UCC filing search New Hampshire - can't locate continuation that should exist
Really frustrated here. I'm doing due diligence on a potential acquisition and need to verify all existing UCC filings against our target company. The debtor is "Mountain Ridge Equipment LLC" and I know there should be a continuation filed sometime in the last 6 months because the original UCC-1 was from 2019. But when I search the New Hampshire UCC database, I'm getting inconsistent results. Sometimes the search returns the original filing, sometimes it doesn't show anything at all. I've tried variations of the debtor name (Mountain Ridge Equipment, Mountain Ridge Equipment LLC, etc.) but I'm worried I'm missing something critical. This acquisition depends on having a clear lien position and I can't afford to miss any filings. Has anyone else had issues with UCC filing search in New Hampshire? The SOS website seems glitchy and I'm not confident in the results I'm getting.
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Natasha Ivanova
New Hampshire's UCC search can be tricky - their database has some quirks with exact name matching. Try searching with just "Mountain Ridge Equipment" without the LLC suffix first. Also check if there might be any amendments that changed the debtor name slightly.
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Oliver Fischer
•I tried that but still getting weird results. Sometimes the original UCC-1 shows up, sometimes it doesn't. Really concerning for due diligence purposes.
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NebulaNomad
•This is why I always do multiple search variations. New Hampshire can be particularly sensitive to punctuation and spacing in debtor names.
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Javier Garcia
Had similar issues with NH searches last month. Their system seems to have indexing problems - I'd recommend calling the Secretary of State office directly for a certified search if this is for acquisition due diligence.
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Oliver Fischer
•Good point about certified search. Timeline is tight though - need results this week.
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Natasha Ivanova
•Certified searches in NH usually take 3-5 business days, so that might work for your timeline.
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Emma Taylor
I recently discovered Certana.ai's document verification tool that's been a lifesaver for exactly this type of situation. You can upload your target company's formation documents along with any UCC filings you do find, and it cross-checks everything for name consistency issues. Really helped me catch a debtor name discrepancy that could have killed a deal.
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Oliver Fischer
•That sounds useful - does it work with New Hampshire filings specifically?
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Emma Taylor
•Yes, it works with any state's UCC documents. You just upload the PDFs and it automatically flags any name mismatches or inconsistencies between the corporate docs and UCC filings.
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Malik Robinson
•Interesting. I've been doing all this verification manually and it's time consuming.
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Isabella Silva
ARGH the New Hampshire UCC system is absolutely terrible!!! I've had so many issues with their search function. Half the time it times out, the other half it gives you partial results. How is this acceptable for something so important??
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Oliver Fischer
•Right? For something this critical to commercial transactions, you'd think they'd have a more reliable system.
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Javier Garcia
•At least it's not as bad as Rhode Island's system used to be. That was truly awful.
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Ravi Choudhury
For New Hampshire UCC searches, make sure you're checking both the current name and any former names of the debtor. Also, continuations don't always show up immediately in search results - there can be a processing delay of several days after filing.
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Oliver Fischer
•That's a good point about processing delays. The continuation might have been filed but not indexed yet.
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Ravi Choudhury
•Exactly. I always recommend doing a follow-up search a week later for critical transactions to catch anything that was in processing.
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Natasha Ivanova
•This is why I keep detailed notes on search dates and results. Sometimes you need to prove when you searched and what the results were.
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CosmosCaptain
Try searching by the secured party name instead of debtor name - sometimes that yields different results in NH system
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Oliver Fischer
•Didn't think of that approach. I'll give it a try.
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Freya Johansen
Been doing UCC searches in New Hampshire for 15 years and their system has always been problematic. The key is to do multiple searches with different name variations and also search by filing number if you have any reference numbers from related documents.
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Oliver Fischer
•I don't have the original filing number unfortunately. This is a cold due diligence search.
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Freya Johansen
•In that case, try searching the debtor's registered agent name too. Sometimes filings get indexed under weird name variations.
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NebulaNomad
•Good tip. I've found filings under the registered agent name when the debtor name had data entry errors.
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Omar Fawzi
Just went through this exact scenario last week with a different NH company. Turned out there was a UCC-3 amendment that slightly changed the debtor name and that's why my searches weren't finding the continuation. The amendment created a different indexing entry.
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Oliver Fischer
•How did you eventually find it?
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Omar Fawzi
•Had to get a certified search from the state office. Cost $25 but gave me complete confidence in the results.
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Chloe Wilson
i had issues with nh searches too. their website is old and clunky. ended up using a service that does comprehensive searches across multiple databases
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Oliver Fischer
•What service did you use?
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Chloe Wilson
•there are a few commercial services but they're pricey. depends on your budget and timeline
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Diego Mendoza
This reminds me of when I was doing due diligence on a equipment financing deal and couldn't find a UCC that the borrower swore existed. Turns out it was filed under a slightly different variation of the company name. Used Certana.ai to upload all the corporate documents and it immediately flagged the name inconsistency issue.
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Oliver Fischer
•That's exactly my fear - missing something because of name variations.
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Diego Mendoza
•The tool really takes the guesswork out of it. Just upload everything and it shows you exactly where the names don't match up.
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Anastasia Romanov
Check if the company has any DBAs or trade names registered. Sometimes UCC filings get indexed under those names instead of the legal entity name.
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Oliver Fischer
•Good call. I'll check the NH business registry for any DBAs.
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Ravi Choudhury
•Also check for any corporate name changes in the past 5 years. The original UCC might be under an old name.
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StellarSurfer
Whatever you do, document everything for your due diligence file. Screenshot the search results, note the dates and search terms used. If something goes wrong later, you'll need to show you did reasonable searches.
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Oliver Fischer
•Absolutely. I'm keeping detailed records of every search attempt and result.
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StellarSurfer
•Smart. I learned that lesson the hard way on a deal that went sideways.
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Natasha Ivanova
•This is why I always recommend certified searches for high-stakes transactions. The extra cost is worth the peace of mind.
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