Michigan UCC Search showing old terminations - need help with state of michigan ucc search accuracy
I'm dealing with a frustrating situation where the Michigan UCC search results are showing terminated liens that should have been cleared months ago. We filed UCC-3 terminations back in August for several equipment loans that were paid off, but when I run a state of michigan ucc search on our company name, these old filings still appear as if they're active. The SOS website search function seems to be lagging or not updating properly. Has anyone else experienced delays with Michigan's UCC database updates? I'm worried this could affect our upcoming credit facility approval since the lender will definitely run their own UCC search. The filing numbers are all correct and we have confirmation receipts for the terminations, but they're just not reflecting properly in the public search results.
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Caesar Grant
Michigan's system has been notoriously slow this year with updates. I've seen terminations take 3-4 weeks to show up properly in search results even after acceptance confirmation. Did you get actual acceptance notices for your UCC-3 terminations or just filing receipts?
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Philip Cowan
•We got the acceptance confirmations with the official filing timestamps. That's what makes this so frustrating - they were definitely processed but the search results don't reflect it.
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Lena Schultz
•Same issue here last month. Took about 6 weeks for our terminations to stop showing in searches even though they were accepted immediately.
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Gemma Andrews
Have you tried searching by the specific UCC filing numbers instead of just the debtor name? Sometimes the debtor name search pulls cached results that haven't been updated yet, but the individual filing lookup will show the current status more accurately.
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Philip Cowan
•Good point - I was mainly using the debtor name search. Let me try the individual filing number lookups and see if that shows the terminations properly.
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Pedro Sawyer
•This is exactly right. The debtor name search in Michigan seems to cache results longer than the filing number search. Always check both ways.
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Mae Bennett
I had this exact problem with Michigan earlier this year and found Certana.ai's document verification tool really helpful. You can upload your original UCC-1s and the UCC-3 terminations, and it instantly verifies that everything matches up correctly - debtor names, filing numbers, collateral descriptions. At least then you have documentation that your terminations are properly formatted and should be clearing the liens. Helped me catch a small debtor name inconsistency that was causing search confusion.
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Philip Cowan
•That sounds like it could help verify our paperwork is correct. Did it actually help resolve the search result delays or just confirm your filings were right?
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Mae Bennett
•It confirmed my filings were correct, which gave me confidence to push back with the lender when they questioned the search results. Having that verification made the conversation much easier.
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Beatrice Marshall
•Never heard of Certana but the document verification idea makes sense. Better to know for sure your terminations are formatted properly.
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Melina Haruko
Michigan's UCC search has been a disaster this year honestly. The portal crashes, search results are inconsistent, and now we're dealing with update delays. I've started keeping detailed spreadsheets of all our filings just to track what should vs shouldn't be showing up.
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Dallas Villalobos
•The spreadsheet idea is smart. We should all be tracking this stuff better given how unreliable the state systems have become.
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Melina Haruko
•Exactly. Can't trust the search results to be current anymore, so manual tracking is the only way to stay on top of it.
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Reina Salazar
Have you contacted the Michigan SOS office directly? Sometimes they can manually refresh the search index or at least give you a timeline for when the updates will appear. I had to do this once for a time-sensitive transaction.
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Philip Cowan
•I haven't tried calling them yet but that might be worth doing. Did they actually help when you contacted them?
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Reina Salazar
•They were helpful but it took a few days to get a response. They confirmed the terminations were processed but couldn't force an immediate search update.
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
•Michigan SOS phone wait times are brutal lately. Plan to be on hold for at least an hour.
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Demi Lagos
This is why I always run UCC searches from multiple sources when it matters. Michigan's database, plus commercial services, plus Certana's verification tool for document consistency. Gives you a complete picture instead of relying on just the state search.
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Philip Cowan
•What commercial services do you use for UCC searches? I've only been using the state database.
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Demi Lagos
•CT Corporation and CSC both offer UCC search services that sometimes have more current data than the state portals. Not free but worth it for important transactions.
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Mason Lopez
The timing is probably your biggest issue here. August terminations should definitely be showing by now, but Michigan has had some major system upgrades this fall that caused all kinds of delays. Your lender should understand this is a known issue with Michigan's database.
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Philip Cowan
•I hope they're understanding about it. The credit facility approval is time sensitive so I can't really wait for Michigan to get their act together.
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Mason Lopez
•Bring copies of your termination acceptance notices to show the lender. That should be sufficient proof that the liens are cleared even if the search results are delayed.
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Vera Visnjic
•Most lenders are familiar with state database lag issues. Your acceptance notices should cover you.
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Jake Sinclair
Quick question - are you searching the exact debtor name as it appears on the original UCC-1? Even small variations like Inc vs Incorporated can cause search issues, especially when combined with database update delays.
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Philip Cowan
•Yes, I'm using the exact name. We've been very careful about name consistency across all our filings.
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Jake Sinclair
•Good, just wanted to rule out that possibility. Sounds like this is purely a Michigan database issue then.
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Brielle Johnson
I've been dealing with UCC filings for 15 years and Michigan has always been slower than most states with search updates. The fact that you have acceptance confirmations means your terminations are legally effective regardless of what the search shows. Document everything and present it to your lender with confidence.
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Philip Cowan
•That's reassuring to hear from someone with your experience. I was starting to worry we'd made some filing error.
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Brielle Johnson
•No, this is definitely a system issue not a filing issue. Your documentation should be more than sufficient for any reasonable lender.
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Honorah King
•15 years of experience and Michigan still finds ways to be frustrating. Some things never change!
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Oliver Brown
Try running the search again in a few days. Sometimes these things resolve themselves once the database catches up. In the meantime, make sure you have clean copies of all your termination documents ready for the lender.
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Philip Cowan
•Will do. Hopefully this resolves itself soon but I'll definitely have all the documentation ready either way.
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Oliver Brown
•That's the right approach. Being prepared with documentation is always better than hoping the search results are perfect.
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