UCC 1 file rejected twice - debtor name keeps getting flagged

Illinois. And yeah, their system seems to be really finicky about exact matches.

Illinois is one of the worst for this. They require exact character-by-character matching with their corporate records.

Good point. I was going off the EIN paperwork. Let me check their actual IL corporate filing.

This is exactly why I always pull the corporate record first. Saves so much headache.

Same here. The number of times I've seen people use the 'doing business as' name instead of the legal entity name is crazy.

Two versions? That's terrifying. How did you figure out which one was current?

The corporate record showed amendment dates. The most recent amendment had the correct current name. The verification tool helped me catch that the original articles had different punctuation than the amended version.

This is why I hate entity name changes. Creates so much confusion down the line.

How did you find the amendment info? Is there a specific place to look in the corporate record?

In Illinois, you can see the full filing history. Look for any 'Articles of Amendment' or 'Certificate of Amendment' filings after the original incorporation.

Also check for any merger documents if they've been involved in any corporate restructuring.

Just checked and there are actually three different name variations showing up in search results! Two are marked 'Merged' and one is 'Active.

Bingo! Use the active one. The merged entities are from previous corporate actions.

This is exactly why entity due diligence is so important before drafting loan docs.

Really? I thought they couldn't give legal advice on how to file.

They can't give legal advice, but they can tell you what name format they have on file for searching purposes. It's a fine line but helpful.

Some states are more helpful than others with this. Illinois staff is usually pretty good about explaining their exact match requirements.

Yeah, I kept it clean. Just used exactly what I thought was the legal name.

Good. I've seen people add extra descriptors that cause automatic rejections.

Will do! Hopefully the active corporate record name works.

Michigan has similar exact match requirements. Pain in the neck.

At least Michigan's online system gives you better error messages than some states.

That sounds helpful. Is it expensive?

Way cheaper than having to refile multiple times and potentially missing your deadline. Plus it catches other stuff like address formatting issues.

I've heard good things about automated document verification. Probably worth it for time-sensitive deals.

Exactly! The whole deal is sitting there waiting for this one piece.

Been there. Makes you realize how critical getting the debtor name exactly right is.

And why we charge extra for rush filings. The stress alone is worth it.