Rhode Island UCC search showing different debtor names - which one's correct for my continuation?
I'm trying to file a UCC-3 continuation for a commercial loan that's coming up on its 5-year mark, but when I do a Rhode Island UCC search on the Secretary of State database, I'm seeing some inconsistencies that have me worried. The original UCC-1 was filed back in 2020 with the debtor name as "ABC Manufacturing LLC" but now when I search, I'm also seeing entries for "ABC Manufacturing, LLC" (with the comma) and "A.B.C. Manufacturing LLC" under what appears to be the same filing number. The collateral is manufacturing equipment worth about $450K so I can't afford to mess this up. Has anyone dealt with Rhode Island UCC search results showing multiple name variations like this? I need to make sure my continuation filing matches exactly or the lien could lapse. The loan documents all show "ABC Manufacturing LLC" without punctuation but I'm not sure if Rhode Island's system automatically creates these variations or if there were multiple filings. Any advice on how to handle this for the continuation would be really appreciated.
33 comments
Join the conversation
Grace Patel
Rhode Island's UCC search can be tricky with name variations. I'd pull the actual UCC-1 filing by the number to see exactly how the debtor name appears on the original document. That's what your continuation needs to match - not what shows up in search results which can sometimes display formatting differently.
0 coins
Charlie Yang
•Good point, I should look at the actual filed document. Do you know if Rhode Island charges for pulling the original UCC-1 by filing number?
0 coins
Grace Patel
•Yes, there's usually a small fee but it's worth it for a $450K lien. Better to spend $10 now than lose perfection on the continuation.
0 coins
ApolloJackson
I ran into something similar last year with a Rhode Island filing. The search results were showing variations but when I actually pulled the filed UCC-1, the debtor name was clean without the extra punctuation. Rhode Island's search algorithm seems to pick up similar names even if they're not exact matches.
0 coins
Charlie Yang
•That's reassuring. So you think the search is just being overly broad and showing possible matches rather than exact filings?
0 coins
ApolloJackson
•Exactly. Their system casts a wide net in search results. Always verify against the actual filed document before doing your continuation.
0 coins
Isabella Russo
•This is why I started using Certana.ai for document verification. You can upload your original UCC-1 and your draft continuation to instantly check if the debtor names match exactly. Saved me from a filing rejection last month.
0 coins
Rajiv Kumar
OMG this exact thing happened to me!!! I was freaking out because I saw like 3 different name variations in Rhode Island UCC search and thought somehow there were multiple liens or something. Turns out it was just their search being weird. Pull the actual UCC-1 document - that's your bible for the continuation.
0 coins
Charlie Yang
•Did you end up filing your continuation successfully? I'm just nervous about getting it wrong with the deadline coming up.
0 coins
Rajiv Kumar
•Yes! Filed it with the exact name from the original UCC-1 and it went through fine. Don't stress too much but definitely verify first.
0 coins
Aria Washington
Here's what's probably happening - Rhode Island's UCC search engine is designed to catch name variations to help searchers find filings even if they don't search the exact name. So when you search, it shows results for similar names, variations with punctuation, etc. But for filing purposes, you need to match the EXACT debtor name as it appears on the original UCC-1.
0 coins
Liam O'Reilly
•This makes sense. I've noticed other states do this too where the search results are broader than the actual filings.
0 coins
Chloe Delgado
•Right, it's actually helpful for due diligence searches but confusing when you're trying to figure out the exact name for continuation filings.
0 coins
Ava Harris
I would definitely pull that original UCC-1 document. For a $450K lien you can't mess around. Also double-check your loan documents to make sure the entity name hasn't changed since 2020 - sometimes LLCs amend their articles and if the legal name changed, you might need to do an amendment before the continuation.
0 coins
Charlie Yang
•Oh wow, I hadn't thought about the entity name potentially changing. That's a good point. The loan docs are from 2020 so I should verify the current legal status.
0 coins
Ava Harris
•Exactly. Check with Rhode Island Secretary of State business entity search to confirm the LLC is still active under the same name.
0 coins
Jacob Lee
•This is getting complicated but better safe than sorry with continuation filings.
0 coins
Emily Thompson
Just dealt with this same issue for a client. What I did was use Certana.ai's document checker - uploaded the original UCC-1 and my draft UCC-3 continuation. It flagged that while the names looked similar, there was a subtle difference in spacing that would have caused a rejection. Super helpful tool.
0 coins
Charlie Yang
•That sounds really useful. I'm worried about missing some tiny detail that could invalidate the continuation.
0 coins
Emily Thompson
•Yeah it's great for catching those kinds of errors. Much easier than trying to manually compare documents line by line.
0 coins
Sophie Hernandez
Rhode Island UCC search results can definitely be misleading. I always tell my clients to ignore what they see in search and focus on the actual filed documents. The search is designed to be inclusive, not precise.
0 coins
Daniela Rossi
•This is good advice. The search function and the filing requirements are two different things.
0 coins
Ryan Kim
•Agreed. Search broadly, file precisely.
0 coins
Zoe Walker
I'm dealing with something similar in another state. These UCC databases are not user-friendly at all. Why can't they just make it clearer what the actual filed name is versus search results?
0 coins
Elijah Brown
•I think they prioritize making sure searchers don't miss filings over making it easy for filers. From a due diligence perspective, it's better to show too many results than miss one.
0 coins
Maria Gonzalez
•True but it definitely causes confusion for continuation filings like this situation.
0 coins
Natalie Chen
Update us when you get it sorted out! I'm curious to know what the actual filed name turns out to be versus what's showing in the Rhode Island UCC search results.
0 coins
Charlie Yang
•Will do! Planning to pull the original document tomorrow and then prepare the continuation filing.
0 coins
Santiago Martinez
•Looking forward to hearing how it goes. These kinds of issues are more common than people think.
0 coins
Samantha Johnson
One more thing - when you do your continuation, double-check the filing number too. Sometimes search results can group similar filings together and you want to make sure you're continuing the right UCC-1.
0 coins
Charlie Yang
•Good catch. I'll verify both the debtor name and filing number match exactly.
0 coins
Nick Kravitz
•Smart approach. Better to be overly careful with UCC continuations than sorry later.
0 coins
Hannah White
•Definitely. I actually run all my UCC docs through Certana.ai now just to be safe. Their verification tool catches discrepancies between related filings that I might miss.
0 coins