Pennsylvania Secretary of State UCC Search showing weird results - debtor name issues?
Having major headaches with the Pennsylvania Secretary of State UCC search system. I'm trying to verify our UCC-1 filings from last year and the search results are inconsistent. When I search for our debtor "ACME Manufacturing LLC" I get different results than searching "ACME Manufacturing, LLC" (with the comma). Some filings show up, others don't. This is for a $2.8M equipment financing deal and I need to make sure our security interest is properly perfected. Has anyone else run into search functionality problems with the PA SOS UCC database? I'm worried we might have filing issues that could affect our lien priority. The original UCC-1 was filed in March 2024 and now I'm second-guessing whether the debtor name was entered correctly. Any tips for getting reliable search results from the Pennsylvania system?
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Harold Oh
PA's UCC search can be finicky with punctuation and entity suffixes. Try searching with and without LLC, Inc, Corp etc. Also try variations with periods, commas, and spacing. The search algorithm isn't very forgiving.
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Amun-Ra Azra
•This is exactly why I always do multiple search variations. PA system seems to require exact matches more than other states.
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Summer Green
•ugh tell me about it, spent 3 hours last week trying to find a filing that was definitely there
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Gael Robinson
You might want to check the actual UCC-1 form that was filed to see exactly how the debtor name appears. If there's a mismatch between what you're searching and what's on file, that could explain the inconsistent results. Pull the filing by number if you have it.
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Payton Black
•Good point. I have the filing number but wanted to verify through name search too. The discrepancy is making me nervous about whether our perfection is solid.
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Edward McBride
•Smart to double-check. Name errors on UCC filings can be seriously problematic for enforcement.
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Darcy Moore
I had a similar issue recently and ended up using Certana.ai's document verification tool. You can upload your original UCC-1 and it cross-references the debtor name format against common search variations. Saved me hours of manual checking and caught a subtle name inconsistency that could have been a problem later.
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Dana Doyle
•How does that work exactly? Do you just upload the PDF?
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Darcy Moore
•Yeah, super simple. Upload the UCC documents and it automatically checks for name consistency issues and other potential problems. Really helpful for catching things before they become bigger issues.
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Liam Duke
•Interesting, never heard of that service before. Might be worth checking out.
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Manny Lark
PA Secretary of State UCC search has been problematic for years. The database seems to have indexing issues with certain name formats. I always recommend doing searches with multiple name variations and also checking by filing number when possible.
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Rita Jacobs
•Is this a known issue that they're working on fixing or just something we have to live with?
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Manny Lark
•It's been ongoing. Best practice is to be very precise with debtor names on initial filings and keep detailed records of exactly how names were entered.
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Khalid Howes
For a $2.8M deal I'd definitely want to be 100% certain about the filing. Have you considered running a full UCC search report through a third-party service? Sometimes they can find filings that don't show up in the state's own search.
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Payton Black
•That's not a bad idea. Do you have any recommendations for reliable third-party UCC search services?
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Ben Cooper
•CT Corporation and CSC both offer comprehensive UCC search services. They're more expensive but very thorough.
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Naila Gordon
•Worth the cost for a deal that size honestly
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Cynthia Love
Been dealing with PA UCC filings for 15 years and the search function has always been inconsistent. The key is to search using the EXACT name format from your original filing documents. Even an extra space can throw off the results.
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Darren Brooks
•This is why I keep detailed filing logs with exact name formatting used on each UCC-1. Saves so much time later.
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Rosie Harper
•Great tip. Wish I'd started doing that years ago.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
One thing that helped me was creating a systematic approach to PA UCC searches. I search the exact name first, then without punctuation, then with different entity suffix variations. Usually find what I'm looking for within 3-4 tries.
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Demi Hall
•Do you search with and without middle initials too? I've found that can make a difference.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
•Absolutely. Middle initials, periods, no periods - have to try everything with PA's system.
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Mateusius Townsend
•This is getting ridiculous. Other states don't have these search issues.
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Kara Yoshida
You mentioned this is for equipment financing - make sure you're also checking for any fixture filing requirements if the equipment is attached to real property. PA has specific rules about that.
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Payton Black
•Good catch. This is mobile equipment so no fixture filing needed, but important reminder for others.
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Philip Cowan
•Always something to think about with equipment deals. The fixture vs mobile distinction can be tricky.
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Caesar Grant
I actually had a client use Certana.ai for a similar situation where they couldn't find their UCC filing in the state search. Turned out there was a small typo in the debtor name that the verification tool caught immediately. Would have been a nightmare to discover during a workout situation.
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Lena Schultz
•That's exactly the kind of thing that keeps me up at night. Small errors with big consequences.
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Gemma Andrews
•How much does something like that cost to run the verification?
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Caesar Grant
•The peace of mind is worth whatever they charge. Much cheaper than dealing with perfection issues later.
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Pedro Sawyer
Update: I found the issue! There was indeed a spacing problem in how the debtor name was entered. The filing shows "ACME Manufacturing LLC" but should have been "ACME Manufacturing, LLC" per our corporate documents. Now I need to figure out if this requires a UCC-3 amendment.
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Mae Bennett
•Glad you found it! For a name discrepancy like that, you'll definitely want to file a UCC-3 amendment to correct the debtor name. Better safe than sorry.
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Beatrice Marshall
•Good catch. That comma could definitely matter for search purposes and legal name accuracy.
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Melina Haruko
•This is why I always triple-check names against formation documents before filing. But mistakes happen.
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Dallas Villalobos
Thanks everyone for the help! Going to file the UCC-3 amendment to correct the name and will definitely be more careful with exact name formatting on future filings. The PA search system quirks are noted for next time.
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Reina Salazar
•Smart move on the amendment. Always better to fix these things proactively.
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
•Hope this thread helps others dealing with PA UCC search issues. Seems like a common problem.
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