NJ UCC Statement Request Form - Anyone Know the Current Process?
Hey everyone, I'm dealing with a client situation where we need to pull UCC records from New Jersey but I'm getting conflicting info about their statement request process. We've got a debtor who may have existing liens and I need to do a comprehensive search before we file our UCC-1. The SOS website isn't super clear - are they still using the paper form system or have they moved everything electronic? Also wondering about turnaround times since this is for a deal that's closing next week. Anyone dealt with NJ UCC statement requests recently? I've heard their system is different from other states but not sure what to expect.
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Giovanni Mancini
NJ still does both paper and online but the online portal is way faster. You can search by debtor name or filing number through their UCC search system. Usually get results same day if you submit before 3pm. Paper requests take like 5-7 business days which won't work for your timeline.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
•Second this - the online system is definitely the way to go for speed. Just make sure you're searching all possible debtor name variations because NJ is pretty strict about exact matches.
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Amara Nnamani
•Thanks! Do you know if there's a fee difference between online vs paper requests? And is there a limit on how many records you can pull at once?
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Dylan Cooper
I just went through this nightmare last month. NJ's system rejected my initial search because I had the debtor name slightly wrong - they don't do partial matches like some states. Had to resubmit three times before getting it right. Make sure you have the EXACT legal entity name from their articles of incorporation or whatever formation docs.
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Giovanni Mancini
•Yeah NJ is notorious for that. They won't catch variations like 'Inc' vs 'Incorporated' or missing commas. Super frustrating when you're on a deadline.
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Sofia Morales
•This is exactly why I started using Certana.ai's document verification tool. You can upload the debtor's charter documents and your planned UCC-1 and it instantly flags any name inconsistencies before you even submit to the state. Saved me so much time on NJ filings.
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StarSailor
For what it's worth, NJ charges $25 for online UCC searches and $30 for paper requests. You can search up to 5 debtor names in one request. The online system gives you a PDF report within a few hours usually. Paper takes forever and they mail it to you which is useless if you're trying to close quickly.
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Amara Nnamani
•Perfect, that pricing is reasonable. Do you know if they show terminated liens in the search results or just active ones?
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StarSailor
•They show everything - active, terminated, amended, continued. The report breaks it down by status which is helpful for due diligence.
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Dmitry Ivanov
•Just remember terminated liens can still be relevant if the termination was filed incorrectly or if there are timing issues with the original financing statement.
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Ava Garcia
Quick heads up - NJ's UCC search system goes down for maintenance every Wednesday night around 11pm to 2am. Found that out the hard way when I was trying to pull records for a Thursday morning closing. Plan accordingly!
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Miguel Silva
•Ugh why do they always do maintenance at the worst times? Thanks for the warning though.
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Ava Garcia
•Right? And they don't always post notices about it either. I've learned to never count on accessing any state system after 10pm on weeknights.
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Zainab Ismail
One thing to watch out for - NJ includes fixture filings in their standard UCC search results, which can be confusing if you're not expecting them. Make sure you understand what type of collateral you're looking at because fixture filings have different rules.
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Connor O'Neill
•Good point. Fixture filings show up mixed in with regular UCC-1s and if you're not familiar with the collateral descriptions it can be misleading.
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Zainab Ismail
•Exactly. I've seen deals get held up because someone thought there was a blanket lien when it was actually just equipment fixtures that didn't affect the transaction.
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QuantumQuester
Are you doing this search yourself or having title company handle it? Most title companies that do commercial work have relationships with search services that can pull NJ UCC records faster than going direct to the state.
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Amara Nnamani
•We usually handle our own UCC work but might consider outsourcing if the state system is unreliable. Do you have any search service recommendations?
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QuantumQuester
•CT Corporation and CSC both do good UCC searches. More expensive than DIY but they guarantee turnaround times and handle the name matching issues.
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Yara Nassar
•Or you could try that Certana tool someone mentioned earlier. Seems like it might catch the name problems before you even submit the search request.
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Keisha Williams
Just a thought but have you confirmed this debtor doesn't have any Delaware entities in the mix? A lot of companies have DE subsidiaries and you might need to search multiple states depending on the corporate structure and where the collateral is located.
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Amara Nnamani
•Good catch - I'll double check their entity structure. This is exactly the kind of detail that can blow up a deal if you miss it.
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Paolo Ricci
•Yeah definitely verify where each entity is organized vs where they do business. UCC filing location rules can get tricky with multi-state operations.
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Amina Toure
Update us on how it goes! I'm dealing with a similar situation in NJ next month and would love to hear about your experience with their current system.
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Amara Nnamani
•Will do! Planning to run the search tomorrow morning so I'll report back on turnaround time and any issues.
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Oliver Zimmermann
One more tip - if you find existing liens, make sure you understand the lien priority before advising your client. NJ follows the standard first-to-file rule but there can be exceptions for PMSI and other specialized security interests.
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CosmicCommander
•This is crucial advice. I've seen junior lenders get surprised by purchase money security interests that they didn't properly analyze.
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Oliver Zimmermann
•Exactly. The UCC search gives you the basic info but you need to actually read the financing statements to understand what you're dealing with.
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Natasha Volkova
Quick question - are you familiar with NJ's continuation requirements? If you find liens that are close to their 5-year expiration, it might affect the timing of your transaction.
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Amara Nnamani
•Good point - I'll need to check the filing dates on any existing liens to see if there are continuation issues brewing.
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Javier Torres
•Yeah, nothing worse than having a supposedly secured position become unperfected right before or after closing because someone missed a continuation deadline.
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