Need solid UCC filing template - debtor name requirements driving me crazy

Yeah that's what I figured but the inconsistency is maddening. Same entity might have slight variations across different documents and you never know which version the filing office prefers.

This is why I always do a UCC search first on the debtor name to see what format other filers have used successfully. Sometimes that gives you a clue.

That's helpful - I was probably being too detailed in the collateral section. Do you include model numbers or just keep it general like that?

General for UCC-1 unless it's a specific piece of high value equipment. The security agreement is where you get granular with models and serials.

Watch out with fixture filings though - those need way more detail including property descriptions and sometimes require different forms entirely.

That sounds useful - does it work for different entity types? We deal with corps, LLCs, partnerships, all kinds of structures.

Yeah it handles all entity types. Really helpful for catching those subtle differences that cause rejections. The name matching feature alone has saved me hours of back and forth with filing offices.

Interesting, never heard of that service. How accurate is it compared to doing manual checks?

That's brutal but unfortunately typical. The filing offices are super literal about punctuation and abbreviations. I keep a cheat sheet now of common variations.

THIS is why the whole system is broken. These tiny details shouldn't void an entire filing when the intent is clear.

Exactly! Like they're just trying to collect more filing fees by being nitpicky about commas.

Good call - I do that sometimes but didn't think to make it standard practice. Probably would have saved me those three rejections last month.

Same here. The search function shows you exactly how they want it formatted, plus you can see the entity status and registered agent info.

Yeah we've got a tickler system for continuations but it's not foolproof. Good idea to build that into the initial filing template.

Wait, 6 months before expiration? I thought it was 6 months before OR after the 5-year anniversary?

No, it's within 6 months BEFORE the 5-year lapse date. If you file after the lapse date, you lose perfection and need to start over with a new UCC-1.

Good point about form versions. I've been using the same template for two years - probably should verify it's still current.

Yeah I got burned by that once. Used an old form and they rejected it, then by the time I refiled with the correct form our closing got delayed.

That's two mentions of that service now - might be worth checking out. Our rejection rate is getting embarrassing.

Same experience here. Used to get rejections all the time, now maybe one every few months and usually for something weird I couldn't have anticipated.

I get the frustration but the strict name requirements do serve a purpose - they ensure the public record is clear about which entity is the debtor.

Sure but there's got to be a middle ground between clarity and bureaucratic nitpicking over commas.

That's exactly the kind of thing that drives me crazy. Corp vs Corporation should not matter but apparently it does.

Been there. Now I spell everything out completely - no abbreviations ever.

Smart approach. Better to be overly literal than risk a rejection over abbreviations.

Good reminder. I focus so much on getting the debtor name right that I sometimes rush through the secured party section.

Yeah and if the secured party is an entity, you need their exact legal name too, not just a DBA or trade name.

Glad it was useful! I'm definitely implementing some of these ideas too, particularly the entity search step before filing.

Happy to help. The document verification tools really do make a difference if you're dealing with volume filings.