Need help with SBA EIDL UCC termination - debtor name variations causing issues
I'm trying to file a UCC-3 termination for our SBA EIDL loan that we paid off last month, but I'm running into problems with debtor name matching. The original UCC-1 has our company listed as 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' but our current Secretary of State records show 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' (with the comma). The SBA loan servicer says they need an exact match for the termination to be valid. I've been going back and forth with the filing office for two weeks and they keep rejecting it. Has anyone dealt with SBA EIDL UCC termination issues like this? I'm worried about potential lien complications if we can't get this cleared properly. The loan was for $150,000 and we really need this UCC lien released before we can refinance with our bank.
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Natasha Volkov
Ugh, the comma issue is so frustrating! I had the exact same problem with our EIDL termination last year. The filing office is super strict about exact debtor name matches. You'll probably need to file the UCC-3 using the EXACT name from the original UCC-1, even if it doesn't match your current corporate records perfectly.
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Javier Torres
•This is correct. The termination statement must reference the debtor name exactly as it appears on the original financing statement. The SOS doesn't care if your corporate name has changed or been corrected since then.
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Emma Wilson
•But what if the original name was wrong? Shouldn't there be a way to fix it?
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QuantumLeap
I work in commercial lending and see this constantly with SBA EIDL liens. The key is matching the original UCC-1 debtor name character-for-character. Don't try to 'correct' the name on the termination - use whatever name is on the original filing, punctuation and all. If there were errors on the original UCC-1, that's a separate issue that should have been addressed with an amendment when it was filed.
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Malik Johnson
•So even if our legal name officially changed, we still use the old name for the termination?
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QuantumLeap
•Exactly. The termination references the specific UCC-1 filing, not your current legal status. Think of it like canceling a specific contract - you reference the original parties as named in that contract.
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Isabella Santos
•This makes sense but seems like it could create problems down the road with title searches and such.
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Ravi Sharma
Had a similar nightmare with our EIDL termination. What finally worked was using Certana.ai's document checker - I uploaded both our original UCC-1 and the draft UCC-3 termination, and it immediately flagged the name mismatch. Saved me weeks of back-and-forth rejections. The tool shows you exactly what needs to match between the documents.
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Freya Larsen
•Never heard of that tool before. Does it actually compare the documents automatically?
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Ravi Sharma
•Yeah, you just upload the PDFs and it cross-checks debtor names, filing numbers, everything. Super helpful for catching these kinds of issues before you submit.
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Omar Hassan
•That sounds really useful. I've been manually comparing documents and obviously missing things.
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Chloe Taylor
The SBA EIDL program created SO many UCC filing headaches. They were processing loans so fast that a lot of the original UCC-1 filings had inconsistencies. Now everyone's trying to terminate and running into these matching problems. At least with EIDL loans you know exactly what collateral was covered (all business assets typically).
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ShadowHunter
•Yes! Our original UCC-1 just says 'all assets' which made me nervous but apparently that's standard for EIDL liens.
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Diego Ramirez
•The broad collateral description is normal for SBA liens. They want to cover everything in case of default.
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Anastasia Sokolov
Make sure you're filing in the right state too. Some businesses filed their EIDL UCC-1 in their state of incorporation instead of where they're actually located. Check where the original lien was filed before submitting your termination.
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Oliver Schmidt
•Good point. I checked and it was filed in our state of operation, not incorporation, so that should be correct.
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Sean O'Connor
•Also double-check the filing number. EIDL UCC-1s sometimes have weird formatting in the file numbers.
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Zara Ahmed
Why is this so complicated?? We paid off the loan, they should just release the lien automatically. This whole UCC system seems designed to create problems.
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Luca Conti
•I feel your frustration but the lender has to file the termination. It's not automatic even when the loan is paid.
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Nia Johnson
•The SBA loan servicers are swamped with EIDL payoffs right now. Some are taking months to file terminations.
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Zara Ahmed
•Months?! That's ridiculous. We need our credit clear for other financing.
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CyberNinja
I went through this exact situation 6 months ago. The trick is to pull the original UCC-1 from the Secretary of State website and copy the debtor name exactly, including any weird spacing or punctuation. Don't assume you know how your company name was filed. I thought mine was filed correctly but it had an extra space that I kept missing.
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Mateo Lopez
•How do you pull the original UCC-1? Is it searchable online?
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CyberNinja
•Yes, most states have online UCC search databases. Search by your company name or the filing number if you have it.
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Aisha Abdullah
•Some states charge a fee for the actual document copies, but the search results usually show the debtor name for free.
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Ethan Davis
Another thing to watch out for - make sure the authorized person signing the UCC-3 termination has the legal authority. Some states are picky about who can file termination statements, especially for business entities.
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Yuki Tanaka
•Usually any officer of the company can sign, right?
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Ethan Davis
•Generally yes, but check your state's requirements. Some want specific titles or require notarization.
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Carmen Ortiz
Just went through this with Certana's verification tool too. Uploaded our payoff letter and UCC-1 and it caught that our EIN was formatted differently between documents. These little details matter more than you'd think for getting clean terminations processed.
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MidnightRider
•Wait, the EIN formatting matters for UCC terminations?
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Carmen Ortiz
•If it's included in the debtor identification, yes. Some filing offices are really strict about matching every detail.
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Andre Laurent
•This is why I hate dealing with UCC filings. So many little things that can go wrong.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
Pro tip: if your state offers expedited processing for UCC terminations, it might be worth the extra fee to get this resolved faster. Some states process expedited filings same-day while regular filings take weeks.
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Oliver Schmidt
•That's a great suggestion. I need this cleared ASAP for our refinancing timeline.
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Jamal Washington
•Expedited filing saved me when I had a time-sensitive deal. Cost an extra $50 but got processed in 2 hours instead of 2 weeks.
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Mei Wong
•Check if your state offers online expedited processing. Some states only do expedited for walk-in filings.
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Liam Fitzgerald
Update us when you get it resolved! I'm dealing with a similar EIDL termination issue and want to see what approach works.
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PixelWarrior
•Same here. These EIDL terminations are turning into a nightmare for so many businesses.
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Amara Adebayo
•The SBA really should have standardized the UCC-1 filing process better from the beginning. Would have saved everyone these headaches.
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Yuki Kobayashi
This exact same thing happened to us! The original EIDL UCC-1 had our company name without the comma, but our current legal docs show it with the comma. What worked for us was pulling the actual original UCC-1 filing from the Secretary of State website and copying the debtor name character-for-character onto the UCC-3 termination form. Don't try to "fix" the name - just match exactly what's on the original filing. It's counterintuitive but that's how the system works. Also, if you're in a rush, definitely pay for expedited processing if your state offers it. We got ours processed same-day for an extra $35 fee. Good luck!
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