the company's old loan documents or financing statements, those can give you insight into how lenders actually entered the debtor name on UCC filings. Sometimes they use shortened versions or slightly different formatting than what you'd expect from the legal name.
0 coins
Anthony Young
•That's smart - I'll ask if they have copies of old UCC-1 forms from previous financing. That would show me exactly how their name appeared on filings.
0 coins
Mia Alvarez
•Exactly, and if they've had multiple lenders over the years, you might see different variations of how each lender formatted the name. Gives you a roadmap for your searches.
0 coins
Carter Holmes
Another thing to consider is searching for the company's federal tax ID number if Kentucky's system supports it. Sometimes that can catch filings where the debtor name was entered incorrectly but the EIN was right.
0 coins
Anthony Young
•Does Kentucky's UCC search allow searching by EIN? I thought most states only did debtor name searches.
0 coins
Carter Holmes
•I think Kentucky's system is name-only, but some other states do allow EIN searches. Worth checking though - the interface isn't always clear about all available search options.
0 coins
Sophia Long
•Most UCC systems are name-based because that's what the law requires for searching, but you're right that some states offer additional search options as a convenience.
0 coins
Angelica Smith
Been there! Last time I had this problem I ended up using that Certana verification tool someone mentioned earlier. Uploaded the company's articles of incorporation and a few old contracts that had name variations, and it flagged some potential matches I would have missed. Really took the guesswork out of whether I was being thorough enough with the name variations.
0 coins
Anthony Young
•How does the document upload process work? Do you just scan in whatever corporate documents you have?
0 coins
Angelica Smith
•Yeah, you can upload PDFs of any documents that contain the company names - charter docs, old loan agreements, whatever you have. It extracts all the name variations and cross-checks them. Pretty straightforward.
0 coins
Logan Greenburg
Don't forget to check for any federal tax liens or state tax liens too while you're at it. Those databases sometimes have different name entries that could give you clues about variations the company has used over the years.
0 coins
Anthony Young
•Good point - I was so focused on UCC filings I hadn't thought about using tax lien searches as a way to discover name variations.
0 coins
Logan Greenburg
•Exactly, plus you want to know about those liens anyway for your due diligence. Two birds with one stone.
0 coins