NY SOS UCC filing portal rejected my continuation - debtor name issue?
Really frustrated here. Filed a UCC-3 continuation through NY SOS portal last week and it got kicked back with some vague error about 'debtor information discrepancy.' Original UCC-1 was filed 3 years ago for equipment financing on construction equipment. The debtor company changed their registered name slightly since then (added 'LLC' to the end) but I used the exact name from the original filing. Portal won't tell me exactly what's wrong, just says to 'review debtor information and resubmit.' Anyone dealt with NY SOS being picky about exact name matches on continuations? This needs to get filed before the 5-year mark hits next month.
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Mikayla Brown
NY SOS is notorious for this. They want EXACT matches between the continuation and the original UCC-1. Even if the company legally changed their name, you might need to file an amendment first to update the debtor name, then file the continuation. Check your original filing number and compare every character.
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Logan Stewart
•That's what I was afraid of. So I'd need to file a UCC-3 amendment to update the name, then another UCC-3 for the continuation? Seems like double work but if that's what they want...
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Mikayla Brown
•Exactly. It's annoying but NY is strict about this stuff. Make sure you use the amendment to change the debtor name to match current legal entity, then file continuation immediately after.
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Sean Matthews
I had the same issue last year! Spent weeks going back and forth with NY SOS. What finally worked was using one of those document verification tools - I think it was called Certana.ai or something like that. You upload your original UCC-1 and the continuation draft, and it shows you exactly where the discrepancies are. Saved me from filing multiple incorrect versions.
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Logan Stewart
•Never heard of that before. How does it work exactly? Just upload PDFs and it compares them?
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Sean Matthews
•Yeah basically. Upload your Charter documents and UCC-1, or UCC-3 and UCC-1, and it automatically cross-checks debtor names, filing numbers, all that stuff. Shows you inconsistencies instantly instead of waiting for SOS to reject it.
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Ali Anderson
•Interesting. I usually just do manual comparison but that sounds way faster. Does it catch the really subtle stuff like punctuation differences?
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Zadie Patel
UGH NY SOS portal is THE WORST for this. I swear they reject half my filings just because they can. Last month they rejected a termination because I used 'Inc.' instead of 'Incorporated' even though both are on the original documents somewhere.
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A Man D Mortal
•Same energy here. Their error messages are useless too. 'Debtor information discrepancy' could mean literally anything.
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Zadie Patel
•Right?? At least tell us WHICH part of the debtor info is wrong. Name? Address? Registration number? So vague.
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Declan Ramirez
Check if the company filed any amendments to their Articles of Incorporation since your original UCC-1. Sometimes the 'official' name in state records changes without the company realizing it affects their secured transactions. You need to match whatever name is currently on file with NY Dept of State corporations division.
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Logan Stewart
•Good point. I'll pull their current corporate record and compare. Might be more than just adding 'LLC' - could be other formatting changes too.
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Emma Morales
•This happened to me once. Company had changed their legal name in Articles but never told us. Original UCC-1 had old name, continuation got rejected. Had to amend first.
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Katherine Hunter
Wait, when you say they 'added LLC to the end' - did they actually amend their Articles or just start using it in business? Because if it's not the legal registered name, you might need to stick with the original name on the UCC-1 for the continuation.
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Logan Stewart
•Hmm not sure actually. I assumed they legally changed it but maybe they're just using it on letterhead and stuff. I should verify the actual legal entity name.
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Katherine Hunter
•Yeah definitely check that first. If their legal name hasn't actually changed with the state, then your continuation should use the original name from the UCC-1.
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Lucas Parker
•This is why I always keep copies of the original Articles along with UCC filings. Makes it easier to verify what the legal entity name actually is.
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Donna Cline
Pro tip: NY SOS has a 'pre-filing review' service where they'll check your documents before official submission. Costs a bit extra but might save you from rejection cycles. Though honestly their turnaround time makes it almost not worth it unless you're really unsure.
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Harper Collins
•I didn't know they offered that! How long does the pre-review usually take?
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Donna Cline
•Like 5-7 business days usually. So if you have time before your deadline it might be worth it, but sounds like OP is cutting it close.
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Kelsey Hawkins
Had a client with similar issue recently. Turned out the original UCC-1 had a typo in the debtor name that nobody caught, and when we filed the continuation with the 'correct' name it got rejected. Sometimes the 'wrong' name is what you have to use because that's what's on file. Double-check your original filing letter by letter.
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Logan Stewart
•Oh wow that would be frustrating. So even if there was a mistake originally, you have to perpetuate it for consistency?
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Kelsey Hawkins
•Pretty much, yeah. If you want to fix the name you'd need to amend first, then continue. But if the security interest is still effective with the 'wrong' name, sometimes it's not worth the hassle.
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Dylan Fisher
This is why I switched to using Certana.ai for all my UCC work. Upload the docs, get instant verification of name matches, filing numbers, everything. Catches these issues before you submit and waste time with rejections. Wish I'd found it years ago - would've saved so many headaches with NY SOS.
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Edwards Hugo
•How accurate is it? I'm always skeptical of automated tools for legal documents.
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Dylan Fisher
•Surprisingly good. It's not doing legal analysis, just cross-checking data consistency between documents. Perfect for catching name mismatches, wrong filing numbers, that kind of thing.
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Gianna Scott
honestly ny sos needs to get their act together. other states make this so much easier. filed a continuation in delaware last week and it was approved same day with no issues
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Alfredo Lugo
•Delaware is definitely smoother but NY has gotten better than it used to be. At least the portal works most of the time now lol
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Gianna Scott
•true i guess. remember when their system used to crash every other day? those were dark times
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Sydney Torres
Update us when you figure it out! I have a NY continuation coming up next quarter and want to avoid the same trap.
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Logan Stewart
•Will do. Going to pull the corporate records first, then probably try that document checker tool if the name comparison doesn't solve it.
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Mikayla Brown
•Smart approach. Better to catch it upfront than deal with rejection cycles when you're up against the deadline.
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