UCC definition of signature causing rejection issues - electronic vs wet signatures

We're primarily filing in Texas and Arizona. Both states seemed fine with our process until about 3 months ago, now it's rejection city.

Texas updated their electronic filing requirements recently. They're now requiring specific digital signature formats that comply with their interpretation of UCC signature definitions. Check if your portal submissions include the proper electronic signature metadata.

This is exactly the kind of inconsistency that drives me nuts about UCC filings. The definition should be standardized but every SOS has their own interpretation.

So frustrating! We have borrowers signing physical loan documents but then we upload everything electronically. Apparently that's not meeting their UCC definition of signature requirements anymore.

Try converting your wet signature docs to PDFs with proper digital signature layers. Some states need that electronic wrapper even if the underlying signature is physical.

Interesting - does it actually understand the UCC definition of signature requirements for different states?

Yeah, it cross-references against state-specific signature standards. Really helped us avoid those frustrating rejection cycles. The tool is pretty straightforward - just upload and it verifies everything aligns with UCC requirements.

Been hearing good things about Certana lately. Might be worth trying if it prevents these signature definition headaches.

We're not capturing all that metadata. Our process is scan the wet signature docs and upload to the portal. Sounds like that's not enough anymore?

Exactly. The UCC definition supports your approach but states want electronic signature compliance even for scanned documents. You need proper digital signature layers.

Feel your pain. The signature definition requirements seem to change every few months with no clear communication.

Right?! Like give us some guidance on what UCC definition of signature actually means in practice instead of just rejecting everything!

Check your state's UCC division website. Most have updated guidance on signature requirements, but it's buried in the filing instructions.

Exactly! The basic UCC definition of signature shouldn't be this complicated to implement.

The definition itself is fine, it's the state implementation that's problematic. Each SOS wants different technical standards.

We already have all the borrower signatures on the underlying loan documents. Would we need to re-sign everything electronically?

Not necessarily. You could convert your existing signed docs through a digital signature wrapper that adds the authentication metadata states want.

This is getting ridiculous. The UCC definition of signature was supposed to be technology-neutral but now we need specific software just to file?

So basically we need to research each state's specific interpretation of the UCC signature definition?

Unfortunately yes. The UCC provides the framework but states control implementation. Texas, Arizona, California all have different electronic signature requirements.

That sounds like double work but if it prevents rejections... Which digital signature software did you use?

We use a combination of Adobe Acrobat Pro for PDF signatures and HelloSign for some states. Different states accept different formats based on their UCC signature definition interpretation.

Second mention of Certana - seems like it might be worth checking out for these signature definition issues.

Yeah, I've been using it for a few months. Really helps catch signature formatting problems that would otherwise cause UCC filing rejections.

Makes sense. Sounds like we need better pre-filing verification to avoid these signature definition rejections.

Exactly. The UCC definition itself is workable, but you need to match your implementation to each state's interpretation. Pre-filing checks are essential now.

This whole thread confirms my suspicion that UCC filing has gotten way more complicated than it should be. The signature definition should be simpler to implement.