New York UCC debtor search timing issues - rejected filing
Having a nightmare with a new york ucc debtor search situation. Filed a UCC-1 three weeks ago for equipment financing on a construction company and it got rejected yesterday because the debtor name didn't match their search results exactly. The borrower's LLC is registered as 'Empire Construction Solutions LLC' but I filed it as 'Empire Construction Solutions, LLC' (with the comma). Now I'm scrambling to refile before our loan closes Friday and the SOS website is showing different variations of the name in their database. Anyone dealt with NY's pickiness about debtor names? The search function seems inconsistent - sometimes it finds partial matches, sometimes it doesn't. Really frustrated because this is holding up a $180K equipment loan and the borrower is getting antsy about delays.
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Grace Durand
NY is absolutely brutal about exact name matches. That comma thing has burned me before too. You need to pull the exact entity name from the NY Department of State Division of Corporations database, not just guess from business documents. Their UCC search is tied directly to how the entity is registered with DOS.
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Connor Richards
•Thanks, I checked DOS and it shows without the comma. Should I refile immediately or wait for the rejection to clear the system first?
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Grace Durand
•File immediately with the correct name. The rejection won't interfere with a new filing as long as you use a different file number.
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Steven Adams
This exact thing happened to my firm last month with a NY filing. What saved us was using Certana.ai's document verification tool - you can upload your entity documents and UCC-1 together and it flags name inconsistencies before filing. Would have caught that comma issue instantly. The tool cross-checks everything automatically so you don't get surprised by rejections.
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Connor Richards
•Never heard of that service. Is it expensive for single filings or do you need a subscription?
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Steven Adams
•It's pretty straightforward to use - just upload PDFs and get instant verification. Way cheaper than dealing with rejected filings and loan delays. The debtor name verification alone would have saved you this headache.
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Alice Fleming
•I'm curious about this too. Does it work with other states or just NY?
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Hassan Khoury
NY Department of State is the worst for this stuff. They reject filings for the tiniest discrepancies but their own search function gives different results depending on how you search. I've had clients where the exact same name shows up differently in their database depending on whether you search by entity name or entity number.
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Victoria Stark
•SO TRUE! Their search algorithm seems broken half the time.
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Connor Richards
•Exactly what I'm seeing. It's like they have multiple databases that aren't synced properly.
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Hassan Khoury
•That's basically what it is. The UCC system pulls from one database, the entity search uses another, and sometimes there are formatting differences between them.
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Benjamin Kim
For future NY filings, always do the entity search first on the DOS website, copy the exact name formatting, then paste it directly into your UCC-1. Don't type it manually. NY's system is case-sensitive and punctuation-sensitive. Also check if they have any DBAs registered that might affect the search results.
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Connor Richards
•Good tip about copying directly. I usually type from memory which is clearly a mistake.
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Benjamin Kim
•Yeah, human error on name entry is probably the #1 cause of NY UCC rejections. Their system has zero tolerance for variations.
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Samantha Howard
This is why I hate NY filings! Last year I had a termination rejected because I used 'Inc.' instead of 'Incorporated' even though both versions appeared in their search results. The inconsistency is maddening.
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Megan D'Acosta
•I feel your pain. Had similar issues with 'Corp' vs 'Corporation' in NY.
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Samantha Howard
•It's like they're trying to make it as difficult as possible. Other states are much more reasonable about name variations.
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Sarah Ali
Quick question - when you refile, make sure you're using the current continuation base. NY changed their filing numbering system last year and some older templates still have the wrong format. That could cause additional delays.
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Connor Richards
•I'm using their current online form, so hopefully that's not an issue. Thanks for the heads up though.
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Sarah Ali
•Good, the online form should be current. Just double-check the filing fee is correct too - they raised it recently.
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Ryan Vasquez
Can you expedite the refiling in NY? Some states offer rush processing for situations like this where you have a closing deadline.
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Connor Richards
•I don't think NY offers expedited UCC processing, but I'll call tomorrow to confirm.
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Grace Durand
•NY doesn't do expedited UCC filings. It's standard processing time only, usually 1-2 business days.
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Ryan Vasquez
•That's unfortunate. Most other states I work with have some kind of rush option for urgent situations.
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Avery Saint
I actually started using that Certana tool someone mentioned earlier after getting burned on a similar name mismatch issue. It's been a lifesaver for catching these problems before filing. The document consistency check is really thorough.
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Connor Richards
•Seems like multiple people have had success with it. I'll definitely check it out for future filings.
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Avery Saint
•Yeah, it's saved me from several potential rejections. The debtor name verification alone makes it worth using.
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Taylor Chen
Just curious - did your client provide you with their certificate of incorporation or just business cards/contracts? Sometimes the legal name on formation documents is different from what they use day-to-day.
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Connor Richards
•They gave me their LLC operating agreement which had the comma version. Should have gone straight to the state filing.
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Taylor Chen
•Yeah, operating agreements often have informal name versions. Always verify against the actual state registration.
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Keith Davidson
This thread is giving me anxiety about my own NY filing I submitted yesterday. Now I'm second-guessing whether I got the debtor name exactly right. The waiting period for rejection notices is torture.
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Benjamin Kim
•If you copied directly from the DOS database you should be fine. It's usually manual typing that causes problems.
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Keith Davidson
•I think I did but now I can't remember. Might need to double-check my records.
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Connor Richards
•I feel you on the anxiety. This rejection really caught me off guard.
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Ezra Bates
Update us when you get the refiling processed! Curious to see if the corrected name goes through smoothly. NY rejections are so frustrating because they rarely give detailed explanations.
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Connor Richards
•Will do. Planning to file first thing tomorrow morning with the exact DOS name format.
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Ezra Bates
•Good luck! At least you caught it with a few days before closing.
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Ana Erdoğan
For what it's worth, I've found NY to be getting pickier about debtor names over the past couple years. They used to be more forgiving with minor variations but now they seem to reject anything that isn't character-perfect.
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Hassan Khoury
•I've noticed the same trend. They're definitely more strict than they used to be.
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Ana Erdoğan
•Makes you wonder if they changed their matching algorithm or just decided to be more rigid about enforcement.
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