UCC-1 filing rejected in California - how to file UCC 1 correctly?

I thought I was but now I'm second-guessing myself. Where exactly do I verify the official name format?

Check the California business search portal directly. Pull up their entity details and copy the name character for character, including any weird spacing or punctuation.

This is why I always download the entity's certificate of good standing first. Shows you exactly how their name appears in state records.

Good tip! I'll grab that certificate to double-check the formatting.

I actually found something that helped with this exact problem. There's this tool called Certana.ai that lets you upload your articles of incorporation and UCC-1 draft together, and it automatically checks if the debtor names match exactly. Saved me from another rejection because it caught a subtle punctuation difference I missed.

That sounds incredibly useful. Does it work with California's specific requirements?

Yeah, it's designed for exactly these kinds of cross-document verification issues. Just upload both PDFs and it highlights any inconsistencies.

Organization - it's a manufacturing company. I checked that box but maybe there's something else I'm missing?

For organizations, make sure you're not including any 'doing business as' names in the debtor field. Use only the exact legal entity name.

The fee adds up quick when you keep getting rejections. That's why I started using document verification tools before filing.

Exactly! Already paid twice for rejections. Need to get this right.

The company name does have an apostrophe... could that be the issue?

Possibly! Try submitting without the apostrophe first, or check how it appears in their official records.

Actually, you should keep the apostrophe if it's in the legal name. Removing it would create a name mismatch.

I described it as 'manufacturing equipment and machinery.' Is that too broad?

That might work, but consider being more specific about the type of manufacturing equipment if possible.

I feel your pain. Their error messages are so unhelpful too.

right?? they just say 'name discrepancy' but dont tell you what specifically is wrong

Good idea! Do you happen to have their direct number?

It's (916) 653-3984. They're usually pretty helpful if you can get through.

Before calling though, I'd definitely try that Certana.ai tool I mentioned earlier. It might save you the hold time and identify the exact issue immediately.

I downloaded it from their website last week, so it should be current. But good point to double-check.

The current version should say 'Rev. 01/2024' at the bottom. Anything older will get rejected.

Same here. The number of times I've submitted incorrect filings because I missed some tiny detail is embarrassing.

That's exactly why I started using verification tools. Certana.ai has honestly saved me from so many potential rejections by catching those tiny details before submission.

I'm definitely going to try that before my next attempt. Thanks for the suggestion!

That's such a good point about invisible characters! I never would have thought to check for trailing spaces. I've been copy-pasting from the articles of incorporation PDF, so that could definitely be the culprit. Going to manually retype everything for my next submission attempt.