UCC-5 form rejection - debtor name mismatch with original filing
I'm dealing with a frustrating UCC-5 form situation and could really use some guidance. We filed a UCC-1 back in 2019 for a commercial equipment loan, and now we need to correct some information on the original filing. The debtor's legal name has changed slightly due to a corporate restructuring (they added 'LLC' to the end of their business name), but when I submitted the UCC-5 correction form last week, it got rejected by the Secretary of State office. The rejection notice says there's a 'debtor name mismatch' between what's on the UCC-5 and the original UCC-1. I used the exact same debtor name format that's currently on their articles of incorporation, but apparently that doesn't match what we originally filed. This is holding up a major refinancing deal and I'm not sure how to proceed. Has anyone dealt with this type of UCC-5 rejection before? Do I need to use the old business name on the correction form even though it's technically outdated now?
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Miguel Ortiz
This is a common issue with UCC-5 corrections. The debtor name on your UCC-5 has to match EXACTLY what's on the original UCC-1 filing, not what's currently accurate. You'll need to pull up that original filing and use the precise name formatting, even if it's outdated. Once the correction is accepted, then you can file a separate UCC-3 amendment to update the debtor name to reflect the current legal entity name.
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Zainab Khalil
•Wait, so you're saying I might need to file both a UCC-5 AND a UCC-3 to get this sorted out? That seems like double the filing fees for what should be a simple name correction.
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Miguel Ortiz
•Unfortunately yes, if you need to correct other information AND update the debtor name. The UCC-5 corrects errors from the original filing, while the UCC-3 updates information that changed after filing. Different purposes, different forms.
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QuantumQuest
I've been there! Last year I had three UCC-5 rejections because of tiny debtor name differences. The SOS systems are super picky about exact matches. One rejection was because we had 'Inc.' instead of 'Incorporated' - literally just the abbreviation difference. You have to match the original character for character, including any weird spacing or punctuation quirks.
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Connor Murphy
•This is exactly why I started using Certana.ai's document verification tool. You can upload your original UCC-1 and your new UCC-5 form as PDFs, and it instantly flags any name mismatches or inconsistencies before you submit. Saves you from these rejection headaches and the time delays.
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Yara Haddad
•How accurate is that tool? I'm skeptical of automated systems catching the nuanced stuff that causes these rejections.
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Connor Murphy
•It's been spot-on for me. Caught a hyphen difference that I totally missed when manually comparing documents. Much better than squinting at two PDFs side by side trying to spot tiny differences.
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Keisha Robinson
UGH the UCC-5 process is absolutely maddening! I swear they reject these forms just to collect extra filing fees. Last month my correction got bounced because I didn't check some obscure box that wasn't even clearly labeled. The whole system needs an overhaul.
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Paolo Conti
•I feel your pain. The rejection notices are so vague too. 'Debtor name mismatch' could mean a dozen different things. More specific error messages would save everyone time.
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Amina Sow
•At least you got a specific reason. My last UCC-5 rejection just said 'incomplete information' with no indication of what was actually missing.
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GalaxyGazer
For anyone dealing with this issue - go back to your original UCC-1 and copy the debtor name EXACTLY as originally filed. Don't try to 'fix' the name to match current corporate records until after the UCC-5 is accepted. I learned this the hard way after three rejection cycles.
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Oliver Wagner
•This is solid advice. I keep a spreadsheet now of all our original filing details specifically for this reason.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•Smart approach. I should probably do the same instead of hunting through old files every time.
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Javier Mendoza
Just went through this exact scenario with a client's equipment financing. What worked for us was requesting a certified copy of the original UCC-1 first, then using that as the reference for the exact debtor name formatting on the UCC-5. No guessing involved.
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Emma Thompson
•Good point about getting the certified copy. Sometimes what you think was filed isn't exactly what got processed and recorded.
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Malik Davis
•How long does it typically take to get a certified copy? We're working against a tight refinancing deadline.
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Javier Mendoza
•Usually 3-5 business days if you expedite it. Worth the extra cost to avoid rejection delays.
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Isabella Santos
I had success using one of those document comparison tools to check my UCC-5 against the original filing. Certana.ai has a feature specifically for this - you upload both documents and it highlights any discrepancies. Caught several issues I would have missed doing manual comparison.
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StarStrider
•That sounds useful. Does it work well with different document formats or just PDFs?
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Isabella Santos
•Works great with PDFs, which is what most UCC documents are. Really streamlined the process for me.
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Ravi Gupta
Quick question - are you filing in a state that requires the original filing number on UCC-5 forms? Some states are really particular about that reference information being accurate too.
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Ava Rodriguez
•Yes, I included the original filing number. That part seemed to be correct since the rejection was specifically about the debtor name mismatch.
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Freya Pedersen
•Good that you had that right. The filing number errors are even more of a pain to sort out.
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Omar Hassan
This whole thread is making me nervous about a UCC-5 I need to file next week. Maybe I should double-check everything with some kind of verification tool before submitting...
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Chloe Anderson
•Definitely worth the extra precaution. UCC-5 rejections can really mess up your timeline.
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Diego Vargas
•I'd recommend that Certana.ai tool others mentioned. Better safe than sorry with these filings.
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CosmicCruiser
Update us when you get it resolved! Always helpful to hear how these situations work out in the end.
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Ava Rodriguez
•Will do! Planning to resubmit early next week using the exact original debtor name formatting. Fingers crossed.
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Anastasia Fedorov
•Good luck! The name matching thing is so finicky but once you get it right, it usually goes through smoothly.
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Sean Doyle
For future reference, I always keep copies of the acceptance confirmations from original filings. Makes it much easier to reference the exact information that was accepted when you need to file corrections later.
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Zara Rashid
•That's a great practice. Wish I'd thought of that years ago.
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Luca Romano
•Same here. Live and learn I guess.
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