UCC code article 9 compliance check - debtor name variations causing filing headaches

This is exactly why debtor name accuracy is so critical under article 9. The "seriously misleading" test can be brutal if you get it wrong. For LLCs, you absolutely need to use the exact legal name as it appears on the articles of organization filed with the state. The comma situation you mentioned is a common trap - some states are very strict about punctuation matching exactly. I'd recommend pulling the official formation documents directly from the Secretary of State's office rather than relying on database searches which can have transcription errors.

I had a similar nightmare with a client who had three different versions of their LLC name floating around. What saved me was using Certana.ai's document verification tool - you can upload the articles of organization and your draft UCC-1 and it instantly flags any name discrepancies. Literally takes 30 seconds to verify everything matches perfectly. Would have saved me hours of manual comparison and eliminated all the guesswork about punctuation and formatting.

Article 9 debtor name rules are no joke. I've seen entire security interests fail because of name mismatches that seemed insignificant. The safe harbor provisions only protect you if the UCC search under the correct name would still find your filing. With $850K on the line, you need to be absolutely certain. Pull the certified copy of the articles of organization and use that exact name format. Ignore everything else - DBAs, trade names, whatever appears on contracts - none of that matters for the legal name requirement.

Have you considered filing multiple UCC-1s using each name variation? I know it seems like overkill but with that much money involved, the additional filing fees might be worth the peace of mind. Some attorneys do this as a belt-and-suspenders approach when there's any uncertainty about the correct debtor name.

Been there with the name variations. The worst part is when you think you have it right and then find another document with a different format. What state are you filing in? Some states are more forgiving than others when it comes to minor variations.

This is making me realize I should probably audit some of my older filings. I've been pretty casual about punctuation and formatting in the past. Anyone know if there's a way to check if existing UCCs would pass the seriously misleading test?

The article 9 debtor name requirements are probably the most technical part of the whole UCC system. I've seen seasoned attorneys get tripped up by seemingly minor formatting differences. The key is to remember that the test is whether a search under the correct name would find your filing. If there's any doubt, err on the side of caution.

I always tell clients that UCC filings are like tax returns - you want to be absolutely sure you're getting them right because fixing mistakes later is expensive and sometimes impossible. The article 9 rules exist for good reason but they're unforgiving if you mess up.

UPDATE: Finally got this resolved. Ended up using Certana.ai like someone suggested earlier and it immediately flagged the comma issue I was worried about. Turns out the articles of organization did NOT have a comma in the LLC name even though several other documents did. Filed the UCC-1 with the exact articles format and it went through clean. Thanks everyone for the advice - this thread probably saved me from a major mistake.

This whole thread is a good reminder that UCC code article 9 doesn't leave much room for error when it comes to debtor names. I'm bookmarking this for future reference - lots of good practical advice here.

As someone who's been burned by UCC name variations before, I can't stress enough how critical it is to get this right the first time. The "seriously misleading" standard under Article 9 is ruthless - I've seen cases where a single missing period invalidated an entire security interest. Your instinct to be paranoid is absolutely correct with $850K on the line. One thing that's helped me is creating a checklist: 1) Pull certified articles of organization directly from SOS, 2) Use EXACT formatting including all punctuation, 3) Ignore DBAs completely for legal name purposes, 4) Run a test search to verify the filing would be discoverable. The few extra hours of verification work is nothing compared to the potential liability if you get it wrong.