UCC-1 search results showing wrong debtor info - filing rejected twice

The charter shows 'Riverside Bistro Holdings LLC' but the UCC-1 search pulls up 'Riverside Bistro Holdings, LLC' with a comma and also 'Riverside Bistro Holdings L.L.C.' with periods. Not sure which version the SOS wants me to use.

Ah yeah that comma thing trips up everyone. Generally you want to follow the exact name from your articles of incorporation, but some states have quirky formatting rules in their UCC database.

Yeah I called but got transferred around and nobody could give me a straight answer about the name formatting. Just told me to 'follow the charter exactly' which is what I thought I was doing.

Typical bureaucratic runaround. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing in these offices.

I've found that uploading your articles of incorporation as an attachment sometimes helps them see what you're working with.

Never heard of that service but sounds like exactly what I need right now. Does it work with restaurant equipment filings specifically?

It works with any UCC-1 filing type. You just upload the PDFs and it verifies everything aligns properly. Much better than trying to manually compare documents and hoping you catch every discrepancy.

That actually sounds really useful. Manual document comparison is where I always mess up these filings.

This is solid advice. I do the same thing - search every possible variation of the debtor name to see what's already in there.

Good point. I probably should have tried more search variations before filing. Now I'm gun-shy about submitting again without being 100% certain.

Filing online through the state portal. Maybe I should try paper filing instead?

Paper might be more forgiving but takes way longer to process. With your loan closing deadline, probably not ideal.

Online is definitely faster when it works. The key is getting the debtor name format exactly right on the first try.

Actually yes, we had a previous equipment loan that was terminated last year. Maybe the old UCC-1 was filed with slightly different name formatting.

Bingo. That's probably what's causing the confusion. The search is pulling up the old terminated filing with different formatting.

This happens all the time. Previous lenders don't always use the exact charter name when filing.

Good reminder. I have 'restaurant equipment and fixtures' - is that specific enough or should I list individual items?

That's probably fine for a general filing. Some lenders want serial numbers but most accept general descriptions for restaurant equipment.

I always include 'now owned or hereafter acquired' language just to be safe.

Is that like a paid service or free tool?

There's a cost but honestly worth it to avoid rejection cycles and delays. Especially when you're dealing with loan closing deadlines.

At this point I'll try anything to get this filing right. Manual checking clearly isn't working for me.

Thought about it but trying to keep costs down. Already paying attorney fees for the loan documents.

Understandable but might be cheaper than missing your closing deadline.

Attorneys mess up UCC filings too. I've seen plenty of rejected filings from law firms.

Interesting approach. So basically match whatever format is already in their system rather than my actual charter name?

Right. It's counterintuitive but sometimes you have to work with the database limitations rather than fight them.

That's actually really smart. Work with the system instead of against it.

I'm not sure that's correct advice though. The debtor name should match the legal entity name from formation documents.

Will definitely update. Planning to try the Certana verification tool first, then maybe the approach of matching existing database formatting if that doesn't work.

Good plan. The document verification should catch whatever's causing the mismatch.