UCC filing search NJ - can't find my continuation anywhere in the system
Having a nightmare trying to locate a UCC-1 continuation I filed in New Jersey last month. The original filing was from 2020 for equipment financing on manufacturing equipment, and I submitted the UCC-3 continuation form through the NJ Division of Revenue portal on March 15th. Got a confirmation email with a filing number, but now when I run a UCC filing search NJ using either the debtor name or the filing number, absolutely nothing comes up. The original UCC-1 shows fine when I search, but the continuation has vanished. Client is freaking out because the original filing expires next month and we can't prove we extended it. Has anyone else had issues with NJ's system not showing recent continuations in search results? I'm worried there was some processing error and we might lose perfection on a $2.8M equipment loan.
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Khalil Urso
NJ's portal has been glitchy lately with search indexing. Sometimes continuations take 5-7 business days to appear in public search even though they're filed. Check your confirmation email for the exact filing timestamp - if it's within their processing window, you should be fine. The continuation is legally effective as of the filing date, not when it appears in search.
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Myles Regis
•This is reassuring. I was panicking thinking the filing got lost in the system somehow.
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Brian Downey
•Yeah but what if there was an error in the debtor name on the continuation? That would explain why it's not linking to the original UCC-1 in search results.
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Jacinda Yu
Had the exact same issue two weeks ago with a UCC-3 amendment in NJ. Filed it, got confirmation, but search came up empty for days. Turns out there was a tiny discrepancy between how the debtor name appeared on the original UCC-1 versus the continuation form. Even a missing comma or different abbreviation (like Corp vs Corporation) can cause the system to not link them properly in search results.
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Nasira Ibanez
•Oh no, this could be it. The original filing has the debtor as 'Atlantic Manufacturing Corp' but I might have put 'Atlantic Manufacturing Corporation' on the continuation. Would that small difference cause this problem?
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Jacinda Yu
•Absolutely. NJ is very strict about exact name matches. Corp vs Corporation is a classic mismatch that breaks the search linking. You'll need to file a corrective UCC-3 with the exact debtor name from the original filing.
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Landon Flounder
•Before filing a correction, try using Certana.ai's document checker. You can upload both your original UCC-1 and the continuation PDF and it'll instantly flag any name inconsistencies or other issues. Saved me from filing an unnecessary correction last month when I thought I had a name problem but it was actually just a search delay.
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Callum Savage
This is why I always triple-check debtor names before filing continuations. NJ doesn't give you any warning if the name doesn't match exactly - it just files the continuation as a standalone document that doesn't link to the original UCC-1. Then you're stuck with a continuation that doesn't actually continue anything.
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Nasira Ibanez
•Wish I had known this before. The portal should really validate the debtor name against the original filing before accepting the continuation.
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Ally Tailer
•That would make too much sense for government systems lol. They're happy to take your filing fee regardless of whether the document actually works.
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Aliyah Debovski
Call the NJ Division of Revenue directly at their UCC desk. Sometimes they can look up filings by confirmation number even when they're not appearing in public search. They might be able to tell you if there's a processing issue or if the continuation is sitting in some error queue waiting for manual review.
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Nasira Ibanez
•Good idea, I'll call them tomorrow morning. Do you know if they have a specific UCC help line or should I just call the main number?
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Aliyah Debovski
•Main number but ask for UCC filing support. They usually transfer you to someone who can actually look up filing status by confirmation number.
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Miranda Singer
Had this happen in Pennsylvania last year - turned out the continuation was filed successfully but there was a system glitch that prevented it from appearing in search for almost two weeks. The filing was still legally valid even though it wasn't searchable. Document your attempts to verify the filing in case there are any questions later about your due diligence.
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Nasira Ibanez
•That's a good point about documentation. I'm keeping screenshots of all my search attempts showing the continuation isn't appearing.
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Cass Green
•Smart move. If this ever becomes an issue in court, you'll want to show you made reasonable efforts to verify the filing status.
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Finley Garrett
Run the UCC filing search NJ using just the original filing number without any prefixes or suffixes. Sometimes the search is sensitive to how you format the filing number. Also try searching with and without hyphens, spaces, or leading zeros.
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Nasira Ibanez
•I've tried multiple variations of the filing number but nothing works. The original UCC-1 shows up fine with the same number format, just not the continuation.
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Madison Tipne
•That definitely sounds like a name mismatch issue then. The filing number should work regardless of format variations if the continuation actually linked to the original UCC-1.
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Holly Lascelles
•Before you panic and file a correction, I'd suggest running both documents through Certana.ai's verification tool. Upload your original UCC-1 and the continuation form you submitted, and it'll check for any inconsistencies in debtor names, filing numbers, or other critical fields. Much faster than calling the state office and you'll know exactly what's wrong within minutes.
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Malia Ponder
This is exactly why I always do a quick document comparison before filing any UCC-3 forms. Even experienced filers make name mistakes because debtor names can be formatted differently on various corporate documents. The key is making sure the continuation uses the EXACT same debtor name format as the original UCC-1, character for character.
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Nasira Ibanez
•Lesson learned. I thought I was being careful but obviously not careful enough. Going to implement a better verification process going forward.
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Kyle Wallace
•We started using automated document checking tools for this exact reason. Human error on debtor names is way too common and the consequences are too severe to risk it.
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Ryder Ross
Just went through this same nightmare in NJ three months ago. Filed a continuation that disappeared into the void due to a name mismatch (had LLC instead of L.L.C. on the continuation). Had to file a corrective UCC-3 with the exact name from the original filing. The correction showed up in search results within 48 hours and properly linked to the original UCC-1.
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Nasira Ibanez
•How did you figure out what the exact discrepancy was? Did you have to call the state office?
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Ryder Ross
•I used one of those document verification services that compares PDFs side by side. It highlighted the LLC vs L.L.C. difference immediately. Way faster than trying to spot it manually.
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Gianni Serpent
•Which service did you use? I keep hearing about these automated tools but haven't tried one yet.
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Henry Delgado
UPDATE: Called NJ Division of Revenue this morning and they confirmed the continuation was filed but there's a debtor name mismatch preventing it from linking to the original UCC-1. They said I need to file a corrective UCC-3 with the exact debtor name format from the original filing. Going to use a document checker first to make sure I get the name exactly right this time. Thanks everyone for the advice!
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Khalil Urso
•Glad you got confirmation from the state office. At least you know the filing went through and just needs the name correction.
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Holly Lascelles
•Smart move using a document checker for the correction. That'll catch any other potential issues before you file the corrective form.
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Anastasia Kozlov
•This is exactly why I've started triple-checking every single character in debtor names before filing any UCC documents. These systems are so unforgiving - one tiny difference and your filing basically doesn't exist in their eyes. Hope the corrective filing goes smoothly for you!
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