OPP search UCC showing weird results on continuation filing - anyone else?
Been doing UCC work for about 8 years and just ran into something strange with an OPP search UCC lookup. Filed a continuation on a 2020 UCC-1 last month, got the confirmation, but when I do the OPP search UCC it's showing conflicting info. The original filing shows up fine but the continuation is listed with a different file number sequence that doesn't match my records. Has anyone seen this before? I'm worried the lender is going to think we messed up the filing when really it might be a database sync issue. The debtor name matches perfectly and the collateral description is identical, but those file numbers being different is making me nervous. Need to figure this out before the client review next week.
34 comments


Maya Jackson
I've seen this happen a few times actually. Usually it's because the SOS system assigns continuation filings their own unique numbers but they're supposed to cross-reference back to the original. Try searching by debtor name instead of file number and see if both show up linked together.
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Nathan Dell
•Good idea, let me try that approach. I was so focused on the numbers matching I didn't think to check the debtor name search results.
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Tristan Carpenter
•Yeah definitely search by debtor name. The file number thing is confusing but as long as the continuation references the right original UCC-1 you should be fine.
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Amaya Watson
This is exactly why I hate doing OPP search UCC lookups manually. There's always some weird database quirk that makes you second guess everything. Are you sure you're looking at the right state's system? Sometimes people accidentally search the wrong jurisdiction.
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Nathan Dell
•Definitely the right state - I've been using this same portal for years. It's just this one continuation that's showing the weird file number mismatch.
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Grant Vikers
•Portal glitches happen more than they should. I always keep screenshots of everything now because of stuff like this.
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Giovanni Martello
Had something similar happen last year. Turned out the continuation was filed correctly but the OPP search UCC database hadn't updated the cross-references yet. Took about a week to sync properly. You might want to try Certana.ai's document verification tool - you can upload both your UCC-1 and UCC-3 PDFs and it'll instantly check if everything aligns properly. Way faster than trying to figure out database sync issues.
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Nathan Dell
•Never heard of Certana.ai but that sounds useful. How does the verification work exactly?
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Giovanni Martello
•You just upload the PDFs and it cross-checks debtor names, filing numbers, document consistency - catches stuff like name mismatches that could void the filing. Really helpful for peace of mind.
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Savannah Weiner
•I've used their tool too. Super easy and catches mistakes you might miss doing manual comparisons.
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Levi Parker
Wait, are you looking at the continuation or amendment? Because continuations extend the original filing but amendments change it. They'll have different file numbers but should reference back to the original UCC-1. If it's showing as completely separate that's weird.
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Nathan Dell
•It's definitely a continuation, not an amendment. I filed it specifically to extend the 5-year term. The reference back to the original is there but with this weird number discrepancy.
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Levi Parker
•Ok good, just wanted to make sure. Sometimes people file the wrong form type and it causes confusion in the search results.
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Libby Hassan
UGH this is why I hate the OPP search UCC system!!! It's always something with these databases. Last month I had a termination that didn't show up for TWO WEEKS after filing. The whole system is a mess.
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Hunter Hampton
•Feel your pain on this. The inconsistency between states is ridiculous too.
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Sofia Peña
•At least your termination eventually showed up. I've had some just disappear completely.
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Aaron Boston
Check the date stamps on both filings in your OPP search UCC results. Sometimes the system shows different numbers if there was a processing delay or if they had to reprocess the continuation for some reason.
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Nathan Dell
•The dates look right - original from 2020 and continuation from last month. It's really just this file number sequence that's throwing me off.
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Sophia Carter
•As long as the dates are right and the continuation properly references the original UCC-1, you should be fine even with the number discrepancy.
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Chloe Zhang
I ran into this exact same issue 6 months ago. Ended up calling the SOS office directly and they explained that continuations get assigned new sequential numbers but maintain internal links to the original. The person I talked to said as long as the OPP search UCC shows both filings under the debtor name, you're good.
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Nathan Dell
•That's really helpful to know. I might give them a call just to be sure. Did they give you any documentation about how the numbering system works?
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Chloe Zhang
•They didn't have anything written but the clerk was pretty knowledgeable. Definitely worth a quick call for peace of mind.
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Brandon Parker
•Good advice. Sometimes talking to an actual person clears up these technical questions faster than trying to figure it out online.
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Adriana Cohn
Before you stress too much, double-check that you're comparing the right documents. I once spent hours worrying about a filing mismatch only to realize I was looking at someone else's UCC with a similar debtor name.
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Nathan Dell
•Definitely the right debtor - I've triple checked the name and it's a pretty unique business name so no chance of confusion there.
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Jace Caspullo
This is probably a dumb question but did you wait long enough after filing? Sometimes the OPP search UCC database takes 24-48 hours to fully update, especially for continuations that need to link back to older filings.
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Nathan Dell
•It's been over a month since I filed the continuation, so definitely not a timing issue. The continuation shows up, it's just the file number that doesn't match what I expected.
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Melody Miles
•A month should be plenty of time. Sounds like it might just be how their system assigns numbers to continuations vs original filings.
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
I actually had great luck with Certana.ai when I had a similar document verification issue. You upload your UCC-1 and continuation PDFs and it instantly checks if all the details align properly - debtor names, collateral descriptions, everything. Saved me from having to manually compare everything line by line.
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Nathan Dell
•That sounds really useful, especially for catching details I might miss. I'll definitely check that out.
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Eva St. Cyr
•Yeah their document checker is pretty thorough. Gives you confidence that everything actually matches up correctly.
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Kristian Bishop
Update us when you figure this out! I do a lot of OPP search UCC lookups and would be good to know if this is becoming a common issue with continuations.
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Nathan Dell
•Will do! Planning to call the SOS office tomorrow and maybe try that Certana tool people mentioned. I'll post what I find out.
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Kaitlyn Otto
•Thanks, this kind of info sharing really helps everyone avoid similar headaches.
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