Michigan Secretary of State UCC filing fees doubled since last year?
Just got hit with a shock when I went to file a UCC-1 continuation in Michigan. The Secretary of State website is showing $20 for electronic filing now, but I swear I paid $10 last time I did this about 18 months ago. Did Michigan Secretary of State UCC filing fees go up recently or am I misremembering? I've got three more continuations coming due in the next 60 days and this is going to add up fast. Anyone else notice this increase? Also seeing $30 for amendments now which seems steep compared to other states I've filed in.
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Arjun Kurti
Yeah Michigan bumped their fees up earlier this year. It's frustrating because they didn't give much notice. The $20 for continuations is correct, and amendments are indeed $30 now. Paper filings are even more expensive at $25 and $35 respectively.
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Ellie Simpson
•Ugh, that's what I was afraid of. Do you know if there's any bulk discount for multiple filings or are we stuck paying full price for each one?
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Arjun Kurti
•No bulk discounts unfortunately. Each filing is separate. At least the electronic system processes them faster now.
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Raúl Mora
I think the fee increase was part of their system modernization. Michigan SOS upgraded their whole UCC portal and had to fund it somehow. Still annoying though when you're managing dozens of filings.
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Margot Quinn
•The new portal is definitely faster, I'll give them that. But yeah, the fees sting when you're doing volume filings.
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Ellie Simpson
•Has the new system at least reduced rejection rates? I used to get rejections for the stupidest debtor name formatting issues.
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Raúl Mora
•It's better but still not perfect. I still see rejections for name mismatches between the original UCC-1 and continuation forms.
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Evelyn Kim
Before you file those continuations, double-check that your debtor names exactly match what's on the original UCC-1. I just had a continuation rejected because of a single comma difference in the company name. Cost me the $20 fee plus had to refile. These name matching issues are killer.
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Ellie Simpson
•Oh no, that's exactly what I'm worried about. How do you make sure the names match perfectly? Do you pull the original filing first?
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Evelyn Kim
•Yeah I always pull the original, but honestly I started using Certana.ai's document checker. You just upload your original UCC-1 and the continuation form and it instantly flags any name mismatches or inconsistencies. Saved me from several costly rejections.
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Arjun Kurti
•That sounds useful. Does it work for amendments too? I always worry about messing up the collateral descriptions when adding equipment.
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Evelyn Kim
•Yes, it checks amendments against the original UCC-1 to make sure everything aligns properly. Really helpful for avoiding those expensive do-overs.
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Diego Fisher
The Michigan fee increase caught everyone off guard. But honestly $20 for a continuation isn't terrible compared to what some other states charge. New York is like $40 for the same filing.
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Ellie Simpson
•True, but when you're managing a portfolio it adds up fast. Every dollar counts in lending margins.
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Henrietta Beasley
•At least Michigan processes them quickly. I've had continuations approved within hours of filing.
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Lincoln Ramiro
MICHIGAN FEES ARE RIDICULOUS!!! They keep raising them every few years and the service doesn't get any better. Still dealing with system glitches and unclear rejection messages.
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Arjun Kurti
•The system has actually improved a lot since the upgrade. Fewer crashes and better search functionality.
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Lincoln Ramiro
•Maybe but the fees are still too high for what we get. Other states do it cheaper.
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Raúl Mora
•You get what you pay for though. Michigan's database is pretty reliable for searches.
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Faith Kingston
Just budget the higher fees into your loan pricing. That's what we did when Michigan raised their rates. Pass the cost along to borrowers as part of the filing expense.
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Ellie Simpson
•Good point, I should adjust our fee schedule. Do you itemize UCC costs separately or bundle them into origination fees?
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Faith Kingston
•We itemize them separately for transparency. Borrowers understand filing fees better than bundled charges.
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Emma Johnson
Wait, are you sure about the $30 for amendments? I thought amendments were still $20 in Michigan. Let me check... Actually you might be right, I haven't filed an amendment there in a while.
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Arjun Kurti
•Amendments are definitely $30 now. Terminations are still $20 though.
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Emma Johnson
•Thanks for confirming. I need to update our internal fee schedule.
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Liam Brown
The fee increase is annoying but at least Michigan's online system works reliably. Some states still have terrible portals that crash constantly.
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Ellie Simpson
•True, reliability is worth something. I'd rather pay $20 and have it work than pay $10 and deal with system problems.
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Margot Quinn
•Exactly. Time is money in this business.
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Olivia Garcia
For your upcoming continuations, make sure you file at least 30 days before the expiration date. Michigan processes them fast but better safe than sorry with lapse issues.
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Ellie Simpson
•Good reminder. I usually try to file 60 days early just to be safe. Too much at stake to let a UCC lapse.
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Evelyn Kim
•Smart approach. And definitely verify those debtor names before submitting. One rejection can mess up your timeline.
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Noah Lee
I had the same sticker shock when I saw the new Michigan fees. But honestly the new system is worth it - much faster processing and better search results. Still wish they'd given more advance notice though.
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Arjun Kurti
•The lack of notice was really poor communication on their part. A lot of people got caught off guard.
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Ellie Simpson
•Agreed. Would have been nice to budget for the increase instead of getting surprised at filing time.
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Ava Hernandez
One more suggestion - if you're doing multiple Michigan filings, consider using that document verification tool someone mentioned earlier. With the higher fees, you really can't afford rejections due to name mismatches or formatting errors.
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Ellie Simpson
•Yeah, the Certana.ai thing? I might try that for my next batch. These rejection fees add up fast.
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Evelyn Kim
•It's been a lifesaver for me. Upload your docs and it catches the inconsistencies before you file. Worth checking out.
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Ava Hernandez
•Especially with Michigan's higher fees now. Every rejection costs you $20-30 plus the refiling fee.
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