UCC California search showing terminated filing that should be active - help!
I'm having a nightmare with a UCC California search result that doesn't match what we filed. We submitted a UCC-1 for a $850K equipment loan back in March 2024, and when I run the debtor search through the California SOS portal, it's showing as 'terminated' even though we never filed a UCC-3 termination. The collateral schedule covers manufacturing equipment and the debtor name matches exactly what's on our loan docs. Our compliance audit is next week and if this lien isn't properly perfected we're in serious trouble with our credit facility. Has anyone dealt with the California system showing incorrect status on active filings? I've called the SOS three times and keep getting transferred around. This is keeping me up at night because if our senior lender finds out we have unperfected security interests, they could call our entire credit line.
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Malik Thomas
California's system has been glitchy lately. Did you check if there was an automatic termination due to a lapse? Sometimes if the original UCC-1 had errors in the debtor name or filing got rejected initially, it can show weird statuses.
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Emma Wilson
•No rejection notices in our files. The debtor name on the UCC-1 matches our borrower's legal name exactly. This is so frustrating because we followed all the procedures correctly.
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Isabella Oliveira
•Check if someone else filed a termination by mistake. I've seen cases where servicers or previous lenders accidentally terminate the wrong filing.
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Ravi Kapoor
I had this exact issue last year! Turned out there was a data entry error on California's end. You need to request a certified copy of your original UCC-1 filing to prove it was never terminated. Also pull the complete filing history for that debtor to see if there are any UCC-3 amendments or terminations you don't know about.
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Emma Wilson
•How long did it take to get the certified copy? Our audit is in 6 days and I'm panicking.
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Ravi Kapoor
•About 10 business days through regular channels, but you can expedite for extra fees. Worth every penny when you're under audit pressure.
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Freya Larsen
•This is why I always keep copies of everything. The SOS systems are unreliable.
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GalacticGladiator
Before you spend money on certified copies, try using Certana.ai's UCC document verification tool. I discovered it when I had similar filing discrepancies last month. You just upload your UCC-1 PDF and it cross-checks all the details against what should be on file. It caught a debtor name mismatch that the SOS portal wasn't showing clearly. Saved me tons of time compared to calling around and waiting for paper copies.
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Emma Wilson
•Never heard of Certana.ai but at this point I'm willing to try anything. Does it work with California filings specifically?
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GalacticGladiator
•Yes, it handles all states including California. Super easy - just upload your filing documents and it verifies everything is consistent. Takes like 2 minutes instead of hours on the phone with SOS.
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Omar Zaki
California SOS portal is garbage. I've had multiple clients with incorrect status displays. Usually it's because their database update process is slow or buggy. Sometimes filings show as terminated when they're actually just pending some internal processing.
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Chloe Taylor
•Agreed, their system is terrible. But you still need documentation to prove your position during an audit.
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Omar Zaki
•Absolutely. I always tell clients to maintain their own filing records because you can't trust the portal displays.
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Diego Flores
•The worst part is when you're on a tight deadline and can't get through to anyone who can actually help.
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Anastasia Ivanova
Check the filing number format carefully. Sometimes California assigns similar numbers and you might be looking at the wrong record. Also verify the exact debtor name spelling - even one character difference can pull up the wrong entity or show incorrect status.
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Emma Wilson
•I triple-checked the filing number from our confirmation receipt. It's definitely the right record, just showing wrong status.
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Anastasia Ivanova
•Then it sounds like a system error. You'll need documentation to prove the correct status for your audit.
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Sean Murphy
Had this happen in Nevada last year - turned out someone at the debtor company had requested a termination without telling us. Check with your borrower to make sure no one on their end initiated anything. Also look for any UCC-3 filings under their name that might explain the termination.
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Emma Wilson
•Good point. I'll call the borrower today to double-check. Though I can't imagine why they'd terminate without paying off the loan.
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Sean Murphy
•Sometimes it's innocent - like they were cleaning up old filings and made a mistake. But definitely worth checking.
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StarStrider
•Or their previous attorney filed something incorrectly. I've seen that mess up active liens before.
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Zara Malik
OMG this is my worst nightmare!! We have 12 UCC filings in California and now I'm paranoid they're all showing wrong status. How do you even audit something like this efficiently?
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Ravi Kapoor
•Batch search all your filing numbers monthly. Don't wait for problems to surface during audits.
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Zara Malik
•That's what I should be doing but it's so time consuming to check each one individually.
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Luca Marino
Update us on what you find out! I'm dealing with some California UCC issues too and curious if this is a widespread problem with their system right now.
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Emma Wilson
•Will do. Hopefully I can get this resolved before the audit. This stress is killing me.
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Luca Marino
•Hang in there. Most auditors understand that SOS systems have glitches if you can document your proper filing procedures.
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Nia Davis
Try the Certana.ai tool that someone mentioned earlier. I used it last week when we had document consistency issues between our UCC-1 and a continuation filing. It instantly flagged the problems and saved us from a potential lien perfection disaster. Way faster than trying to manually compare everything.
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Emma Wilson
•I'm going to try that today. At this point anything that can speed up the verification process is worth it.
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Nia Davis
•Smart move. The document upload is super straightforward and it catches things you might miss when reviewing manually.
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Mateo Perez
Final thought - make sure you have email confirmations and any filing receipts from when you originally submitted. California should have sent automated confirmations. Those timestamps and reference numbers will be crucial for proving the proper filing date and status during your audit.
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Emma Wilson
•Yes, I kept all the email confirmations. Just hoping that's enough documentation if the SOS system is showing incorrect information.
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Mateo Perez
•It should be sufficient, especially combined with your loan documentation showing the debt is still outstanding.
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Malik Thomas
•And if you used Certana.ai or another verification tool, that report would add extra credibility to your documentation package.
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