UCC-1 form new jersey filing rejected twice - debtor name issues
Hi everyone, I'm having a nightmare with a UCC-1 form new jersey filing that keeps getting rejected by the NJ Division of Revenue. This is for a commercial equipment loan and I've now had TWO rejections in the past month. The first rejection said "debtor name does not match" but I copied it exactly from the LLC's Certificate of Formation. The second time I tried using the exact name from their business license and got rejected again for "insufficient debtor identification." The collateral is pretty straightforward - it's restaurant equipment worth about $85K. I'm starting to panic because my lender is getting impatient and the loan docs have a 90-day perfection requirement. Has anyone dealt with similar debtor name issues on NJ UCC-1 filings? I feel like I'm missing something obvious but can't figure out what. The business operates as "Tony's Authentic Italian Kitchen LLC" but their formation docs show "Tony's Authentic Italian Kitchen, L.L.C." with periods. Could that punctuation really be causing rejections? Any advice would be hugely appreciated before I try a third time.
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Yara Khoury
Oh man, NJ can be really picky about debtor names! I had a similar issue last year where the comma placement was throwing off the system. Have you tried searching the NJ business entity database first to see exactly how they have the name formatted? Sometimes the SOS has a slightly different version than what's on the Certificate of Formation.
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Connor O'Reilly
•I didn't think to check the SOS database separately - that's a great idea. I was just going off the formation documents. Let me look that up right now.
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Keisha Taylor
•Yeah definitely check the SOS database. NJ's system is notorious for having weird formatting quirks that don't match the original filing docs.
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StardustSeeker
UGH this is exactly why I hate NJ filings. Their system is so temperamental compared to other states. Have you tried calling their UCC division directly? Sometimes they can tell you exactly what name format they're expecting.
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Connor O'Reilly
•I tried calling but got transferred around for 20 minutes and finally gave up. Maybe I should try again during off-peak hours.
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Paolo Marino
•Try calling right at 8am when they open. That's usually when you can actually get through to someone who knows what they're talking about.
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Amina Bah
This might sound weird but I've started using Certana.ai for exactly this kind of thing. You can upload your Certificate of Formation and your draft UCC-1 and it'll flag any name inconsistencies before you submit. It caught a debtor name mismatch for me last month that would have definitely gotten rejected. Just upload the PDFs and it does an automated cross-check of all the names and details.
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Connor O'Reilly
•That sounds really helpful! I'm definitely going to try that before my next attempt. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Oliver Becker
•I've heard good things about that tool. Anything to avoid another rejection at this point, right?
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StardustSeeker
•How accurate is it though? I'm always skeptical of automated tools for legal stuff like this.
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Natasha Petrova
Here's what I've learned from years of NJ filings: the punctuation absolutely matters. NJ's system is very literal. If the SOS database shows "Tony's Authentic Italian Kitchen, L.L.C." then that's exactly what you need to use, including the comma and periods. Also make sure you're using the exact entity type designation - some LLCs are filed as "LLC" and others as "L.L.C." Don't assume they're interchangeable.
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Connor O'Reilly
•This is super helpful. I think I've been treating the punctuation as optional when it's clearly not. Going to double-check everything against the SOS database.
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Yara Khoury
•Exactly this. I learned the hard way that even spacing can matter. "Tony's Authentic Italian Kitchen, L.L.C." is different from "Tony's Authentic Italian Kitchen,L.L.C." in their system.
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Javier Hernandez
Wait, are you filing this yourself or through an attorney? Because if you're doing it yourself, you might want to consider having a lawyer handle it at this point. Two rejections is getting expensive and time-consuming.
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Connor O'Reilly
•I'm doing it myself because the lender said it was straightforward. Obviously that's not turning out to be true! The rejection fees are adding up.
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Natasha Petrova
•For a straightforward equipment loan, you shouldn't need an attorney. Just need to get the name formatting right. Save your money and use the SOS database lookup.
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Javier Hernandez
•Fair enough. I just get nervous when there are tight deadlines involved. But you're right, it's probably just a formatting issue.
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Emma Davis
I had the EXACT same issue with an LLC filing in NJ last year. Turns out the business was filed with a DBA that was slightly different from their operating name. Did you check if Tony's has any alternate names or DBAs registered?
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Connor O'Reilly
•Oh wow, I never thought about DBAs. That could definitely be it. They might have filed under a different name for tax purposes or something.
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Emma Davis
•Yeah, check the alternate name section in the SOS database. It'll show all registered names for the entity.
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LunarLegend
Just a thought - when you're entering the debtor name, are you using all caps or mixed case? Some states are case-sensitive. NJ might be one of them.
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Connor O'Reilly
•I've been using mixed case to match the formation docs. Should I try all caps instead?
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Natasha Petrova
•NJ typically accepts mixed case. The issue is more likely the punctuation and exact spelling. All caps might actually cause problems if their formation docs are in mixed case.
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Malik Jackson
This is making me so anxious about my own filing next week. Why does every state have to have different quirks? Delaware is so much easier to work with.
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Yara Khoury
•Don't stress too much. Just make sure you cross-reference everything with the SOS database before submitting. That'll save you the headache.
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StardustSeeker
•Delaware spoils us. Every other state feels like jumping through hoops after dealing with DE's system.
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Isabella Oliveira
Update us when you figure it out! I'm curious to know what the actual issue was. I bet it's something super minor that we're all overthinking.
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Connor O'Reilly
•Will do! I'm going to check the SOS database this afternoon and try the Certana tool someone mentioned. Hopefully third time's the charm.
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Amina Bah
•The Certana tool should definitely help. It's saved me from several rejections by catching tiny details I missed.
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Ravi Patel
Just want to add - make sure your collateral description is specific enough too. "Restaurant equipment" might be too vague for NJ. Try "restaurant kitchen equipment, furniture, and fixtures" or something more detailed.
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Connor O'Reilly
•Good point. My description was pretty generic. I should probably list the major pieces of equipment separately.
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Natasha Petrova
•For equipment loans, you usually want to be specific about the type of equipment. "All restaurant kitchen equipment including but not limited to ovens, refrigerators, prep tables, and related fixtures" is better than just "restaurant equipment.
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Ravi Patel
•Exactly. The more specific you are, the less likely you'll get questions from the filing office.
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Freya Andersen
I'm dealing with a similar situation in Pennsylvania right now. Different state but same frustration with debtor name formatting. It's crazy how much time these little details can waste.
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Connor O'Reilly
•It really is frustrating! Especially when you're under a deadline. Hope you get yours sorted out too.
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Freya Andersen
•Thanks! I think I'm going to try that document checking tool too. Seems like it could save a lot of headaches.
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