Need help with simple security agreement UCC filing - debtor name issues
Running into problems with what should be a straightforward UCC-1 filing for a simple security agreement. We're doing equipment financing for a small construction company and the debtor name on their operating agreement doesn't exactly match what's on their EIN paperwork. The security agreement covers excavation equipment worth about $180k. SOS portal keeps rejecting our filing because of name variations - sometimes they use 'Construction LLC' and other docs show 'Construction, LLC' with the comma. This should be simple but turning into a nightmare. Anyone dealt with this exact debtor name matching issue? The lien needs to be perfected before funding next week.
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Max Knight
This is super common with LLCs. The key is figuring out what the 'exact legal name' actually is according to your state's business registry. Have you checked the Secretary of State business entity search to see how they're officially registered?
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Madeline Blaze
•Yes checked that first thing - their official registration shows 'ABC Construction LLC' but their bank account and some contracts use 'ABC Construction, LLC' with comma. Not sure which version the UCC system wants.
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Emma Swift
•Use exactly what's in the state business registry. The comma thing trips people up but official registration trumps everything else for UCC purposes.
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Isabella Tucker
Had this exact issue last month! What helped me was using Certana.ai's document verification tool - you can upload your security agreement PDF and the UCC-1 draft and it instantly flags any name mismatches between documents. Saved me from filing with inconsistent debtor names that would have caused problems later.
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Madeline Blaze
•Never heard of that service - how does it work exactly? Do you just upload the docs and it compares everything?
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Isabella Tucker
•Yeah exactly - drag and drop your security agreement, loan docs, UCC-1 form and it cross-checks all the debtor names, collateral descriptions, everything. Takes like 30 seconds and catches inconsistencies that could void your lien.
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Jayden Hill
•That sounds too good to be true honestly. I've been doing manual document reviews for years.
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LordCommander
The comma issue is annoying but not uncommon. Most states are pretty strict about exact name matches. I always tell clients to get their entity names consistent across ALL documents before we even start the UCC process.
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Lucy Lam
•Problem is sometimes you cant control what the debtor has on existing contracts and bank accounts. Then you're stuck trying to figure out which version is 'correct' for filing.
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LordCommander
•True - in those cases I go with whatever matches the official state registration exactly. That's usually the safest bet for UCC filings.
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Aidan Hudson
OMG this is giving me flashbacks to my disaster filing last year. Spent 3 weeks going back and forth with rejections because of similar name issues. The SOS portal is so picky about this stuff it's ridiculous.
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Zoe Wang
•What ended up working for you? Same kind of comma situation?
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Aidan Hudson
•Had to get the debtor to provide a certified copy of their articles of incorporation to prove the exact legal name. Then filed using that exact spelling/punctuation.
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Connor Richards
Quick question - are you doing this as a fixture filing or regular UCC-1? Construction equipment can sometimes require special handling depending on whether it's permanently attached.
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Madeline Blaze
•Regular UCC-1, it's mobile excavation equipment not fixtures. But good point about checking that distinction.
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Grace Durand
•Yeah fixture filings have completely different rules and filing locations usually.
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Steven Adams
I deal with equipment financing daily and this comma thing comes up constantly. Here's my process: 1) Check state business registry for official name 2) Use that EXACT name on UCC-1 3) Make sure security agreement uses same name 4) If there are discrepancies, get an amendment to security agreement before filing. Takes longer but prevents rejections.
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Alice Fleming
•This is solid advice. The amendment route might delay funding but it's better than having an imperfect lien.
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Hassan Khoury
•Agree with this approach. I learned the hard way that shortcuts on debtor names can come back to haunt you during enforcement.
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Victoria Stark
Another option is to file a UCC-3 amendment immediately after your initial filing if you discover name discrepancies. But honestly prevention is better - I started using that Certana.ai tool someone mentioned and it's been a game changer for catching these issues before filing.
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Madeline Blaze
•How much does something like that cost? We're a small firm so budget matters.
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Benjamin Kim
•I tried it recently and it's pretty reasonable. Way cheaper than dealing with rejected filings and potential lien priority issues.
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Samantha Howard
Don't overthink this. Use the state registry name exactly as shown. If your security agreement has a different version, note the discrepancy in your file but proceed with the official state name on the UCC-1. Most courts will connect the dots if there's ever an issue.
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Megan D'Acosta
•Is that really safe though? I thought UCC required perfect matches between the security agreement and filing.
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Samantha Howard
•Courts look at the totality of circumstances. Minor punctuation differences with otherwise identical names usually aren't fatal, but exact matches are obviously better.
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Sarah Ali
Just went through this exact scenario with a trucking company. Filed using the official state registry name and included a note about the name variations in our internal file. No issues so far. The key is being able to show you used the most authoritative source for the name.
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Ryan Vasquez
•Good approach. Documentation is everything in secured transactions.
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Avery Saint
Update us on what works! I have a similar situation coming up next month and would love to know the outcome.
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Madeline Blaze
•Will do! Planning to use the official state registry name and see if that gets through the portal.
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Taylor Chen
•Smart move. That's usually the winning approach for these name matching issues.
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