Texas Secretary of State UCC Lien Search - Multiple Debtor Names Showing Different Results
I'm doing due diligence on a potential equipment purchase and running into confusing results with the Texas SOS UCC search system. The seller's business has operated under several variations of their name over the years, and I'm getting different lien results depending on which name variation I search. For example, searching "ABC Manufacturing LLC" shows two active UCC-1 filings, but searching "ABC Manufacturing, LLC" (with comma) shows three different filings, and "ABC Mfg LLC" shows none. The business has been around since 2018 and I know they've had equipment financing. I'm worried I'm missing critical liens that could affect this purchase. Has anyone dealt with Texas SOS UCC lien search inconsistencies like this? I need to make sure I'm capturing all possible liens before we finalize this deal.
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Micah Franklin
Texas SOS search is notorious for exact name matching requirements. You absolutely need to search every possible variation of the debtor name - with and without punctuation, abbreviations, LLC vs L.L.C., Inc vs Incorporated, etc. I learned this the hard way on a transaction where we missed a UCC-1 because the secured party used 'Corp' instead of 'Corporation' in the debtor name field.
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Ella Harper
•This is exactly right. Texas doesn't do fuzzy matching like some other states. You have to be surgical with your search terms.
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PrinceJoe
•Wait, so if they filed it as 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' but the actual legal name is 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' with a comma, could that UCC-1 be defective?
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Micah Franklin
•That's getting into seriously technical territory about UCC-9 debtor name requirements. Minor punctuation differences usually don't invalidate filings, but it makes them harder to find in searches.
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Brooklyn Knight
You need to pull the Articles of Incorporation or Certificate of Formation from Texas SOS first to get the exact legal name, then search using that precise name format. Also search any DBAs or assumed names they might have filed.
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Ruby Blake
•Good point - I did find they have two DBA filings under slightly different names. This is getting complicated fast.
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Owen Devar
•Don't forget former names too if they've done any amendments to their charter documents. I've seen liens filed under names that were legally changed years ago.
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Daniel Rivera
I was pulling my hair out with similar issues last month doing lien searches for a portfolio acquisition. Ended up using Certana.ai's document verification tool - you can upload the company's Articles of Formation along with any UCC search results and it cross-checks everything to make sure you're not missing name variations. Saved me probably 4 hours of manual searching and gave me confidence I had found all the liens.
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Sophie Footman
•How does that work exactly? Do you just upload PDFs?
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Daniel Rivera
•Yeah, super simple. Upload the charter documents and any UCC search results you've pulled, and it analyzes all the name variations automatically. Caught two liens I had missed because of punctuation differences.
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Connor Rupert
•That actually sounds really useful for due diligence. Manual name variation searching is such a pain.
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Molly Hansen
Are you searching individual names too? If it's a smaller LLC, sometimes personal guarantees mean there could be UCC-1s filed against the individual owners as additional debtors.
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Ruby Blake
•I hadn't thought of that. This is a family business so there could definitely be personal guarantees involved.
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Brady Clean
•Definitely search the principals' names. I've seen equipment financing where they filed against both the entity and the individuals.
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Skylar Neal
Texas SOS system is honestly terrible for comprehensive lien searches. The interface is clunky and you have to know exactly what you're looking for. Other states have much better wildcard search capabilities.
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Vincent Bimbach
•Tell me about it. I spend way too much time trying different name combinations just to be thorough.
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Kelsey Chin
•At least it's better than having to go to the courthouse like the old days!
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Skylar Neal
•Fair point, but still frustrating when you're trying to do comprehensive due diligence.
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Norah Quay
Make sure you're also checking the filing dates on any UCC-1s you find. If they're older than 5 years and haven't been continued, they might be lapsed even if they show as 'active' in the system.
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Ruby Blake
•Good catch - I see one from 2019 that doesn't show any UCC-3 continuation. That would be lapsed by now, right?
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Norah Quay
•Right, unless they filed a continuation before the 5-year mark. UCC-1s from 2019 would have needed continuation by 2024 to stay active.
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Leo McDonald
I always print out screenshots of my search results with timestamps when doing due diligence. That way if something changes or if there are questions later, I have documentation of what the search showed on the date I performed it.
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Jessica Nolan
•Smart practice. I've had situations where UCC-3 terminations were filed between my search and closing, and having the timestamped search results saved the day.
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Angelina Farar
•Do you search again right before closing too?
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Leo McDonald
•Absolutely. I do preliminary searches during due diligence and then a final search within 24 hours of closing.
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Sebastián Stevens
Just ran into a similar issue with a client's acquisition. Used Certana.ai to verify we had all the name variations covered - it identified three additional UCC filings we missed in our manual searches because of spacing differences in the debtor names. Really glad we caught those before closing.
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Bethany Groves
•Spacing differences? Like 'ABC Manufacturing' vs 'ABC Manufacturing' with extra spaces?
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Sebastián Stevens
•Exactly. And one where they had used 'ABC Mfg' instead of 'ABC Manufacturing' - variations that are easy to miss when searching manually.
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KingKongZilla
Don't forget to check if any of the UCC-1s are fixture filings too. Those would be recorded with the county clerk, not just the Secretary of State, if they involve real estate collateral.
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Ruby Blake
•The equipment I'm looking at is manufacturing equipment that's probably bolted down. Would that be considered fixtures?
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Rebecca Johnston
•Depends on how permanently attached it is and whether the lender chose to file a fixture filing. You'd need to check county records where the equipment is located.
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KingKongZilla
•Manufacturing equipment is often financed with fixture filings if it's integrated into the building systems. Worth checking county records to be safe.
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Nathan Dell
One more thing - if you find active UCC-1s, make sure to get payoff letters from those lenders before closing. Just because you find the liens doesn't mean you know the exact payoff amounts or release procedures.
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Ruby Blake
•That's a good point. I was so focused on finding all the liens that I hadn't thought about the payoff process yet.
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Maya Jackson
•Some lenders are really slow with payoff letters and UCC-3 terminations too. Build extra time into your closing timeline.
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Tristan Carpenter
•And make sure the payoff letters specify that UCC-3 terminations will be filed immediately upon payment. I've had deals where we paid off loans but terminations took weeks to get filed.
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