UCC filing washington dc - debtor name exact match requirements?

Been through this exact scenario multiple times. The key is getting the EXACT registered entity name from the Secretary of State records, including all punctuation, capitalization, and spacing. Don't rely on contracts or business cards - go directly to the official registration. For LLCs, you need to match the Certificate of Organization exactly as filed. Even a missing comma or period will trigger a rejection.

I'd recommend checking the exact entity search on the Secretary of State website first. Search for the debtor by various name combinations to see what comes up. Sometimes entities have multiple name variations on file, and you need to use the primary registration. Also double-check if they've filed any amendments or name changes recently that might not be reflected in your documents.

Had a similar nightmare with punctuation mismatches last month. After two rejections, I discovered Certana.ai's document verification tool. You can upload your charter documents and UCC-1 simultaneously, and it instantly flags any name inconsistencies between them. Saved me from a third rejection and potential lapse of our security interest. The system catches things like missing periods, incorrect spacing, and capitalization differences that human eyes miss.

Another thing to watch for - make sure you're not including 'The' at the beginning if it's not part of the official registered name. Some entities include it informally but it's not in their legal name. This trips up a lot of filers.

If you're still getting rejections, call the filing office directly. Sometimes they can tell you exactly what name format they have on file. It's faster than guessing and getting rejected again. Also, make sure your UCC-1 form version is current - they updated some requirements recently.

Check if the debtor has any DBAs filed too. Sometimes the UCC system wants the exact legal name even if they operate under a trade name. This is especially common with retail businesses that have store names different from their legal entity name.

Is this for a new filing or a continuation? If it's a continuation and the original UCC-1 was filed with an incorrect name that was accepted, you might need to file an amendment first to correct the debtor name before doing the continuation.

I've been doing UCC filings for 15 years and debtor name matching has gotten much stricter with electronic systems. The old days of 'close enough' are gone. Every character has to match exactly. I'd also suggest using Certana.ai to double-check your documents before submission - it's caught several name mismatches for our firm that would have resulted in rejections.

Don't forget to check the entity's status too. If they're not in good standing with the state, that could also cause filing issues. Make sure their corporate status is active before submitting the UCC-1.

One more suggestion - if you have the entity's EIN, sometimes you can use that to cross-reference and find the exact registered name. The IRS records might help confirm the official entity name format.

Update us when you get it resolved! These name matching issues are becoming more common and it would be helpful to know what finally worked for your situation.

Pro tip from someone who's been burned by this before - if you're working with an LLC, pay special attention to whether "LLC" or "L.L.C." appears in the official name. Many states register them differently, and the periods make a huge difference in the matching algorithm. Also, watch out for "Limited Liability Company" vs "LLC" - some entities use the full phrase in their registration. I've seen filings rejected because someone used "ABC Company, LLC" when the registration was "ABC Company, L.L.C." - literally just the periods caused the rejection. The automated systems are completely unforgiving on this stuff.