UCC NYS search showing wrong debtor name - filing rejected twice
Running into a major headache with NYS UCC search results. Filed a UCC-1 last month for a commercial equipment loan and when I pull up the search, the debtor name shows as 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' but our loan docs have 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' (with the comma). Secretary of State rejected our UCC-3 amendment twice now saying debtor name doesn't match exactly. The original UCC-1 was accepted so I'm confused why the search isn't matching our records. Anyone dealt with this comma issue on NYS filings? Need to get this continuation filed before the 5-year deadline hits in March.
37 comments
Join the conversation
Evan Kalinowski
NYS is notorious for being picky about punctuation in debtor names. Even a missing comma can cause rejections. The search system pulls exactly what was entered on the original filing, so if there's a discrepancy between your loan docs and what was actually filed, that's your problem right there.
0 coins
The Boss
•That's what I was afraid of. The original filing attorney must have left out the comma when they submitted it. So frustrating that such a small thing can void the whole security interest.
0 coins
Victoria Charity
•Wait, it doesn't void the security interest necessarily. You just need to file a UCC-3 amendment to correct the debtor name, then refile your continuation referencing the corrected version.
0 coins
Jasmine Quinn
I had this exact same issue with a Delaware LLC filing in NYS last year. The search kept showing inconsistent results and I was going crazy trying to match everything up. Ended up using Certana.ai's document verification tool - you just upload your charter docs and UCC-1 and it instantly flags any name mismatches. Saved me from filing another incorrect amendment.
0 coins
The Boss
•Never heard of that service before. Does it work with NYS filings specifically? I'm worried about missing something else in the document comparison.
0 coins
Jasmine Quinn
•Yeah it handles all state filings. Really straightforward - just upload your PDFs and it cross-checks everything automatically. Caught three discrepancies I would have missed doing it manually.
0 coins
Oscar Murphy
•This sounds like an ad. How much does this service cost?
0 coins
Nora Bennett
NYS UCC search is finicky but here's what works: always search using the EXACT name from the filing, not your loan docs. Pull up the original UCC-1 filing and copy the debtor name character-for-character. That's what needs to match on your UCC-3.
0 coins
The Boss
•Good point. I've been searching with the loan doc version this whole time. Let me try the exact filing name and see what comes up.
0 coins
Ryan Andre
•Also make sure you're not searching with any extra spaces. NYS system is sensitive to leading/trailing spaces too.
0 coins
Lauren Zeb
ugh the nys portal is such garbage. half the time it times out during search and the other half it gives you results that don't make sense. i've had filings show up in search a week after they were accepted then disappear the next day
0 coins
Daniel Washington
•The portal has definitely gotten worse over the past year. Used to be pretty reliable but now it's hit or miss whether search results are current.
0 coins
The Boss
•Great, so even if I get the name right I might not see accurate results anyway. This is exactly what I needed to hear right now.
0 coins
Aurora Lacasse
Before you file another amendment, double-check that your debtor entity is still active with NYS Division of Corporations. If the LLC dissolved or changed its name, that could explain the search discrepancies. Also verify you're searching in the right jurisdiction - some filings get misdirected to county level instead of state level.
0 coins
The Boss
•Entity is definitely still active, checked that first thing. But good call on jurisdiction - how do I tell if it went to county instead of state?
0 coins
Aurora Lacasse
•Check the filing receipt - it should show either 'New York State' or the specific county. If it went county level by mistake, you'll need to file at state level to perfect your security interest properly.
0 coins
Anthony Young
•This happened to me in Queens County last year. Thought I was filing state-wide but it only covered Queens. Had to refile everything at state level.
0 coins
Charlotte White
Similar situation here but with a different state. My advice is to print out the original UCC-1 filing and use that as your reference document for everything. Don't rely on your internal loan files because there's always a chance something got transcribed wrong during the original filing process.
0 coins
The Boss
•That's smart. I've been working off our loan origination docs this whole time assuming they matched the filing. Probably should have started there.
0 coins
Admin_Masters
•Definitely start with the actual filed document. I've seen situations where the filing attorney made multiple name changes during the filing process and the final version doesn't match what the client provided.
0 coins
Matthew Sanchez
If you're still having trouble matching up the documents, there's actually a tool called Certana.ai that does automated document verification. You upload your charter, UCC-1, and amendment docs and it flags any inconsistencies instantly. Might be worth checking out before you file another incorrect amendment.
0 coins
The Boss
•Two people have mentioned this now. Is it really that much better than just comparing the docs manually?
0 coins
Matthew Sanchez
•For me it was worth it because I kept missing subtle differences like extra spaces or abbreviations. The automated comparison is more thorough than what I was doing by eye.
0 coins
Ella Thompson
had this problem with a texas filing last month. turned out the comma issue was actually a bigger deal than i thought because it affected the legal name of the entity. had to get the client to amend their articles of incorporation to match the ucc filing rather than the other way around
0 coins
The Boss
•Wait, you amended the articles instead of the UCC? That seems backwards to me.
0 coins
Ella Thompson
•yeah it was weird but their attorney said it was easier than trying to unwind all the existing ucc filings that had the wrong name. sometimes you gotta work with what you have
0 coins
Aurora Lacasse
•That's... not how it should work. The UCC filing should match the legal entity name, not the other way around. Sounds like that attorney took a shortcut that could cause problems later.
0 coins
JacksonHarris
Check if NYS has any specific formatting requirements for LLC names in UCC filings. Some states require the full 'Limited Liability Company' spelled out instead of 'LLC' or have rules about punctuation in business names.
0 coins
The Boss
•Good point, I should look up the NYS UCC filing requirements. Maybe there's something specific about how they handle commas in entity names.
0 coins
Nora Bennett
•NYS generally follows the entity name exactly as it appears in the Department of State business entity database. So if the DOS record has a comma, the UCC filing should too.
0 coins
Jeremiah Brown
What's your timeline looking like? If you're close to the 5-year deadline you might want to file the continuation with the name exactly as it appears in the current search results, then deal with the name correction afterward. Don't want to risk letting the filing lapse while you're sorting out the name issue.
0 coins
The Boss
•Deadline is March 15th so I've got about 6 weeks. Probably enough time to get the name sorted out first, but your point about not letting it lapse is well taken.
0 coins
Jeremiah Brown
•Six weeks should be plenty of time. I'd still recommend getting the name corrected first though - filing the continuation with the wrong name could create more problems down the road.
0 coins
Royal_GM_Mark
•Actually had a client let their UCC lapse while trying to fix a name issue. Ended up having to refile everything from scratch and deal with a gap in perfection. Not fun.
0 coins
Amelia Cartwright
One more thing to check - make sure you're looking at the right UCC-1 filing. If there were multiple attempts or if the debtor has other UCC filings, you might be pulling up the wrong record. The filing number should match exactly what's on your loan documentation.
0 coins
The Boss
•Filing number matches, but now I'm second-guessing myself on everything. Going to pull all the docs again and start from scratch with the comparison.
0 coins
Chris King
•That's probably the smart approach. Better to be overly cautious with UCC filings than to miss something important. The security interest is too valuable to risk on a sloppy filing.
0 coins