Kentucky UCC-1 debtor name rejected - entity formation documents don't match exactly
Been doing secured lending for 8 years and I'm stumped on this Kentucky UCC situation. Filed a UCC-1 last month for a $340K equipment loan and it got rejected because the debtor name doesn't match exactly with the Articles of Incorporation. The borrower is "Advanced Manufacturing Solutions, LLC" on their charter docs but we used "Advanced Manufacturing Solutions LLC" (no comma) on the UCC-1. Kentucky SOS kicked it back saying exact match required. Now I'm worried about the 20-day rule and whether our security interest is at risk. Has anyone dealt with Kentucky's strict debtor-name requirements? The loan docs are already signed and funded so going back to redo everything would be a nightmare. Is there a way to get this corrected without losing priority or do I need to start over with a new filing?
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Noah huntAce420
Oh man, Kentucky is brutal about debtor names. I've seen them reject filings for missing periods, wrong capitalization, you name it. The exact entity name from the Articles is what they want, punctuation and all. You should be able to file a UCC-3 amendment to correct the debtor name as long as you're within a reasonable time frame. Don't panic about the 20-day rule - that's more about continuation filings.
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Ana Rusula
•Wait, can you actually amend a rejected filing? I thought you had to start completely over if the initial UCC-1 gets kicked back.
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Noah huntAce420
•You're thinking of continuation filings. For name corrections on rejected initial filings, you can usually file a corrected UCC-1 and still maintain your original filing date for priority purposes, but check with Kentucky specifically.
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Fidel Carson
Kentucky UCC office is notorious for this stuff. I had a similar issue last year with a client where we missed an "Inc." vs "Incorporated" distinction. The trick is to always pull the exact entity name from the Secretary of State business entity search before filing. But since you're already past that point, you'll need to act fast. File a corrected UCC-1 immediately and include a cover letter explaining the situation.
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Isaiah Sanders
•This is exactly why I started using Certana.ai's document verification tool. You can upload your Articles of Incorporation and your UCC-1 draft, and it instantly flags any name discrepancies between the documents. Would have caught that missing comma immediately.
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Fidel Carson
•That sounds useful. How does it work exactly? Do you just upload PDFs?
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Isaiah Sanders
•Yeah, super simple. Upload your charter documents and your UCC forms, and it cross-checks all the debtor names, filing numbers, everything to make sure they align. Saved me from several filing rejections.
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Xan Dae
I'm dealing with something similar right now but in Ohio. The whole debtor name thing is such a pain. Why can't they just be more flexible with punctuation? It's obviously the same entity!
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Fiona Gallagher
•Because the UCC system is designed to be a notice filing system, and if someone searches for "Company LLC" they might not find "Company, LLC" depending on how the search algorithms work. The exactness protects third parties doing due diligence.
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Thais Soares
•That makes sense legally but it's still frustrating when you're trying to get deals closed on tight deadlines.
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Nalani Liu
File the corrected UCC-1 TODAY. Don't wait. Kentucky allows corrected filings to relate back to the original filing date if you can show it was a minor clerical error. The comma vs no comma should qualify. Include the original filing receipt number in your cover letter and explain the correction.
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Axel Bourke
•This is solid advice. I've done this in Kentucky before and they were reasonable about it. Just make sure you use the EXACT name from the Articles this time.
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Dananyl Lear
•Thanks, filing the correction now. Double and triple checking the name this time!
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Aidan Percy
Kentucky's online UCC system is actually pretty good about showing you exactly how names are formatted in their database. Before you file the correction, do a debtor name search to see how other filings for your borrower are listed. Sometimes there are variations already in the system.
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Fernanda Marquez
•That's a great tip. I always forget about using the search function to verify names before filing.
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Norman Fraser
•Yeah, the Kentucky UCC search is free and shows exact name formatting. Definitely worth checking before any filing.
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Kendrick Webb
UGH this stuff drives me CRAZY! Why is every state different with their debtor name requirements? I swear I spend half my time just figuring out formatting rules instead of actually doing the legal work. Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio - they all have their own little quirks and it's impossible to keep track of!
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Hattie Carson
•I feel your pain. The lack of standardization across states is maddening.
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Destiny Bryant
•At least Kentucky tells you exactly why they rejected it. Some states just send back a generic rejection notice.
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Dyllan Nantx
Had this exact issue 6 months ago. Filed the corrected UCC-1 within 3 days and Kentucky accepted it with the original filing date. They're actually pretty reasonable if you catch the error quickly and provide a clear explanation. Your security interest should be fine as long as you act fast.
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TillyCombatwarrior
•That's reassuring. Did you have to pay the filing fee again?
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Dyllan Nantx
•Yes, had to pay the fee again, but it was worth it to maintain priority. Small price to pay for a $300K+ loan.
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Anna Xian
Quick question - are you sure it was just the comma? Sometimes there are other formatting issues that aren't immediately obvious. Check for extra spaces, different capitalization, or abbreviated vs. full words (like "LLC" vs "Limited Liability Company").
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Dananyl Lear
•Good point. I'm going to pull the actual Articles and compare character by character before filing the correction.
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Jungleboo Soletrain
•Smart move. I once had a rejection because there was an extra space between words that wasn't visible in the PDF.
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Rajan Walker
This is why I always use that Certana tool now for document verification. Upload your Articles and your UCC-1 and it flags any inconsistencies instantly. Would have saved you this headache. But since you're past that point, definitely file the correction ASAP.
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Nadia Zaldivar
•Is that tool expensive? Sounds like it could save a lot of time and stress.
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Rajan Walker
•Way cheaper than dealing with rejected filings and potential priority issues. Just upload PDFs and it does all the cross-checking automatically.
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Lukas Fitzgerald
I've been doing UCC filings for 15 years and Kentucky has gotten much stricter in the last 5 years. They used to be more lenient with minor variations but now they're very precise about exact matches. Always pull a fresh entity search right before filing to get the current exact name format.
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Ev Luca
•Why did they get stricter? Was there some kind of legal challenge or new regulation?
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Lukas Fitzgerald
•I think it's partly due to increased electronic filing and automated processing. Less human review means less flexibility for obvious but technically incorrect entries.
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Avery Davis
•Makes sense. Computers are literal about text matching in ways humans aren't.
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