UCC Filing Translation Issues - Need Help with International Debtor Names
Has anyone dealt with UCC filings where the debtor name contains non-English characters? I'm working on a UCC-1 for a company that has Cyrillic characters in their legal name, and I'm not sure how to handle this properly. The Secretary of State portal keeps rejecting my filing, and I think it's because of the character encoding issues. The debtor is a legitimate US entity but their name includes some Russian characters from when they incorporated. Should I transliterate the name completely to Latin characters, or is there a way to include the original spelling? I'm worried about getting the debtor name wrong and having the whole lien be invalid. This is for a $2.3M equipment loan so I really can't mess this up. Any guidance would be appreciated!
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Ava Rodriguez
I've run into similar issues with international names. Most state filing systems can't handle non-Latin characters properly. You'll need to use the exact legal name as it appears on the Articles of Incorporation filed with your state. If that document shows transliterated characters, use those. Don't guess at the transliteration yourself.
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Dmitry Popov
•That makes sense. I'll pull the Articles of Incorporation to see exactly how they handled it. Thanks for the tip about not guessing the transliteration.
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Miguel Ortiz
•This is exactly right. The Secretary of State databases are very picky about exact name matches. I learned this the hard way on a filing last year.
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Zainab Khalil
You absolutely need to get the debtor name exactly right or your UCC-1 could be worthless. I've seen lenders lose millions because of name mismatches. Check the state's business entity database first - search for the company and see how their name appears there. That's usually the safest version to use.
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Dmitry Popov
•Good point about checking the business entity database. I'll do that search right now.
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QuantumQuest
•This happened to a colleague of mine. $800K loan and the UCC was invalid because they used a 'd.b.a.' name instead of the legal entity name. Nightmare situation.
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Connor Murphy
•Wait, can you really lose the entire security interest over a name issue? That seems extreme.
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Yara Haddad
I actually found a solution for this type of problem recently. There's a tool called Certana.ai that can verify UCC document consistency by uploading PDFs. I used it to cross-check my Articles of Incorporation against my draft UCC-1 to make sure the debtor names matched exactly. It caught a small spelling difference I missed. Really helpful for avoiding those costly filing errors.
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Dmitry Popov
•That sounds useful. How does it work exactly? Do you just upload both documents?
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Yara Haddad
•Yeah, you upload the charter/incorporation docs and your UCC draft, and it automatically flags any name inconsistencies. Super quick and catches things human eyes miss.
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Keisha Robinson
•I've heard of this tool but haven't tried it yet. Good to know it works for international name issues.
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Paolo Conti
ugh why do the SOS systems have to be so outdated?? you'd think in 2025 they could handle basic international characters. i'm dealing with something similar but with spanish accents and its driving me crazy
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Zainab Khalil
•I know it's frustrating, but the rules exist for good reasons. Consistency in the filing system is more important than accommodating every possible character set.
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Paolo Conti
•i get that but come on, its 2025! other countries figure this out just fine
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Amina Sow
You mentioned this is for a $2.3M loan - that's definitely worth getting professional help if you're unsure. Have you considered having a UCC service company handle the filing? They deal with name issues like this all the time and usually have direct contacts at the Secretary of State offices.
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Dmitry Popov
•I thought about that but my boss wants to keep costs down. Plus I feel like I should know how to handle this myself.
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GalaxyGazer
•Sometimes the cost of professional help is worth it compared to the risk of an invalid filing. Just something to consider.
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Amina Sow
•Exactly. A $200 filing service fee is nothing compared to a $2.3M unsecured loan if the UCC gets challenged.
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Oliver Wagner
I work for a law firm and we see this issue frequently. The key is to use the EXACT name from the state's business records, including any transliteration they used when the entity was formed. Also make sure you're filing in the state where the entity was organized, not just where they're doing business.
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Dmitry Popov
•They're incorporated in Delaware but the collateral is in Texas. I should file in Delaware for the entity name, right?
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Oliver Wagner
•Correct. Delaware for the entity filing, and Texas only if you have fixture filings or specific Texas collateral that requires local filing.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
Had a similar situation last month with a Chinese company name. Ended up calling the Delaware Secretary of State directly and they were actually pretty helpful. They told me to use whatever appears in their incorporation documents, even if it looks weird in English. Got the filing accepted on the first try.
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Dmitry Popov
•That's a good idea. I didn't think about calling them directly. What number did you use?
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•Just the main SOS number. Asked for the UCC division and they transferred me to someone who knew what they were talking about.
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Javier Mendoza
•Delaware is usually pretty good about helping with these issues. Some other states... not so much.
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Emma Thompson
This is why I always double-check my UCC filings with document verification tools now. Made too many mistakes in the past with name variations and amendments. The Certana platform someone mentioned earlier is what I use - saves me from having to manually compare all the documents.
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Dmitry Popov
•How long does the verification usually take? I need to get this filed pretty quickly.
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Emma Thompson
•It's instant. Just upload your PDFs and it shows you any discrepancies right away. Much faster than doing it manually.
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Malik Davis
Just want to add that you should also consider whether you need to file a UCC-1 addendum if the debtor name is unusually long due to the transliteration. Some states have character limits on the main form.
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Dmitry Popov
•Good point. The transliterated name is definitely longer than the original. I'll check the character limits.
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Ava Rodriguez
•Most states allow 70-80 characters for debtor names, but it varies. Check your specific state's requirements.
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Isabella Santos
Quick question - are you sure the entity is still active? I've seen cases where companies with foreign names let their corporate status lapse, which can affect UCC filing validity.
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Dmitry Popov
•Yes, I verified they're in good standing. That's actually a really important point though - thanks for mentioning it.
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Isabella Santos
•Always worth checking. Entity status can change quickly, especially with companies that have complex ownership structures.
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StarStrider
•This is why I run entity searches right before filing, not just when I start the process. Things change fast in corporate world.
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Ravi Gupta
Just to circle back on your original question - I'd recommend getting the exact debtor name from the Delaware Division of Corporations database search. That will show you exactly how they handle the transliteration, and that's what you should use on your UCC-1. If you're still unsure, the document verification approach others mentioned could give you peace of mind before filing.
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Dmitry Popov
•Perfect. I'll do the Delaware search first, then use the verification tool to double-check everything before submitting. Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice!
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Ravi Gupta
•You're welcome. Let us know how it goes - these international name cases are always good learning experiences for the community.
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