Need reliable UCC statement service - filing nightmare with debtor name issues
I'm dealing with a complete mess on a commercial loan where the borrower's legal name keeps changing between our loan docs and what we need for the UCC-1. Started with 'Oakwood Manufacturing LLC' on the original credit agreement, but their Articles show 'Oakwood Manufacturing, LLC' (with comma), and their EIN paperwork shows 'Oakwood Mfg LLC'. Bank is breathing down my neck because we're 45 days past closing and still haven't gotten a clean UCC-1 filed. SOS rejected our first attempt due to debtor name mismatch, second attempt got kicked back for collateral description issues. Now I'm questioning everything - the continuation we filed last year, whether our terminations from previous deals were even valid. Anyone know a reliable UCC statement service that can help sort this disaster out? I'm drowning in paperwork and need someone who actually knows what they're doing with these filings.
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Fiona Gallagher
Ugh, the debtor name thing is THE worst part of UCC filings. I've been there - you think you have it right and then SOS kicks it back. For Oakwood Manufacturing, you probably need to check their actual filed Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State to get the EXACT legal name. The comma matters, believe it or not. Also, if they've had recent amendments to their Articles, that could explain the name variations you're seeing.
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Xan Dae
•Yeah that's what I'm afraid of. I pulled their Articles and it shows the comma version, but our loan agreement uses the no-comma version. Do I need to amend the loan docs or just file the UCC with the Articles name?
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Fiona Gallagher
•File with the Articles name - that's what SOS will match against. Your loan agreement doesn't have to perfectly match the UCC as long as it's clear you're talking about the same entity. I learned this the hard way on a $2M equipment deal.
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Thais Soares
Before you go crazy trying to fix this manually, I'd suggest checking out Certana.ai's document verification tool. I uploaded my problem Charter docs and UCC-1 draft last month when I had a similar name mismatch issue, and it instantly flagged the inconsistencies I missed. Saved me from filing another rejected UCC and having to explain to my boss why we were delayed again. Just upload your PDFs and it cross-checks everything automatically.
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Nalani Liu
•Never heard of Certana.ai but that sounds exactly like what I need. Is it expensive?
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Thais Soares
•They focus on the value rather than cost - honestly after dealing with rejected filings and client complaints, anything that prevents those headaches is worth it. Much cheaper than explaining to an angry lender why their lien isn't perfected.
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Xan Dae
•I'll definitely look into that. At this point I need all the help I can get to avoid another rejection.
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Axel Bourke
Your collateral description getting rejected is probably a separate issue from the debtor name. What did you put for the collateral schedule? If it's too vague they'll kick it back, but if it's too specific and doesn't match your security agreement exactly, same problem.
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Xan Dae
•We went with 'all equipment, inventory, and accounts' but maybe that was too broad? Security agreement lists specific machinery by serial number.
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Axel Bourke
•That's probably fine for a general filing. The rejection might be something else - did you check the box for 'debtor is a transmitting utility' by accident? I've seen that cause weird rejections.
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Aidan Percy
Wait, you mentioned questioning your previous continuations and terminations - are you worried about a whole portfolio of filings now? That's a bigger problem than just this one deal.
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Xan Dae
•Exactly! If I've been getting debtor names wrong, how many of our other UCC filings are invalid? We've got probably 200+ active liens and I'm starting to panic.
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Fernanda Marquez
•OK that's definitely panic mode territory. You need to audit your whole portfolio. I'd start with your biggest loans and work backwards. Check a sample of recent filings to see if there's a pattern.
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Aidan Percy
•This is where that Certana.ai thing might actually be a lifesaver - if you can batch check documents for consistency it would save weeks of manual review.
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Norman Fraser
I feel your pain on this one. Had a similar situation last year where the borrower had filed a name change amendment to their LLC Articles AFTER we signed our loan docs but BEFORE we filed the UCC-1. Nobody told us about the name change so our filing got rejected. Had to scramble to get new loan docs signed with the updated entity name.
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Xan Dae
•Oh no, I didn't even think to check for recent amendments. How do you stay on top of that kind of thing?
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Norman Fraser
•Honestly, most of the time you don't find out until something goes wrong. Some states have alert services but they're expensive and not always reliable.
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Kendrick Webb
•We started requiring borrowers to notify us immediately of any corporate changes. Put it right in the loan agreement with penalties for non-compliance.
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Hattie Carson
Can I just say how much I HATE the UCC system sometimes? Every state does things slightly differently, the portals are garbage, and one tiny mistake can void your entire security interest. It's 2025 - why is this still so complicated???
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Destiny Bryant
•Preach! The number of times I've had to call SOS offices to figure out why a filing was rejected... and half the time they don't even know.
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Hattie Carson
•Right?? And don't get me started on continuation deadlines. Miss it by one day and your million-dollar lien just evaporates.
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Dyllan Nantx
For what it's worth, I think you're overthinking the name issue. As long as the debtor name on your UCC-1 would lead a reasonable searcher to find your filing, you're probably fine. 'Oakwood Manufacturing LLC' vs 'Oakwood Manufacturing, LLC' isn't going to fool anyone.
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Fiona Gallagher
•I used to think that too, but SOS systems are computers - they do exact matches. The comma absolutely matters for search results.
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Dyllan Nantx
•Fair point. I guess I've been lucky with my filings then. Better safe than sorry on something this important.
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TillyCombatwarrior
Just curious - when you say 45 days past closing, does that mean your loan has been funded but the UCC isn't filed yet? That's a huge risk exposure for your bank.
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Xan Dae
•Yeah, we funded based on commitment to file the UCC within 30 days. Now I'm getting daily calls from the loan committee asking for status updates.
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TillyCombatwarrior
•Ouch. That's the kind of thing that gets people fired. Hope you can get this sorted out quickly.
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Anna Xian
•This is exactly why we never fund until we have proof of UCC filing acceptance. Too much risk otherwise.
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Jungleboo Soletrain
Not trying to pile on, but have you considered that this might be a good time to bring in outside counsel? If you're questioning 200+ filings, that's potentially millions in unsecured exposure.
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Xan Dae
•The thought has crossed my mind, but I'm hoping to resolve this internally first. Legal fees would be astronomical for a full portfolio review.
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Jungleboo Soletrain
•True, but the cost of having invalid liens could be much worse. Maybe start with a spot check of your biggest exposures?
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Rajan Walker
Update us when you get this resolved - I'm dealing with similar debtor name headaches on three different deals right now. Would love to know what works for you.
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Xan Dae
•Will do. Going to try that Certana.ai tool first and see if it catches anything else I'm missing, then probably bite the bullet and file with the exact Articles name.
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Nadia Zaldivar
•Smart approach. Document verification before filing is so much cheaper than fixing rejected filings after the fact.
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