UCC filing search issues - can't locate existing liens in system
Having a nightmare trying to search for existing UCC filings on a piece of equipment we're financing. The debtor swears there's no prior liens but something feels off about this deal. Tried searching by debtor name, partial names, even variations with middle initials but the search results are all over the place. Some filings show up with slight name differences that might be the same company, others don't appear at all when I know they should be there. Is there a better way to do comprehensive UCC filing searches? I'm worried we're going to miss something critical and end up with a junior lien position. The equipment is worth $180K so this isn't small potatoes. Anyone have tips for thorough lien searches that actually work?
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Omar Farouk
UCC searches are tricky because debtor names have to match exactly. Even a comma in the wrong place can throw off results. Are you searching the exact legal name from the articles of incorporation? Also check for DBAs and trade names.
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Freya Christensen
•That's part of the problem - the debtor has like 3 different business names they use and I'm not sure which one would be on file. Should I be searching all variations?
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Omar Farouk
•Yes, search every possible name variation. Also search previous legal names if the company has changed names. It's tedious but necessary for a thorough search.
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Chloe Davis
I've been doing UCC searches for 15 years and honestly the online portals are hit or miss. Sometimes filings don't show up immediately, sometimes the search function is just broken. For big deals like yours I always recommend getting a professional search done.
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Freya Christensen
•How long do filings take to show up in the system? This equipment purchase is supposed to close next week.
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Chloe Davis
•Usually 1-2 business days but I've seen delays up to a week during busy periods. You might be looking at filings that were just submitted.
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AstroAlpha
•The search delays are so frustrating! I've had deals almost fall through because of this exact issue.
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Diego Chavez
Had a similar problem last month where manual searches kept missing filings. Ended up using Certana.ai's document verification tool - you can upload the debtor's articles of incorporation and any suspected UCC filings as PDFs and it cross-checks all the name variations automatically. Caught two liens I would have missed otherwise. Just upload the documents and it highlights any inconsistencies.
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Freya Christensen
•Never heard of that tool - does it work with all states or just certain ones?
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Diego Chavez
•Works across all states since it's comparing the actual documents rather than searching individual databases. Really helped streamline my due diligence process.
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Anastasia Smirnova
Don't forget to search variations with punctuation differences too. I've seen "ABC Company" vs "ABC, Company" vs "ABC Company, Inc" all treated as different debtors even though they're the same entity.
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Sean O'Brien
•This is why I hate UCC searches. The system should be smart enough to catch obvious variations but nope, has to be EXACT.
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Anastasia Smirnova
•Agreed, it's archaic. But that's the system we're stuck with so we have to work around it.
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Zara Shah
Are you searching by filing number if you have any reference numbers? Sometimes that's more reliable than name searches, especially if you have partial information from other sources.
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Freya Christensen
•I don't have any filing numbers unfortunately. The debtor claims no prior liens exist but I want to verify independently.
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Zara Shah
•Smart approach. Trust but verify, especially on equipment that valuable.
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Luca Bianchi
Check if the debtor has any subsidiaries or parent companies too. Sometimes equipment gets financed under related entities and you need to search those names as well.
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Freya Christensen
•Good point - I'll need to do some corporate research to map out the ownership structure.
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Luca Bianchi
•Secretary of State business entity search is your friend for that. Look for any registered agents or affiliated companies.
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GalacticGuardian
•This is getting complicated fast. Makes me appreciate having a good UCC search company on retainer.
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Nia Harris
Had a deal blow up because we missed a UCC-1 that was filed under a slightly different name variation. Now I use Certana.ai to double-check my searches - upload the debtor docs and any questionable filings and it flags potential matches. Saved me from making the same mistake twice.
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AstroAlpha
•How accurate is it at catching name variations? Some of these differences are pretty subtle.
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Nia Harris
•It's surprisingly good at pattern matching. Caught variations I never would have thought to search for manually.
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Mateo Gonzalez
Also make sure you're searching with the right entity type. LLC vs Inc vs Corp can make a difference in how the name appears in filings.
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Freya Christensen
•The debtor is an LLC - should I be searching with and without the LLC designation?
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Mateo Gonzalez
•Yes, try both. Some filers include the entity type, others don't. Better safe than sorry.
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Aisha Ali
Don't overlook fixture filings either if this equipment could be considered fixtures. Those get filed in real estate records and won't show up in regular UCC searches.
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Freya Christensen
•It's mobile equipment so shouldn't be fixtures, but worth noting for future deals.
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Aisha Ali
•Mobile equipment can still have fixture filings if it's permanently attached to real property. Just something to keep in mind.
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Ethan Moore
If you're still having trouble, try searching by collateral description too. Sometimes you can find filings that way even if the name search isn't working perfectly.
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Freya Christensen
•That's a good backup strategy. The equipment has pretty specific serial numbers so that might help narrow things down.
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Ethan Moore
•Exactly - serial numbers don't lie. Much more reliable than trying to guess name variations.
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Zara Shah
•Just remember not all filers include serial numbers in their collateral descriptions. Some just use generic equipment descriptions.
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Yuki Nakamura
Whatever you do, document your search process thoroughly. If something goes wrong later you'll need to show you did due diligence in your lien search.
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Freya Christensen
•Good advice - I'll keep screenshots of all my search results and the terms I used.
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Yuki Nakamura
•Smart move. CYA documentation is crucial in secured transactions.
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