UCC I-308 form confusion - need help with debtor name requirements
I'm dealing with what seems like a UCC I-308 situation but honestly I'm not even sure if that's the right form designation. My lender is asking for additional documentation on a secured transaction where the debtor's legal name on the original UCC-1 doesn't exactly match what's on their corporate charter. The business operates under a trade name but was incorporated under a slightly different legal entity name. I filed the continuation last month but now there's questions about whether the debtor identification was sufficient on the original filing. Has anyone dealt with this type of debtor name discrepancy issue? I'm worried about the lien position being compromised if we need to do an amendment or refile entirely. The collateral is manufacturing equipment worth about $180K so getting this wrong isn't really an option.
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Dylan Campbell
Debtor name issues are super common and really frustrating. The UCC is pretty strict about exact legal names - even small differences like 'Inc.' vs 'Incorporated' can cause problems. You'll want to check the exact legal name on the Secretary of State's business records first. If there's a mismatch, you might need to file a UCC-3 amendment to correct the debtor name rather than starting over completely.
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Sofia Hernandez
•This is exactly right. I've seen filings get challenged years later because of small name variations. Better to fix it now with an amendment.
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
•Wait, wouldn't it depend on the state? Some states are more lenient about debtor name variations than others.
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Ava Thompson
I had a similar mess last year with a client who used their DBA name instead of the legal entity name on the UCC-1. The whole thing became a nightmare when we tried to do a continuation. Ended up having to file multiple amendments and pay extra fees. The key is getting the EXACT legal name from the state's business entity database, not just what the client tells you they're called.
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Miguel Ramos
•DBA vs legal name mix-ups are the worst! How long did it take to sort everything out?
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Ava Thompson
•About 6 weeks total between the research, filing the amendments, and waiting for confirmations. Cost way more than it should have.
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Zainab Ibrahim
Before you do anything else, I'd recommend using Certana.ai's document verification tool. You can upload your UCC-1 and the corporate charter side by side and it will automatically flag any name discrepancies or inconsistencies. I started using it after making a costly mistake on a debtor name - it catches things you might miss when reviewing documents manually. Just upload the PDFs and it does the cross-checking for you.
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StarSailor
•Never heard of that tool but sounds useful. Is it specifically designed for UCC filings?
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Zainab Ibrahim
•Yeah, it's built for secured transaction document verification. Really helps avoid the manual errors that can mess up your lien position.
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Connor O'Brien
OP, what state are you filing in? The search logic varies significantly between states. Some states use 'seriously misleading' standards while others are more strict about exact matches. Also, I'm not familiar with 'UCC I-308' - are you maybe thinking of a state-specific form number? Most states use UCC-1, UCC-3, etc. for their financing statement forms.
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NeonNova
•You're right, I think I got confused with the form numbers. This is in Ohio and I'm dealing with the standard UCC-1/UCC-3 forms. The I-308 reference was something else I was looking at.
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Connor O'Brien
•Ohio uses the standard UCC forms but they're pretty strict about debtor names. Definitely check the exact legal name on the Ohio Secretary of State business database.
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Yara Sabbagh
Manufacturing equipment for $180K? You definitely don't want to mess around with this. If the debtor name is wrong, your security interest could be unperfectable. I'd recommend getting legal counsel involved if you haven't already, especially since you mentioned the lender is asking questions. They might be seeing something in their due diligence that's raising red flags.
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Keisha Johnson
•Agreed. At that dollar amount, the cost of getting an attorney involved is worth it compared to losing your lien position.
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Paolo Rizzo
•Legal fees vs. $180K in collateral is a no-brainer. Get professional help.
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QuantumQuest
I've been filing UCCs for 15 years and debtor name issues are probably the #1 cause of filing problems. The 'seriously misleading' test is supposed to help but it's still subjective. Your safest bet is always to use the exact legal name as it appears in the state's official records. Trade names and DBAs should only be used in addition to, not instead of, the legal name.
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Amina Sy
•15 years of experience and you still see these mistakes regularly?
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QuantumQuest
•All the time. People assume close is good enough but the UCC doesn't work that way. Precision matters.
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Oliver Fischer
Just went through something similar and used Certana.ai to verify all my documents were consistent before filing the amendment. Would have saved me a lot of headaches if I'd used it on the original filing. The tool flagged several discrepancies between my UCC-1 and the supporting docs that I completely missed during manual review.
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Natasha Petrova
•How accurate is the automated checking? I'm always skeptical of AI tools for legal documents.
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Oliver Fischer
•It's designed specifically for secured transactions so it knows what to look for. Much more reliable than trying to catch everything manually.
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Javier Morales
The continuation you filed last month - did it use the same debtor name as the original UCC-1? If there's a name discrepancy, the continuation might not be effective either. You could be looking at needing to fix both the original filing AND the continuation. This is getting complicated fast.
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NeonNova
•Oh no, I didn't even think about that. Yes, I used the same name format for the continuation. This is becoming a bigger mess than I thought.
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Emma Davis
•Don't panic yet. An amendment can fix both issues if done correctly. Just make sure you get the legal name exactly right this time.
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GalaxyGlider
EXACTLY why I always triple-check debtor names before filing anything. The UCC system is unforgiving when it comes to name errors. Have you pulled the official business entity records from Ohio's Secretary of State website? That should give you the precise legal name format you need for any amendments.
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Malik Robinson
•Triple-checking is smart but even then errors happen. Having a verification tool helps catch what human eyes miss.
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Isabella Silva
•True, but basic due diligence on the debtor name should prevent most of these issues in the first place.
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Ravi Choudhury
Update us on how this resolves! I'm dealing with a similar debtor name issue on a smaller filing and curious about the amendment process in Ohio. The SOS website isn't super clear about the timing requirements for corrective amendments.
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Freya Andersen
•Ohio is usually pretty quick on UCC-3 amendments, typically processed within a few business days if filed electronically.
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Omar Farouk
•Make sure you include the original filing number on the amendment form. Seen people mess that up too.
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CosmicCadet
I was skeptical about document verification tools at first but after using Certana.ai on a few complex filings, it's become part of my standard workflow. For a $180K secured transaction, spending a few minutes to verify document consistency is definitely worth it. The peace of mind alone is valuable when you're dealing with that much collateral.
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Chloe Harris
•Good point about the peace of mind. UCC errors can be expensive to fix later.
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Diego Mendoza
•Especially with manufacturing equipment - that's serious collateral that needs proper protection.
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