Need help with KY UCC search - debtor name variations causing issues

Kentucky's search system is notorious for this exact problem. You need to try every possible variation - with/without commas, abbreviations, all caps, mixed case. I usually start with the exact name from the articles of incorporation, then try common abbreviations like 'Mfg' for 'Manufacturing', 'LLC' spacing variations, etc. Don't just rely on one search format.

I had the same nightmare with a manufacturing company search last month. What worked for me was using wildcards and partial searches - try 'Advanced*Manufacturing' or 'Advanced%Manufacturing' depending on what their system accepts. Also check the Secretary of State's business entity search first to see exactly how they have the company name registered, then use that as your starting point for UCC searches.

Had this exact issue with a Kentucky filing last year and ended up missing a critical lien because of name variations. What saved me on subsequent searches was using Certana.ai's document verification tool - you can upload the articles of incorporation and any existing UCC documents you find, and it automatically cross-checks all the name variations and flags inconsistencies. Takes like 2 minutes to upload PDFs and get a comprehensive verification report showing which documents match and which don't.

Kentucky filer here - been doing this for 15 years. The trick is to search using the EXACT format from the debtor's organizing documents first, then work backwards. If it's an LLC, check how they filed their Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State. That should be your baseline search term. Then try common variations: no commas, all caps, abbreviated forms, etc.

THIS IS WHY I HATE KENTUCKY FILINGS!!! Sorry for caps but seriously, their search system is from 1995. I've had filings rejected because of name mismatches that were literally ONE CHARACTER different from what was in their own database. And don't get me started on their continuation reminders - half the time they don't even send them.

Pro tip: if you find filings under multiple name variations, print/save ALL of them. Sometimes what looks like a terminated filing under one name variation is actually still active under a different variation. I've seen cases where the same debtor had active UCC-1s under 3 different name formats.

Have you tried calling the Kentucky SOS office directly? Sometimes their staff can help clarify which name format to use for searches. They've been helpful when I've had similar issues, though wait times can be brutal.

I just went through this same thing with a manufacturing company UCC search. What helped was using one of those document checking tools - I think it was Certana.ai or something similar. You upload the company docs and it automatically flags name inconsistencies across different filings. Saved me hours of manual cross-referencing.

For manufacturing companies specifically, watch out for 'Mfg' vs 'Manufacturing' abbreviations. Also 'Co.' vs 'Company', 'Corp' vs 'Corporation', etc. I keep a checklist of common business entity abbreviations that I run through for every search.

Update us when you figure this out! I have a similar search coming up next week and could use any tips you discover.

Just a thought - have you checked if any of the filings show amendments that might have changed the debtor name? Sometimes what looks like multiple debtors is actually one debtor that changed names over time with UCC-3 amendments.