UCC Search Results Not Showing My Filed Continuations - Anyone Else Having Issues?
Running into a weird situation with my state of tn ucc search results. I filed three UCC-1 continuations back in October for equipment loans we're tracking, but when I search the database now, only one of them is showing up. The other two just aren't there even though I have confirmation emails from when they were accepted. Has anyone dealt with this before? I'm getting nervous because two of these are getting close to their 5-year marks and if the continuations didn't actually get processed properly, we could have a serious lien perfection problem. The search portal seems to work fine for other filings but these specific ones are just missing. Is there some kind of delay in indexing or am I missing something obvious about how the search function works?
34 comments


Andre Lefebvre
I've seen this happen before - sometimes there's a lag between when the filing gets accepted and when it shows up in the public search database. Usually it's just a few days but I've heard of cases where it took weeks. Did you try searching by both the debtor name and the filing number?
0 coins
Carmen Ruiz
•Yeah I tried both ways. The debtor names are identical to the original UCC-1s and I have the exact filing numbers from the confirmation emails. Still nothing on two of them.
0 coins
Zoe Alexopoulos
•That's really strange. October was months ago so it's definitely not a normal indexing delay.
0 coins
Jamal Anderson
This is exactly the kind of situation that gives me nightmares. Are you absolutely sure the debtor names matched perfectly on the continuations? Even a tiny difference like 'Inc' vs 'Incorporated' can cause issues with the search function.
0 coins
Carmen Ruiz
•I'm pretty sure but now you're making me second guess myself. I thought I was careful but maybe I made a mistake on the exact corporate suffix or something.
0 coins
Mei Wong
•This is why I always triple check everything before filing. One small error and your whole lien could be worthless.
0 coins
QuantumQuasar
•Don't panic yet - there could be other explanations. Sometimes the search portal has glitches or the records get misfiled in the system.
0 coins
Liam McGuire
Had a similar issue last year and it turned out the state had some kind of database problem that affected certain filing dates. You might want to call the Secretary of State office directly and ask them to manually look up your continuation filings by the confirmation numbers.
0 coins
Carmen Ruiz
•Good idea - I'll call them tomorrow. Do you remember how long it took them to fix the database issue when you dealt with it?
0 coins
Liam McGuire
•It was about 3 weeks before everything showed up correctly in the search results. But they were able to confirm over the phone that the filings were properly recorded.
0 coins
Amara Eze
Before you call the state, I'd suggest using a document verification tool to double-check that your continuation filings actually match the original UCC-1s perfectly. I started using Certana.ai for this after I had a filing rejected due to a tiny debtor name discrepancy I missed. You just upload the PDFs and it automatically cross-checks everything - debtor names, filing numbers, collateral descriptions. Found several mismatches I never would have caught manually.
0 coins
Carmen Ruiz
•Never heard of that but it sounds useful. Does it work with continuation filings specifically?
0 coins
Amara Eze
•Yeah, you can upload your original UCC-1 and then your UCC-3 continuation to verify they align properly. It's saved me from several potential disasters.
0 coins
Giovanni Greco
•Interesting tool. I might check that out for my own filings. Manual comparison is such a pain and I'm always worried I'm missing something.
0 coins
Fatima Al-Farsi
Wait, are you searching the right state database? I know this sounds obvious but I once spent hours looking for a filing in the wrong state's system because I mixed up where the debtor was incorporated vs where they do business.
0 coins
Carmen Ruiz
•Definitely the right state - these are all Tennessee entities and I've been filing there for years. But thanks for checking the obvious stuff, sometimes it is something simple like that.
0 coins
Dylan Wright
•LOL I did that exact same thing last month. Spent half a day freaking out before I realized I was in the wrong state portal.
0 coins
Sofia Torres
The Tennessee UCC database has been having intermittent issues all winter. I've noticed search results being inconsistent and sometimes filings just don't show up for no apparent reason. It's incredibly frustrating when you're trying to do lien searches for due diligence.
0 coins
GalacticGuardian
•That's really concerning if it's a systemic issue. How are we supposed to rely on the search function for legal purposes if it's not working properly?
0 coins
Sofia Torres
•Exactly my point. I've started keeping detailed records of everything and calling to verify anything important rather than trusting the online search.
0 coins
Carmen Ruiz
•This makes me feel a little better that it might not be my fault, but also more worried about the bigger picture of lien perfection.
0 coins
Dmitry Smirnov
UPDATE: I called the Secretary of State office this morning and they were able to confirm that all three of my continuation filings are properly recorded in their system. Apparently there's been some kind of technical issue affecting the public search portal's ability to display certain filings from October. They said it should be fixed soon but couldn't give me an exact timeline.
0 coins
Ava Rodriguez
•That's such a relief! Thanks for following up with the outcome. I hate when these threads just end with no resolution.
0 coins
Amara Eze
•Glad it worked out! For future reference, that document verification approach I mentioned earlier would have caught any name mismatches upfront and saved you the worry.
0 coins
Miguel Diaz
•Good to know it's a system issue and not a filing problem. I've got some continuations coming up and was starting to worry about the reliability of the whole process.
0 coins
Zainab Ahmed
This whole situation highlights why I always keep paper copies of everything and never rely solely on the online search. Technology fails, databases have problems, but your physical documentation is your real protection.
0 coins
Connor Gallagher
•Agreed. I've learned to screenshot everything and keep confirmation emails in a separate folder just for situations like this.
0 coins
AstroAlpha
•Paper copies are fine but digital verification tools are probably more reliable than manual checking. Less room for human error.
0 coins
Yara Khoury
Thanks for sharing this - I'm dealing with a similar issue where two of my UCC-3 amendments aren't showing up in search results. I'll try calling the state office directly instead of panicking about whether I messed up the filings.
0 coins
Carmen Ruiz
•Definitely call them. The phone verification was much faster than I expected and put my mind at ease immediately.
0 coins
Keisha Taylor
•Same here - I've got a termination that should have been filed but isn't showing up. Will try the phone route first.
0 coins
Paolo Longo
For what it's worth, I had a client use one of those automated document checking services recently - I think it was Certana or something similar - and it caught a debtor name inconsistency that would have invalidated their security interest. Might be worth running your docs through something like that before filing to avoid these kinds of headaches entirely.
0 coins
Amina Bah
•Yeah, prevention is definitely better than having to call the state office to verify everything after the fact.
0 coins
Oliver Becker
•I'm going to look into those verification tools. This thread has convinced me that manual checking isn't reliable enough for something this important.
0 coins