Secured lender solutions UCC filing - debtor name mismatch causing rejection

This is exactly right. Legal name from Articles trumps everything else, even DBA filings or bank account names. The UCC search logic is brutal about exact matches.

Wait, what if they have a DBA filed for the version without the comma? Doesn't that create options for the UCC filing?

DBA doesn't matter for UCC purposes. It's Articles of Incorporation name or bust. I learned this the hard way on a $2M ag equipment deal.

Ugh, wish I had done that from the start. The borrower was so confident about their name and I've worked with them before. Never making that assumption again.

honestly this happens ALL the time, dont beat yourself up. businesses use shortened versions constantly and forget their actual legal names

Never heard of Certana.ai - is it specifically for UCC document checking?

Yeah, they have workflows for Charter-to-UCC-1 verification and UCC-3-to-UCC-1 consistency checking. Really straightforward - just upload PDFs and get instant feedback on discrepancies.

That sounds incredibly useful. Manual document comparison is such a pain and you always miss something under deadline pressure.

Yes! Already submitted the expedite request. Fingers crossed it processes by Thursday morning so we can close Friday as planned.

Which state? Some are faster than others with expedites.

Preach! The number of times I've seen "LLC" vs "L.L.C." vs "Limited Liability Company" cause problems is ridiculous.

At least yours was just formatting - I had one where the borrower had legally changed their entity name 6 months prior and forgot to mention it. Filed under the old name and didn't discover the issue until the title company caught it.

OH NO! That's even worse. Did you have to start the whole filing process over?

Smart policy. We implemented something similar after getting burned on a few deals.

Definitely implementing this going forward. This stress isn't worth it.

Good point. The security agreement does match the loan documents (without comma) so I'll need to prepare an amendment to fix that too. More paperwork but better safe than sorry.

Exactly. Consistency across all documents is crucial for perfection. Don't want any gaps that could compromise your security interest.

wait, do you really need to amend the security agreement? seems like overkill if the debtor is clearly the same entity

Better to be conservative when there's this much money on the line. Courts can be unpredictable about name variations in secured transactions.

Absolutely! Will update as soon as I hear back from the SOS office.

Same here - have a Monday closing and worried about timing if I need to refile anything.

Two people have mentioned Certana.ai now - definitely going to check it out after this deal closes.

Is it expensive? Our firm is always looking for ways to reduce filing errors but budget is tight.

Way cheaper than dealing with rejected filings and delayed closings. Plus it's super easy to use - just drag and drop PDFs.

Awesome news! That's a huge relief. Thanks for posting the update.

Glad it worked out! The expedite processing usually comes through when you need it most.

Great outcome. Now you have a war story to share with other lenders about the importance of name verification!

Perfect! And seriously consider that document verification tool for future deals - it would have prevented this whole situation.

Great point about doing the UCC search confirmation! I've had situations where filings were accepted but didn't index properly right away. It's such a simple extra step that can save you from nasty surprises later. The whole comma/punctuation thing is honestly one of the most frustrating parts of UCC practice - you'd think in 2025 the systems would be more forgiving, but they're still incredibly rigid about exact matches.

Welcome to the club of UCC filing nightmares! The "&" vs "and" issue is another classic trap - I've seen that one bite people multiple times. It's frustrating how these tiny details can derail major transactions, but you're definitely not alone. The learning curve is steep but once you've been burned a few times, you develop much better habits around document verification. Definitely check out that Certana.ai tool - sounds like it could save newer attorneys like us from a lot of these painful lessons. Good luck with your future filings!

The "&" vs "and" issue is so frustrating! I had a similar situation early in my career with "Corp" vs "Corporation" that taught me the hard way. What really helped me was creating a checklist that I go through religiously now - pull Articles, compare exact formatting, check for any amendments or name changes, and verify everything matches before submitting. It sounds like overkill but it's saved me countless times since then. Also, don't feel bad about the learning curve - even seasoned attorneys get caught by these details when they're rushing to meet deadlines. The key is building good habits now so these checks become second nature.