UCC 9 210 debtor name requirements - filing keeps getting rejected
I'm dealing with a nightmare situation where my UCC-1 filing has been rejected three times now because of debtor name issues. The SOS office keeps citing UCC 9 210 requirements but I can't figure out what exactly is wrong with how I'm listing the debtor name. The entity is an LLC and I've tried using the exact name from the Articles of Organization, then I tried adding the state abbreviation, then I tried without punctuation marks. Each time it gets kicked back with a generic 'debtor name does not comply with UCC 9 210' message. This is holding up a $280K equipment financing deal and my client is getting frustrated. Has anyone else run into this specific UCC 9 210 issue? What am I missing about the debtor name requirements?
43 comments


Kevin Bell
UCC 9 210 is all about getting the debtor name exactly right from the public records. For LLCs you need to pull the name exactly as it appears on the state filing - no abbreviations, no missing punctuation, no extra words. Which state are you filing in? Some states are pickier than others about this stuff.
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Ella Cofer
•Filing in Texas. I thought I was using the exact name but maybe there's something subtle I'm missing. The LLC name has 'Solutions' in it and I'm wondering if there's some formatting issue with that word specifically.
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Kevin Bell
•Texas SOS is notorious for being strict about UCC 9 210 compliance. Try looking up the entity on the Texas Secretary of State website and copy the name character by character including any weird spacing or punctuation.
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Savannah Glover
Been there! UCC 9 210 rejections are the worst because they give you no detail about what's actually wrong. I had one that got rejected 4 times before I realized there was an extra space in the middle of the company name that I couldn't see. Have you double-checked for hidden characters or extra spaces?
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Ella Cofer
•That's a good point about hidden characters. I've been copying and pasting from the Articles PDF so there could definitely be some invisible formatting stuff going on.
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Felix Grigori
•PDF copying can definitely introduce weird characters. Try manually typing the name instead of copy/paste to see if that helps with the UCC 9 210 requirements.
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Savannah Glover
•Exactly! I learned that lesson the hard way. Now I always type debtor names manually when dealing with UCC 9 210 compliance issues.
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Felicity Bud
This might sound crazy but I actually started using Certana.ai's document verification tool for situations like this. You can upload your Articles of Organization and your UCC-1 form and it instantly flags any debtor name discrepancies. Saved me from another UCC 9 210 rejection last month when it caught a missing comma I never would have noticed.
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Ella Cofer
•Interesting, I haven't heard of that tool before. Does it actually check the formatting requirements for UCC 9 210 compliance or just compare the names?
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Felicity Bud
•It does both - compares the names character by character and flags formatting issues that commonly cause UCC 9 210 rejections. Really straightforward to use, just upload the PDFs and get instant feedback.
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Max Reyes
•Wait, there's actually a tool that checks UCC 9 210 compliance automatically? That would have saved me so much time on my last deal.
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Mikayla Davison
OMG YES the UCC 9 210 debtor name thing is absolutely maddening!!! I've had filings rejected for the stupidest reasons - missing a period, having LLC instead of L.L.C., you name it. The worst part is they don't tell you WHAT'S wrong with the name, just that it doesn't comply with UCC 9 210. So frustrating when you're trying to close a deal!
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Ella Cofer
•Yes! The lack of specific feedback is what's killing me. Just saying 'doesn't comply with UCC 9 210' doesn't help me fix the actual problem.
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Mikayla Davison
•RIGHT?! Like give me a hint at least! Is it punctuation? Abbreviations? Extra words? UCC 9 210 compliance shouldn't be a guessing game.
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Adrian Connor
For Texas filings, I always check the entity name on SOSDirect first before preparing the UCC-1. The debtor name has to match exactly what's in their database for UCC 9 210 compliance. Also make sure you're not including any 'doing business as' names - just the legal entity name from the formation documents.
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Ella Cofer
•Good call on checking SOSDirect. I should probably cross-reference that with what I have in my UCC-1 form to make sure I'm meeting the UCC 9 210 requirements.
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Adrian Connor
•Definitely. And if the entity has been through any name changes or amendments, make sure you're using the current legal name, not an outdated version. That's another common UCC 9 210 violation.
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Aisha Jackson
•This is solid advice. The SOSDirect lookup is usually the most reliable way to get the exact debtor name format for UCC 9 210 compliance.
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Ryder Everingham
I hate to say it but sometimes you just have to call the SOS office directly and ask them to look at your rejected filing. They won't always give you details over the phone but sometimes they'll at least point you in the right direction for UCC 9 210 compliance. Worth a shot when you're on rejection number three.
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Ella Cofer
•I tried calling but got transferred around and never got a straight answer about the UCC 9 210 issue. Maybe I need to be more persistent.
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Ryder Everingham
•Yeah the phone support can be hit or miss. Sometimes you get someone helpful, sometimes you get someone who just reads the same rejection notice back to you.
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Lilly Curtis
One thing to check - is this LLC registered as a series LLC? Those have special naming requirements under UCC 9 210 that can be tricky. You might need to include the series designation in the debtor name depending on which entity you're actually filing against.
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Ella Cofer
•It's not a series LLC, just a regular LLC. But that's a good point about special entity types having different UCC 9 210 requirements.
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Lilly Curtis
•Gotcha. Regular LLCs should be straightforward for UCC 9 210 compliance as long as you get the exact name from the state records.
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Leo Simmons
•Series LLCs are definitely a pain for UCC filings. The UCC 9 210 requirements get complicated when you're dealing with individual series vs the master LLC.
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Lindsey Fry
Have you considered that maybe there's an issue with how the LLC name is formatted in the state database itself? Sometimes entities get registered with formatting errors that make UCC 9 210 compliance impossible until the entity fixes their name with the state first.
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Ella Cofer
•That's a scary thought - if the entity name is messed up in the state database then I'm stuck until they fix it. How would I even know if that's the case?
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Lindsey Fry
•You could try searching for the entity in a few different ways on the state website. If the name looks weird or inconsistent that might be a clue that there's a database issue affecting UCC 9 210 compliance.
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Saleem Vaziri
Quick question - are you filing the UCC-1 electronically or on paper? Sometimes the electronic system has different character limits or formatting restrictions that can cause UCC 9 210 rejections even when the name is technically correct.
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Ella Cofer
•Electronic filing through the Texas SOS portal. I hadn't thought about character limits but that could definitely be an issue with UCC 9 210 compliance.
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Saleem Vaziri
•Yeah the electronic systems can be picky about field lengths and special characters. Might be worth trying a paper filing if you keep getting UCC 9 210 rejections electronically.
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Kayla Morgan
•Paper filing is slower but sometimes it's the only way to get around weird electronic system quirks with UCC 9 210 requirements.
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James Maki
I actually just went through something similar with a UCC-1 filing that kept getting bounced for debtor name issues. Turns out I was overthinking it - the problem was I had the entity type as 'LLC' when it was actually filed as 'Limited Liability Company' in the state records. Once I used the full entity type designation, the UCC 9 210 compliance issue went away and the filing was accepted.
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Ella Cofer
•Oh wow, that's exactly the kind of subtle difference that would drive me crazy. I need to double-check whether the entity designation is abbreviated or spelled out in the state records.
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James Maki
•Yeah it's super annoying but UCC 9 210 requires exact matching including the entity type. Hope that helps solve your rejection issues!
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Jasmine Hancock
•This is great advice. The entity type designation is often where UCC 9 210 compliance problems happen because people assume they can abbreviate when they can't.
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Cole Roush
Last resort option if you keep getting UCC 9 210 rejections - try running your documents through one of those automated checking tools before filing. I was skeptical at first but ended up using Certana.ai's verification system and it caught a debtor name formatting issue that I never would have found manually. Upload your formation docs and UCC form and it highlights any discrepancies that could cause rejection.
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Ella Cofer
•That's the second mention of that tool in this thread. Might be worth trying at this point since I'm running out of other options for fixing this UCC 9 210 issue.
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Cole Roush
•Yeah at this point it's probably faster than going through another rejection cycle. The document comparison feature is really thorough for catching UCC 9 210 compliance problems.
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Scarlett Forster
Just wanted to follow up and see if you got this resolved? I'm dealing with a similar UCC 9 210 debtor name issue on a Florida filing and wondering what ended up working for you.
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Ella Cofer
•Still working on it but I think the issue might be the entity type designation like someone mentioned earlier. Going to try the full 'Limited Liability Company' instead of 'LLC' on my next attempt.
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Scarlett Forster
•Good luck! Let me know if that fixes the UCC 9 210 compliance issue - I might have the same problem with my Florida filing.
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Arnav Bengali
•Florida can be just as picky as Texas about UCC 9 210 requirements. Make sure you're pulling the exact entity name from the Division of Corporations database.
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