Ohio Secretary of State UCC Division rejecting my continuation - debtor name issue?
Been dealing with a nightmare situation trying to file a UCC-3 continuation in Ohio and the Secretary of State UCC Division keeps rejecting it. The original UCC-1 was filed 4 years ago for equipment financing on our manufacturing line, and I'm getting close to the 5-year deadline. The rejection notice says 'debtor name does not match secured party records' but I'm using the exact same name format as the original filing. Has anyone dealt with Ohio's UCC Division being picky about exact formatting? The original debtor name shows 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' but our current legal docs show 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' with the comma. I'm worried this tiny punctuation difference is causing the rejection and I'm running out of time before the lien lapses. Need to get this continuation filed ASAP or we'll lose our security interest on $180K worth of equipment.
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Diez Ellis
Ohio's UCC Division is notorious for being strict about exact debtor name matches. Even a comma can cause rejection. You need to file using the EXACT name as it appears on the original UCC-1, not your current corporate docs. Check your original filing carefully - sometimes there are subtle differences you miss.
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Vanessa Figueroa
•This happened to me last year! Ohio rejected my amendment three times because of a period vs no period in 'Inc.' vs 'Inc' - had to go back to the original UCC-1 and copy it character by character.
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Abby Marshall
•But what if the company legally changed their name since the original filing? Do you still use the old name or file an amendment first?
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Sadie Benitez
I just went through this exact scenario with a client in Ohio. The key is understanding that UCC filings are indexed by the debtor name exactly as filed, not as it appears in current corporate records. Ohio's system won't match 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' to 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' - they're treated as completely different entities in their database.
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Drew Hathaway
•So frustrating! Why can't they build some flexibility into the system for obvious variations like commas and periods?
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Laila Prince
•Actually found a tool recently that helps with this - Certana.ai has a document checker where you upload your original UCC-1 and continuation side by side, and it flags any name discrepancies before you file. Saved me from another rejection when I caught a spacing issue.
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Isabel Vega
Time is critical here since you're approaching the 5-year deadline. Ohio requires continuations to be filed within 6 months before expiration. If you miss the window, you'll need to file a new UCC-1 instead of a continuation, which creates a gap in your perfected security interest.
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Dominique Adams
•Wait, I thought you had to file within 6 months AFTER the 5-year mark, not before?
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Marilyn Dixon
•No, continuations must be filed BEFORE the expiration date, typically within the last 6 months of the 5-year period. After expiration, the filing lapses and you lose your perfected status.
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Louisa Ramirez
•This is why I always set calendar reminders at 4 years and 3 months. Gives me plenty of buffer time to deal with rejection issues.
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TommyKapitz
Have you tried calling Ohio's UCC Division directly? Sometimes they can provide specific guidance on what's causing the rejection. Their number should be on the rejection notice.
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Angel Campbell
•Good luck getting through to anyone helpful there. I've spent hours on hold only to get transferred three times and disconnected.
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Payton Black
•I had better luck emailing them with my filing number and rejection notice attached. They responded within 2 business days with specific instructions.
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Harold Oh
Check if there are any other differences between your original UCC-1 and continuation beyond just the debtor name. Ohio also scrutinizes the secured party information, filing numbers, and collateral descriptions for consistency.
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Amun-Ra Azra
•This is huge - I once had a continuation rejected because I updated the secured party's address to their current location instead of keeping the original address from the UCC-1.
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Summer Green
•That Certana tool mentioned earlier actually checks all of this automatically. You just upload both documents and it compares every field for consistency. Way easier than manually checking everything.
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Gael Robinson
•How much does that service cost though? Might be worth it to avoid another rejection.
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Edward McBride
Another thing to watch for with Ohio - make sure you're referencing the correct initial financing statement number. If there were any amendments filed after the original UCC-1, you still reference the original filing number, not the amendment numbers.
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Darcy Moore
•Yes! And make sure you're using the full Ohio filing number format, not just the sequence number. Ohio uses a specific format that includes the year.
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Dana Doyle
•What's the format? I might be doing this wrong too.
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Liam Duke
•It's typically YYYY-XXXXXXXX where YYYY is the year and X's are the sequential number. Should be on your original filing receipt.
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Manny Lark
If you're still getting rejections after fixing the name issue, consider having an attorney review the filing. Sometimes there are subtle legal requirements that aren't obvious to non-lawyers.
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Rita Jacobs
•Attorney fees might cost more than just starting over with a new UCC-1 though. Depends on the complexity of your collateral description.
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Khalid Howes
•True, but if they already have a perfected interest worth $180K, it's worth paying some legal fees to maintain that priority position.
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Ben Cooper
Update us when you get it resolved! I'm dealing with a similar issue in Pennsylvania and curious if the same name-matching solutions work across different states.
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Naila Gordon
•Pennsylvania is actually more flexible than Ohio from my experience. Each state's UCC Division has their own quirks.
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Cynthia Love
•That's why I use Certana for all my multi-state filings now. It knows the specific requirements for each state's UCC system.
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Darren Brooks
Pro tip: Always print and save copies of your rejected filings along with the rejection notices. Ohio sometimes has inconsistent rejection reasons and having a paper trail helps when you call for clarification.
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Rosie Harper
•Also screenshot the online portal if you're filing electronically. Sometimes the system glitches and shows different information than what actually gets submitted.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
•Great advice! I learned this the hard way when Ohio claimed I never submitted a continuation that I definitely filed.
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Demi Hall
Hopefully you get this sorted quickly. Missing that 5-year deadline on equipment financing is a lender's worst nightmare. They'll probably require you to file a new UCC-1 immediately if the continuation doesn't go through.
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Mateusius Townsend
•And then you lose priority to any other liens filed in the gap period. Could be a big problem if the debtor has other creditors.
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Kara Yoshida
•Exactly why I always file continuations at least 2-3 months early now. Gives time to fix any problems without losing the perfected status.
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Philip Cowan
•Smart approach. Better safe than sorry with UCC deadlines.
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