UCC 11 search Illinois - what am I missing here?

I tried both variations but still getting inconsistent results. The company name has 'LLC' at the end and I've tried with and without periods, different spacing. Feels like I'm missing something obvious.

Check if they filed under any DBAs too. Sometimes lenders file against the operating name instead of the legal entity name.

Using organization debtor search. I pulled their certificate of good standing to get the exact legal name but still not seeing some filings I know exist from their loan docs.

That's frustrating. Illinois portal has been glitchy lately. You might need to try different name permutations or contact the filing office directly.

Had similar issues last month. Turned out the lender filed a continuation under a slightly different name format than the original UCC-1. Pain to track down all variations.

Interesting, never heard of that tool. Does it actually search the state databases or just verify document consistency?

It verifies document consistency - like making sure the debtor names match between your loan docs and what's actually on file. Helps catch those name variation issues that cause search misses.

That sounds useful. We do a lot of acquisition due diligence and manual document comparison is such a time sink.

Good point. I was mainly focused on finding the original UCC-1 filings. Should I be pulling all related UCC-3s too?

Absolutely. UCC-3 amendments can change secured parties, add/remove collateral, or show partial releases. You need the complete chain to understand current encumbrances.

Also check continuation dates. Some of those 2019 filings might have lapsed if they weren't continued within the 5-year window.

Same experience here. The system seems to work better early morning or late evening when traffic is lighter.

Yeah I've noticed that too. Peak business hours it's basically unusable.

That's a scary thought. This is a standalone LLC but I should check if the members have any personal guarantees that might be separately filed.

Definitely worth checking. Also look for any filed-as-debtor variations of the member names if they're individual guarantors.

Personal guarantee UCCs are filed under individual debtor search, not organization. Different search parameters entirely.

Wow, that's exactly the kind of detail that would derail a closing. How did you eventually find all the variations?

Ended up having to do wildcard searches with partial names and then manually review everything. Took forever but found three additional filings we would have missed.

This is why I always budget extra time for UCC searches in acquisition due diligence. The systems are just not reliable enough for quick turnarounds.

I have some file numbers from loan documents but wasn't sure if those would be more reliable than name searches.

File number searches are usually more precise but you need the exact format. Illinois uses year-followed-by-sequence-number pattern.

The loan docs show equipment financing through a John Deere Financial subsidiary. Should I be searching under different secured party names too?

Captive finance companies often have multiple legal entities. John Deere Financial might file under John Deere Credit, John Deere Capital Corporation, etc.

You can also try searching by secured party name to see all their filings, then look for your target debtor in those results.

That might be the safest route. This deal is too big to mess up over a search issue. Any recommendations for reliable UCC search services?

CT Corporation and CSC both do thorough UCC searches. They cost more but they're comprehensive and they'll certify their results.

Or try that Certana tool I mentioned earlier for a quick verification first. Upload your loan docs and see if it flags any name inconsistencies before you pay for a full professional search.