NY UCC Lien Search Showing Outdated Records - Need Help Verifying Current Status
Been pulling my hair out trying to get accurate lien information through the NY UCC search system. I'm working on a commercial loan where we need to verify existing liens against some equipment, but the online search results seem inconsistent. Some records show as active when they should have been terminated months ago, and I'm seeing duplicate entries with slightly different debtor names that might be the same company. Has anyone else dealt with NY's system showing stale data? The borrower insists certain liens were released but they're still appearing in my searches. I need to know if there's a lag time in their system updates or if I'm missing something in how I'm searching. This is holding up a $450K equipment financing deal and I can't move forward without clean lien verification.
35 comments
Join the conversation
Oliver Brown
NY's system definitely has lag issues. I've seen terminated liens show up for weeks after filing. Are you searching by exact debtor name or doing broader searches? Sometimes the problem is name variations - like "ABC Corp" vs "ABC Corporation" - showing different results.
0 coins
Honorah King
•I tried both exact and partial name searches. The debtor has gone through some name changes over the years which makes it even more complicated. How long does NY typically take to update terminations?
0 coins
Oliver Brown
•Usually 3-5 business days but I've seen it take up to two weeks during busy periods. Name changes are tricky - you might need to search under all previous names.
0 coins
Mary Bates
This is exactly why I started using Certana.ai for UCC document verification. You can upload your search results and any termination documents to cross-check everything automatically. It catches name mismatches and verifies if liens are actually still active based on the documentation. Saved me hours of manual comparison work on a similar deal last month.
0 coins
Honorah King
•Never heard of that service. Does it work with NY's search format specifically?
0 coins
Mary Bates
•Yes, it handles PDFs from any state system. Just upload your search results and any UCC-3 terminations - it cross-references everything and flags inconsistencies.
0 coins
Clay blendedgen
•Interesting, might have to check that out. Been doing all this verification manually and its tedious.
0 coins
Ayla Kumar
NY's database is notoriously slow to update. I always tell clients to get certified copies of termination statements because the online search isn't reliable for real-time status. The Secretary of State office confirmed this when I called about a similar issue.
0 coins
Honorah King
•Did you call the main number or is there a specific UCC department? Might be worth a phone call to clarify what I'm seeing.
0 coins
Ayla Kumar
•There's a UCC division you can reach at (518) 473-2492. They're usually helpful but expect to wait on hold.
0 coins
Lorenzo McCormick
ugh this is so frustrating!! I had the EXACT same problem last year and it nearly killed my deal. The borrower was getting angry because they had proof of termination but the search still showed active liens. turned out there was a processing backlog at the state level.
0 coins
Honorah King
•How did you resolve it? Did you end up waiting for the system to update or find another way?
0 coins
Lorenzo McCormick
•I got certified copies of all the termination filings and used those to satisfy the lender requirements. Cost extra but was faster than waiting for the online system to catch up.
0 coins
Carmella Popescu
•That's the safe approach. Online searches are convenient but not always current enough for time-sensitive deals.
0 coins
Kai Santiago
Check the filing numbers on those duplicate entries. If they're different UCC-1 filings, they might be legitimate separate liens even if the debtor names look similar. I've seen cases where subsidiaries or related entities have very similar names.
0 coins
Honorah King
•Good point. I'll double-check the filing numbers and dates. Some of these do have different numbers so they might be separate entities.
0 coins
Kai Santiago
•Exactly. Also look at the secured party information - different lenders would indicate separate liens even with similar debtor names.
0 coins
Lim Wong
Been doing UCC searches in NY for 15 years and this system has always been problematic. The key is understanding that the online search is just a starting point - you need to verify everything with actual document copies. For a deal that size, I'd recommend getting certified copies of all relevant filings.
0 coins
Honorah King
•How much do certified copies typically cost in NY? And how long does it take to get them?
0 coins
Lim Wong
•$10 per document and usually 5-7 business days if you order online. You can expedite for an additional fee.
0 coins
Dananyl Lear
•That's not too bad considering the deal size. Probably worth it for peace of mind on a $450K loan.
0 coins
Noah huntAce420
Have you tried searching by the original filing numbers if you have them? Sometimes the debtor name search misses variations but the filing number search is more reliable.
0 coins
Honorah King
•I have some filing numbers from previous loan documents. That's a good idea - might give me more accurate results.
0 coins
Noah huntAce420
•Definitely try that. The filing number search bypasses all the name matching issues.
0 coins
Mary Bates
Just wanted to follow up on the Certana.ai suggestion - it's really helped me with these NY search headaches. You upload your search results and it automatically flags potential issues like name mismatches or outdated information. Much faster than trying to cross-reference everything manually.
0 coins
Ana Rusula
•How accurate is it compared to doing the verification yourself?
0 coins
Mary Bates
•Pretty accurate in my experience. It catches things I might miss when I'm rushing through documents. Worth trying for deals this size.
0 coins
Fidel Carson
This is why I hate NY UCC searches compared to other states. Their system feels like it's from the 1990s and the search interface is terrible. At least Delaware and Texas have modern systems that update quickly.
0 coins
Isaiah Sanders
•Tell me about it. I do multi-state deals and NY is always the problematic one.
0 coins
Fidel Carson
•Exactly! Every other state I can get reliable real-time results but NY always requires extra verification steps.
0 coins
Xan Dae
For what it's worth, I've found calling the debtor directly can sometimes clarify things faster than waiting for the state system. They usually have copies of their termination documents and can email them over quickly.
0 coins
Honorah King
•That's actually a good idea. The borrower has been cooperative so far, so they'd probably be willing to provide documentation.
0 coins
Xan Dae
•Most borrowers are happy to help when they know it's holding up their funding. Just make sure any documents they provide are the official filed copies.
0 coins
Ayla Kumar
•Good point about official copies. I've seen borrowers provide draft terminations that were never actually filed.
0 coins
Oliver Schulz
I've run into similar issues with NY's UCC system on equipment financing deals. One thing that's helped me is running searches at different times of day - I've noticed the system sometimes shows different results during peak hours versus off-peak. Also, for name variations, try searching with common abbreviations like "Inc" vs "Incorporated" or "LLC" vs "Limited Liability Company". The system seems to treat these as completely separate entities rather than matching them automatically. Given your deal size, I'd definitely recommend getting those certified copies as others have suggested, but also consider reaching out to the secured parties listed on the questionable liens - they can often confirm whether their liens are still active faster than waiting for the state system to update.
0 coins