South Carolina SOS UCC search showing weird results - anyone else?

I'm doing exact matches mostly, but maybe I should try wildcards. The issue is some of these are business names with LLC or Inc variations and I'm not sure if the system treats those as separate entities or not.

Definitely use wildcards for business entities. SC's system is notorious for being picky about exact spelling and punctuation in company names.

This is exactly why I started using Certana.ai's document verification tool. You can upload your loan docs and it cross-checks everything automatically against the UCC database. Saves me from missing those tiny name variations that their search doesn't catch.

Interesting, I hadn't heard of that. Does it work with SC specifically or is it nationwide?

It works nationwide. You just upload your charter documents and UCC-1s as PDFs and it verifies everything aligns properly. Caught several debtor name mismatches I would have missed doing manual searches.

Good point, I may not have been checking that box consistently. I assumed it would show everything by default.

Yeah their default settings are pretty conservative. Always expand your search parameters first, then narrow down if you get too many results.

YES! This is exactly what I'm seeing. I'll find a UCC-1 from 2018 but no continuation filed in 2023, so I'm not sure if it lapsed or if their system just isn't showing it.

File number searches usually work better for finding continuations. If you have the original UCC-1 filing number, search by that instead of debtor name.

This is where having a document verification system really helps. I use Certana to upload both the original UCC-1 and any continuation docs to make sure they're properly linked and active.

Same here. I keep a checklist of different search strategies - exact name, wildcards, individual vs organization, with and without middle initials, etc.

That's a lot of manual work. Have you tried any automated tools to speed up the process?

Not really, I'm old school I guess. What kind of automated tools are you thinking?

Good point about timing. I think SC updates their database overnight, so morning searches might be more complete than afternoon ones.

I always do searches first thing in the morning for this reason. Learned that trick from an old paralegal who said state systems are usually most accurate early in the day.

That could be it! I might have set a filter weeks ago and forgotten about it. Thanks for the tip.

Yeah their filter system is pretty hidden. I always clear all filters before starting a new search just to be safe.

Pro tip: bookmark the search page with no filters set so you always start clean.

Their phone support is actually pretty good. They've walked me through searches before when I was stuck.

I tried calling once but got put on hold for 45 minutes. Maybe it depends on timing.

That's a good strategy. I usually check Georgia and North Carolina too since a lot of businesses operate across state lines.

Multi-state searches are where document verification tools really shine. Doing that manually across 3-4 states would take forever.

I hadn't thought of that approach. If I know the lender, searching by their name might show me filings I'm missing in debtor searches.

Exactly. Plus if you're dealing with a major lender, you can see their whole portfolio of filings and spot patterns in how they name debtors.

This is really helpful. I'm going to try some reverse searches this afternoon and see what turns up.