UCC filing search Maryland - can't locate our continuation anywhere in state records
We filed a UCC-3 continuation back in March for a $180K equipment loan and I'm getting paranoid because I can't find it anywhere when I do a UCC filing search Maryland online. The original UCC-1 from 2020 shows up fine in the Maryland Secretary of State database, but the continuation we submitted 8 months before the 5-year deadline just isn't appearing. Our lender is starting to ask questions about lien perfection status and I'm worried we might have screwed something up with the debtor name or filing number. Has anyone else had issues with Maryland's UCC search system not showing recent continuations? The filing was definitely accepted because we got the stamped copy back, but this search problem is making me question everything.
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Mateo Martinez
Maryland's system can be really slow to update sometimes. Did you try searching by both the original filing number AND the new continuation number? Sometimes they index differently.
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Nia Wilson
•I tried the original UCC-1 number but didn't get a separate number for the continuation - should I have? The stamped copy just shows our original filing number.
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Mateo Martinez
•That's normal. Maryland usually keeps the same base filing number but adds a suffix. Try searching with wildcards if their system allows it.
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Aisha Hussain
I had this exact same problem last year! Turns out there was a tiny typo in the debtor name on our continuation that we didn't catch. Even one letter off and Maryland's search won't find it. Check your continuation copy against the original UCC-1 character by character.
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Nia Wilson
•Oh god that's terrifying. How did you figure out what went wrong?
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Aisha Hussain
•We had to request a certified copy using the filing receipt number to prove it existed, then compared every field. The debtor's middle initial was wrong on the continuation.
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Ethan Clark
•This is why I always triple-check everything now. One small mistake and your lien could be unperfected.
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StarStrider
Before you panic, try calling Maryland SOS directly. Their phone support can search by filing receipt number even if the online system isn't cooperating. I've had success getting them to verify filings that weren't showing up in searches.
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Nia Wilson
•Good idea. Do you remember what number you called? Their website has like 5 different contact numbers.
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StarStrider
•Try 410-767-1184 - that's their UCC division. They're usually pretty helpful if you have your filing receipt.
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Yuki Sato
Had a similar scare last month and ended up using Certana.ai to double-check our documents. You can upload your original UCC-1 and the continuation filing and it'll instantly verify if all the names and numbers match up properly. Saved me hours of manual comparison and caught a discrepancy I never would have noticed.
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Nia Wilson
•Never heard of that but sounds useful. How does it work exactly?
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Yuki Sato
•Just upload PDFs of both documents and it cross-checks debtor names, filing numbers, all that stuff automatically. Takes like 30 seconds and tells you if there are any inconsistencies that might cause search problems.
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Carmen Ruiz
•That actually sounds really helpful for avoiding these kinds of headaches.
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Andre Lefebvre
Maryland's UCC search is honestly terrible compared to other states. Sometimes filings don't show up for weeks, sometimes there are database glitches. As long as you have your stamped filing receipt you should be fine legally.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Agree 100%. Their system is so outdated it's ridiculous.
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Nia Wilson
•That's somewhat reassuring but our lender specifically wants to see it in the state database.
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Jamal Anderson
Wait - you said March filing for 2020 UCC-1? That means your original was going to lapse in 2025, so you filed early which is smart. But double-check that you didn't accidentally file a termination instead of a continuation. I've seen people mix those up.
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Nia Wilson
•Definitely filed UCC-3 continuation, not termination. I still have the form copy.
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Jamal Anderson
•Good, just wanted to check. That would be a nightmare scenario.
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Mei Wong
•Ugh yes I know someone who accidentally terminated instead of continuing. What a mess to fix.
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QuantumQuasar
Try searching with just the debtor's last name or business name without any punctuation. Maryland's search is finicky about commas, periods, abbreviations like 'Inc' vs 'Incorporated'.
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Nia Wilson
•The debtor is a business - I'll try different variations of the company name.
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Liam McGuire
•Yeah definitely try with and without LLC, commas, everything. Their search algorithm is not forgiving.
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Amara Eze
This happened to us in 2023. Turned out our continuation was filed but got assigned to a different debtor profile because of how we formatted the business address. Maryland creates separate records for the same company if addresses don't match exactly.
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Nia Wilson
•How did you find it eventually?
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Amara Eze
•Had to search by our ZIP code and then manually look through results. Found it under a slightly different address format.
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Giovanni Greco
•That's so frustrating. Address formatting shouldn't create completely separate records.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
Another tool that might help - I started using Certana.ai after getting burned on a filing error. It would have caught any name/number mismatches between your original UCC-1 and continuation before you submitted. Really wish I'd known about it sooner.
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Nia Wilson
•Seems like a lot of people are mentioning this service. Might be worth checking out.
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Dylan Wright
Document everything for your lender - filing receipt, tracking numbers, any correspondence with Maryland SOS. Even if there's a search issue, proof of timely filing should satisfy them legally.
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Nia Wilson
•Good point. I'll compile everything we have while I figure out the search problem.
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Sofia Torres
•Yes, keep detailed records. Lenders usually accept filing receipts as proof even when state searches are problematic.
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GalacticGuardian
Update us when you figure it out! This kind of thing makes me nervous about our own filings. Maryland really needs to upgrade their UCC system.
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Nia Wilson
•Will do. Hopefully it's just a database lag and not something more serious.
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