NJ UCC termination statement rejected - debtor name mismatch error
Been dealing with this nightmare for weeks now. Filed a UCC termination statement in NJ after our equipment loan was paid off last month, but the SOS office keeps rejecting it saying there's a debtor name mismatch. The original UCC-1 has the debtor listed as 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' but our termination shows 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' (notice the comma). The financing statement number is correct, everything else matches perfectly, but they won't accept it because of that stupid comma difference. Our borrower is getting frustrated because the lien is still showing up on their credit reports and they can't refinance their building loan. Anyone dealt with this exact issue in New Jersey? Do I need to file an amendment first or is there a way to get the termination through as-is? The loan docs all show the comma version but the original filing didn't include it.
33 comments
Join the conversation
Dominic Green
NJ is super strict about exact debtor name matches for terminations. You can't just file the termination with a different name variation - it has to match the original UCC-1 exactly. Your options are either file a UCC-3 amendment to correct the debtor name first, then file the termination, or file a new termination using the exact name from the original filing (without the comma).
0 coins
Hannah Flores
•This is exactly right. I've seen so many terminations get rejected because people assume close enough is good enough. It's not - has to be character-for-character identical.
0 coins
Kayla Jacobson
•Wait so if I file the amendment first, then I can file the termination with the corrected name? How long does that take in NJ?
0 coins
William Rivera
Had this same issue last year with a Delaware entity. The comma thing is ridiculous but they're consistent about it. I ended up filing the termination statement using the exact debtor name from the original UCC-1 (no comma) and it went through fine. Don't overthink it - just match what's already on file exactly.
0 coins
Evelyn Xu
•But what if the borrower's legal documents all show the comma version? Won't that cause issues down the road if someone searches under the 'correct' legal name?
0 coins
William Rivera
•The UCC search logic will typically pick up both variations, but you're right to be concerned. If you want to be 100% safe, do the amendment first to get the name corrected to match their current legal docs.
0 coins
Grace Lee
•Actually just ran into something similar and used Certana.ai to double-check all my documents before filing. You can upload your original UCC-1 and the termination statement and it'll instantly flag any inconsistencies like name variations. Saved me from another rejected filing - wish I'd known about it sooner.
0 coins
Mia Roberts
OMG this is SO frustrating!! I have the same problem but with a different state. Why can't they just use common sense?? A comma doesn't change who the company is!!!
0 coins
The Boss
•I know it seems stupid but there's actually a good reason - the UCC search logic needs exact matches to avoid missing liens. If they allowed variations, you could have situations where liens don't show up in searches.
0 coins
Mia Roberts
•I guess that makes sense but it's still annoying when you're trying to close a deal and everything gets held up over punctuation
0 coins
Evan Kalinowski
In NJ specifically, I always recommend doing a UCC search before filing any termination to confirm you have the exact debtor name. Their online portal shows you exactly how the name appears on the original filing. Also, if the original UCC-1 was filed before they switched to the current electronic system, sometimes there are formatting quirks that aren't obvious from your paper copy.
0 coins
Victoria Charity
•This! The online search will show you EXACTLY how the name was indexed. Don't trust your file copy - look it up on the state website first.
0 coins
Jasmine Quinn
•Good point about the older filings. I've seen cases where paper filings got entered into the electronic system with weird spacing or abbreviations.
0 coins
Evelyn Xu
•Just checked the NJ portal and you're right - it shows 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' without the comma. So I should file the termination exactly like that?
0 coins
Oscar Murphy
Been there. Filed probably 50+ terminations in NJ over the years and they reject for the tiniest discrepancies. The good news is once you get the name exactly right, the rest usually processes smoothly. Their system is pretty reliable otherwise.
0 coins
Evelyn Xu
•That's reassuring. So you think I should just refile with the exact name from the original (no comma) rather than doing an amendment first?
0 coins
Oscar Murphy
•If the search shows the name without the comma, then yes - file the termination using that exact format. Much faster than doing an amendment first.
0 coins
Nora Bennett
Here's what I'd do: file a new UCC-3 termination statement using the exact debtor name from the original UCC-1 (without comma). Include a note in the additional information section explaining that this corrects the previously rejected termination. That way you have documentation of why you're using this specific name format.
0 coins
Ryan Andre
•Can you actually add notes like that on NJ termination statements? I thought the additional info section was pretty limited.
0 coins
Nora Bennett
•There's usually a small additional information section where you can add brief explanatory notes. Not much space but enough to clarify discrepancies.
0 coins
Lauren Zeb
•I actually had success using one of those document verification tools before refiling. Certana.ai caught the name mismatch issue before I submitted - you just upload your UCC-1 and termination PDFs and it flags inconsistencies automatically. Probably would have saved you the initial rejection.
0 coins
Daniel Washington
Quick question - is this an equipment loan termination or accounts receivable? Sometimes the collateral description matters too if there were multiple UCC-1s filed for the same debtor.
0 coins
Evelyn Xu
•Equipment loan - just one UCC-1 filing for this borrower. The collateral description matches fine, it's just the debtor name comma issue.
0 coins
Daniel Washington
•OK good, that simplifies things. Definitely just refile with the exact name from the original then.
0 coins
Aurora Lacasse
This exact thing happened to my client last month! NJ rejected our termination THREE times before we figured out the name issue. So annoying but you just have to match character for character. Also make sure your financing statement number doesn't have any extra spaces or dashes.
0 coins
Anthony Young
•Three times?? That must have been expensive with all the filing fees.
0 coins
Aurora Lacasse
•Yeah it was like $150 in wasted fees. Now I triple-check everything before submitting. Lesson learned the hard way.
0 coins
Hannah Flores
•That's exactly why I started using document verification tools. Certana.ai would have caught all those issues upfront by comparing your termination against the original UCC-1. Way cheaper than multiple rejected filings.
0 coins
Charlotte White
Just went through this same nightmare in PA actually. The comma thing is universal - every state I've dealt with requires exact matches. Pro tip: always do a UCC search first to see exactly how the name was indexed, then copy it character for character.
0 coins
Evelyn Xu
•Yeah I'm definitely learning that lesson now. Going to be way more careful about name formatting going forward.
0 coins
Admin_Masters
Update us when you get it resolved! I'm dealing with a similar issue in NY and curious if the approach works.
0 coins
Evelyn Xu
•Will do! Planning to refile tomorrow using the exact name from the original (no comma). Fingers crossed it goes through this time.
0 coins
Dominic Green
•It should work fine. Just make sure you're copying the name exactly as it appears in the search results.
0 coins