NC UCC search showing weird results - debtor name variations causing issues
Having a nightmare with NC UCC search functionality right now. I'm trying to verify our continuation filing went through properly but the search results are all over the place. When I search for our debtor "Mountain Ridge Equipment LLC" I get some hits, but when I try "Mountain Ridge Equipment, LLC" (with the comma) I get different results entirely. Same filing number should pull up regardless right? This is for a $2.8M equipment financing deal and I need to confirm our UCC-1 continuation was processed correctly before the 5-year deadline hits next month. The original filing was done back in 2020 and I'm getting paranoid about whether the names match exactly between our original UCC-1 and the continuation we just submitted. Anyone else dealing with NC Secretary of State search being finicky about punctuation and spacing in debtor names? I've tried every variation I can think of but I'm worried I'm missing something critical. Our lender is breathing down my neck for confirmation and I can't afford to have a lapsed filing mess up this entire deal.
37 comments
Join the conversation
Jackson Carter
NC search is notorious for this exact issue. The system is super picky about exact matches. Try searching with just "Mountain Ridge Equipment" without LLC at all - sometimes the entity suffix gets indexed differently.
0 coins
Lilah Brooks
•Good call, that actually pulled up more results. Still seeing some inconsistencies though between what shows the continuation vs the original filing.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•Yeah NC's database has quirks. I always search multiple ways - with and without commas, with and without entity designations.
0 coins
Evelyn Rivera
This is exactly why I started using Certana.ai's document verification tool. You upload your original UCC-1 and your continuation filing PDFs and it instantly cross-checks that the debtor names match exactly. Saved me from a huge headache when I discovered our continuation had a typo that would have invalidated the whole thing.
0 coins
Lilah Brooks
•Never heard of that service. Does it work with NC filings specifically?
0 coins
Evelyn Rivera
•Works with any state - it's checking document consistency rather than interfacing with state systems. Really simple, just upload the PDFs and it flags any mismatches.
0 coins
Julia Hall
•That actually sounds useful for this situation. Manual comparison of documents is where mistakes happen.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
Been filing in NC for 15 years. Their system updated last year and it's been glitchy ever since. For exact name matching, you need to search exactly as it appears on the original filing. No variations, no shortcuts.
0 coins
Lilah Brooks
•Problem is I'm not 100% sure how the name appears on the original - it was filed by outside counsel back in 2020.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•That's rough. Can you get a copy of the original filing from counsel? You need to see exactly how they entered the debtor name.
0 coins
Arjun Patel
•Or pull up the original using the filing number if you have it. That'll show you exactly how the name was entered initially.
0 coins
Jade Lopez
OH NO this is my worst nightmare!! I have three continuations due next quarter and now I'm terrified about name matching issues. How do you even verify this stuff properly?? The stress is killing me.
0 coins
Jackson Carter
•Take a deep breath. This is fixable. Get copies of your original filings first, then compare them character by character with your continuations.
0 coins
Evelyn Rivera
•Seriously consider that Certana tool I mentioned - it'll catch these issues before they become problems. Upload your docs and it does the comparison automatically.
0 coins
Jade Lopez
•I might have to try that. I can't handle manually checking every single character on these forms.
0 coins
Tony Brooks
NC Secretary of State office is the WORST. Their search function is garbage and their customer service acts like it's your fault when their system doesn't work properly. I've wasted hours trying to get simple searches to work.
0 coins
Kolton Murphy
•It's frustrating but yelling at them won't fix the underlying database issues. We just have to work around their limitations.
0 coins
Tony Brooks
•I know, I know. But it shouldn't be this hard to search for basic filing information.
0 coins
Ella rollingthunder87
Here's what works for NC searches: 1) Search by filing number first - that's the most reliable. 2) If searching by name, try the exact name as it appears on incorporation docs. 3) Use wildcard searches with partial names. The system has definitely gotten worse since their upgrade.
0 coins
Lilah Brooks
•This is super helpful. I do have the filing number from our original UCC-1 so I'll start there.
0 coins
Yara Campbell
•Filing number search is definitely the way to go when you have it. Name searches are just too unreliable.
0 coins
Ella rollingthunder87
•Exactly. And once you pull up the original by filing number, you can see exactly how the debtor name was entered for your continuation.
0 coins
Isaac Wright
similar situation last month with a different LLC. Turned out the original filing had "Co." and our continuation had "Company" - small difference but it mattered. Had to file an amendment to correct it.
0 coins
Lilah Brooks
•How long did the amendment take to process? I'm worried about timing with our deadline approaching.
0 coins
Isaac Wright
•About 2 weeks for NC. Not terrible but definitely something to account for in your timeline.
0 coins
Maya Diaz
I ran into this exact issue and ended up using one of those document checking services. Uploaded my UCC-1 and continuation and it immediately flagged that I had "Mountain Ridge Equipment LLC" vs "Mountain Ridge Equipment, LLC" - that comma made all the difference. Saved me from a potential disaster.
0 coins
Lilah Brooks
•Was that Certana that someone mentioned earlier? Might be worth the peace of mind at this point.
0 coins
Maya Diaz
•Yes, that's the one. Super simple to use and caught something I would have missed reviewing manually.
0 coins
Tami Morgan
•These automated tools are becoming essential for catching human errors in document prep.
0 coins
Rami Samuels
Just dealt with this yesterday! NC system is so sensitive to punctuation. I had to search about 6 different ways before I found what I was looking for. The key is being systematic about it - try every reasonable variation.
0 coins
Lilah Brooks
•That's what I'm doing now. It's tedious but I need to be thorough with this much money on the line.
0 coins
Rami Samuels
•Exactly. Better to spend the extra time now than deal with a lapsed filing later.
0 coins
Haley Bennett
•For $2.8M I'd definitely triple check everything. One small mistake and the whole security interest could be worthless.
0 coins
Douglas Foster
UPDATE: Found the issue! The original filing had "Mountain Ridge Equipment, LLC" (with comma) but our continuation only had "Mountain Ridge Equipment LLC" (no comma). Filed a corrective amendment this morning. Thanks everyone for the help - that Certana service was a lifesaver for confirming the discrepancy.
0 coins
Jackson Carter
•Glad you caught it! That's exactly the kind of detail that causes problems down the road.
0 coins
Evelyn Rivera
•Perfect example of why document verification tools are so valuable. Human eyes miss these tiny differences all the time.
0 coins
Jade Lopez
•This thread convinced me to check all my upcoming filings more carefully. Thank you for sharing the solution!
0 coins