UCC Filing Documentation Issues - Need Help with Multilingual Debtor Names
I'm dealing with a complex UCC-1 filing situation where the debtor has both English and Chinese business names on their corporate documents. The entity was incorporated with an English name but also has a registered Chinese DBA that appears on some of their loan documentation. I'm concerned about potential debtor-name mismatches that could invalidate our security interest. The SOS portal rejected my initial filing, and I think it's because of inconsistencies between the charter documents and what I put on the UCC-1 form. Has anyone dealt with similar multilingual debtor-name issues? I need to get this continuation filed properly before the lapse deadline approaches.
27 comments
Join the conversation
Emma Bianchi
This is tricky territory. For UCC filings, you generally want to stick with the exact legal name as it appears on the debtor's organizational documents - usually the Articles of Incorporation or Charter. The DBA names can be problematic if they're not the official legal entity name. What state are you filing in? Some states are stricter about exact name matches than others.
0 coins
Mia Green
•Filing in Delaware. The legal name on the charter is in English, but several of their loan agreements reference the Chinese business name. I'm worried about which version to use on the UCC-1.
0 coins
Lucas Kowalski
•Delaware is pretty strict about exact name matches. I'd go with whatever's on the charter documents exactly as written. You can always add a trade name addendum if needed.
0 coins
Olivia Martinez
I ran into something similar last year with a client who had Korean and English names. The key is using the EXACT legal name from the Secretary of State records. Don't guess - pull the actual corporate records first. Also check if there are any registered DBAs that might complicate things.
0 coins
Charlie Yang
•This is exactly why I started using Certana.ai's document verification tool. You can upload the charter documents and your UCC-1 draft, and it automatically flags any name inconsistencies before you submit. Saved me from three rejected filings last month alone.
0 coins
Mia Green
•That sounds helpful - I've been manually comparing documents and clearly missing something. How does the verification process work?
0 coins
Charlie Yang
•Super simple - just upload your PDFs and it cross-checks debtor names, filing numbers, all the critical details. Takes about 30 seconds and catches the kind of mismatches that cause rejections.
0 coins
Grace Patel
ugh the SOS systems are so picky about this stuff!! I had a filing rejected because I put a comma where there wasn't one in the original charter. Make sure you're copying the name character by character, including any punctuation marks or spacing.
0 coins
ApolloJackson
•Same here - rejected for a missing period after 'Inc' when the charter had 'Inc.' with the period. These systems are incredibly literal.
0 coins
Isabella Russo
•At least you caught it early. I once had a UCC-3 continuation get rejected 2 days before the lapse deadline because of a name mismatch. Talk about stress.
0 coins
Rajiv Kumar
For multilingual situations, I always recommend doing a UCC search first using both potential name variations to see what's already on file. If there are existing filings under different name formats, that might give you a clue about which version the system accepts.
0 coins
Mia Green
•Good point - I should check existing filings. This isn't our first UCC on this debtor, so there might be a pattern to follow.
0 coins
Aria Washington
•Exactly. If previous filings went through successfully, use that exact same name format. Consistency is key with UCC filings.
0 coins
Liam O'Reilly
I handle a lot of international clients and this comes up frequently. The safest approach is always the legal name from the state filing records, but you might also want to consider filing a separate UCC-1 under the DBA name if it's commonly used in business transactions. Better to be over-secured than under-secured.
0 coins
Chloe Delgado
•Isn't that expensive though? Filing two separate UCC-1s just for name variations?
0 coins
Liam O'Reilly
•Filing fees are minimal compared to the cost of having an unperfected security interest. If there's any doubt about which name creditors might search under, dual filings provide better protection.
0 coins
Ava Harris
•We do dual filings all the time for this exact reason. It's cheap insurance against search failures by other creditors or in bankruptcy proceedings.
0 coins
Jacob Lee
Check if your debtor has any registered trade names or DBAs on file with the Secretary of State. Sometimes those need to be included or referenced in the UCC filing depending on how the business actually operates and contracts.
0 coins
Mia Green
•I'll pull their full corporate record to see what's registered. The loan documents definitely reference the Chinese name, so there must be some official registration somewhere.
0 coins
Emily Thompson
•If it's a registered DBA, you might need to reference both names in the filing to cover all bases. Better safe than sorry with perfection issues.
0 coins
Sophie Hernandez
Whatever you do, don't just wing it. I've seen too many security interests get voided because of sloppy debtor-name work. Take the time to get the exact legal name right, even if it means delaying the filing by a few days.
0 coins
Daniela Rossi
•This. A rejected filing close to your continuation deadline is way worse than taking extra time upfront to get it right.
0 coins
Mia Green
•You're absolutely right. I'd rather be certain than rushed. Going to pull all the corporate documents first and verify everything matches before resubmitting.
0 coins
Ryan Kim
UPDATE: I pulled the complete Secretary of State records and found the issue. The Chinese business name was listed as a registered trade name, not the legal entity name. Filed using the exact charter name and it went through immediately. Thanks everyone for the guidance - especially the suggestion about document verification tools. That would have caught this immediately.
0 coins
Zoe Walker
•Glad you got it sorted! Always feels good when a problematic filing finally goes through clean.
0 coins
Charlie Yang
•Perfect example of why verification matters. The Certana tool would have flagged that charter vs. trade name distinction right away and saved you the rejection headache.
0 coins
Elijah Brown
•Great resolution. This thread will be helpful for others dealing with similar multilingual debtor-name situations.
0 coins