UCC North Carolina search showing different debtor name - filing validity concerns
Running into a major headache with a UCC North Carolina search discrepancy. Filed a UCC-1 last month for equipment financing on a trucking company, but when I pull up the search results the debtor name appears slightly different than what we have on our loan docs. Original filing shows 'Mountain Ridge Logistics LLC' but our credit agreement lists 'Mountain Ridge Logistics, LLC' with the comma. The search engine seems to be treating these as potentially different entities. Our compliance team is freaking out because this could affect our perfected security interest if there's a name mismatch. Has anyone dealt with similar debtor name variations in NC? The SOS portal accepted the original filing without rejection, but now I'm worried we might have a gap in our lien position. This is a $180K equipment loan so the stakes are pretty high if we're not properly secured.
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Zachary Hughes
I've seen this exact issue before in NC filings. The comma vs no comma thing is unfortunately common with LLC names. Generally speaking, the UCC search logic should pick up minor punctuation differences, but you're right to be concerned. Have you tried running the search both ways - with and without the comma? Sometimes the portal's search algorithm handles variations differently than the actual legal requirements.
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Rachel Clark
•Yes, tried both versions and they're returning the same result. The search is finding the filing but displaying it with the comma missing. Just makes me nervous about whether we followed the exact debtor name requirements.
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Mia Alvarez
•That's actually a good sign that both searches return the same filing. Means the system is treating them as the same entity internally.
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Carter Holmes
This is why I always triple-check debtor names before filing anything. NC can be particular about exact name matches. Did you verify the exact legal name against the Articles of Incorporation or Certificate of Formation? That's usually the safest reference point for LLC names.
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Rachel Clark
•We pulled the Articles of Incorporation and it shows 'Mountain Ridge Logistics, LLC' with the comma. So technically our loan docs are correct but the UCC-1 filing omitted the comma.
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Carter Holmes
•That's a potential issue then. You might want to consider filing a UCC-3 amendment to correct the debtor name to match exactly what's in the Articles.
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Sophia Long
•Hold up, before filing an amendment, you should verify if this is actually a problem. Sometimes the search display doesn't reflect the actual filed document exactly.
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Angelica Smith
I had a similar situation last year with a comma discrepancy. Ended up using Certana.ai's document verification tool to cross-check our UCC-1 against the Articles of Incorporation. It instantly flagged the name mismatch and showed exactly where the discrepancy was. Saved us from a potential perfection issue down the road. You just upload both PDFs and it does an automated comparison.
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Rachel Clark
•Never heard of Certana.ai before. Is it specifically designed for UCC document checking?
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Angelica Smith
•Yes, it's built for secured transaction document verification. Really helpful for catching these kinds of name inconsistencies that could mess up your lien position.
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Logan Greenburg
•Interesting. How does it handle variations in formatting and punctuation? Does it flag every minor difference or just significant ones?
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Charlotte Jones
UGH this is exactly why I hate the NC portal sometimes. The search results display isn't always formatted exactly like the actual filing. Have you downloaded the actual UCC-1 document image to see how the name appears on the filed form itself? That's what really matters for perfection purposes.
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Rachel Clark
•Good point. I'll pull the actual document image. The search results might just be a display issue rather than a filing problem.
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Lucas Bey
•Yeah definitely check the source document. I've seen search results that looked wrong but the actual filed form was correct.
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Harper Thompson
From a practical standpoint, punctuation differences in entity names usually don't create perfection issues as long as the name is substantially similar and not seriously misleading. But $180K is definitely worth being extra careful about. What type of collateral are you securing?
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Rachel Clark
•Heavy equipment - three Peterbilt tractors and some trailers. All titled equipment so we have the title liens too, but want to make sure the UCC-1 is bulletproof.
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Harper Thompson
•With titled equipment you've got dual protection which is good. But yeah, cleaning up the UCC-1 name is still worth doing for completeness.
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Caleb Stark
•Wait, if it's titled equipment why do you need the UCC-1 at all? Isn't the title lien sufficient?
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Jade O'Malley
I'm dealing with something similar right now but in reverse - our UCC-1 has a comma but the search shows it without. Starting to wonder if NC's system has some kind of punctuation normalization that strips out commas for display purposes.
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Rachel Clark
•That's exactly what I'm wondering. Maybe it's just a display quirk rather than an actual filing issue.
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Mia Alvarez
•Could be. Some states normalize punctuation in their search algorithms to avoid missing filings due to minor variations.
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Hunter Edmunds
This is making me paranoid about all my recent filings. Is there an easy way to bulk verify debtor names across multiple UCC-1s? I probably have 20+ filings from the last quarter that I should double-check.
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Angelica Smith
•Actually yes, that Certana.ai tool I mentioned earlier can handle batch document verification. You can upload multiple UCC-1s and it will flag any name inconsistencies across all of them.
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Hunter Edmunds
•That sounds perfect for what I need. Do you know if it works with other states besides NC?
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Angelica Smith
•Yeah it works nationwide. Really helpful for lenders who file in multiple states and need to ensure consistency.
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Ella Lewis
Just went through this exact scenario last month. Filed a UCC-3 amendment to correct the debtor name and it cleared up any potential issues. Cost like $25 but worth it for peace of mind on a large loan.
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Rachel Clark
•How long did the amendment take to process in NC? I'm hoping to get this resolved quickly.
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Ella Lewis
•Filed electronically and it was accepted within 24 hours. NC is usually pretty fast with amendments.
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Andrew Pinnock
Before you file an amendment, I'd suggest calling the NC SOS UCC division directly. They can sometimes clarify whether a name variation like this would actually affect your perfection. Might save you the amendment fee if it's not necessary.
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Rachel Clark
•Good idea. Do you have their direct number for UCC questions?
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Andrew Pinnock
•I don't have it memorized but it should be on their website under the UCC division contacts.
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Brianna Schmidt
•I called them about a similar issue once and they were actually really helpful. Definitely worth a try before spending money on an amendment.
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Alexis Renard
Update us on what you find out! I'm curious whether this ends up being a real issue or just a display quirk. Seems like something that could affect a lot of filers if it's a systematic problem with how NC handles punctuation.
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Rachel Clark
•Will definitely update once I get more info. Hoping it's just a display issue but want to be thorough.
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Logan Greenburg
•Yeah please keep us posted. This kind of thing is exactly why I'm always nervous about electronic filings.
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