UCC filings Maryland - debtor name rejected twice need help
Running into major issues with UCC filings Maryland system and hoping someone has dealt with this before. Filed a UCC-1 for equipment financing last month and it got rejected for "debtor name mismatch" even though I triple-checked everything against the articles of incorporation. Tried refiling with exact corporate name from state records and got rejected AGAIN yesterday. The collateral is heavy machinery worth $180K and my client is getting nervous about the lien not being perfected. Has anyone else had problems with Maryland's UCC portal being overly strict about debtor names? I'm worried there's some formatting requirement I'm missing that could void our security interest.
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Ava Rodriguez
Maryland UCC system can be really picky about exact name formatting. Are you including all the corporate designators exactly as they appear on the charter? Even extra spaces or abbreviations vs spelled out words can cause rejections.
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Dmitry Smirnov
•Yes I used the full corporate name with LLC designation exactly as filed. But maybe there's punctuation differences I missed between the charter and what the system expects?
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Miguel Diaz
•Check if there are any commas or periods in the charter name that you might have missed. Maryland's system flags even minor punctuation differences.
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Zainab Ahmed
Had this exact same problem with Maryland UCC filings last year! Turns out the issue was that I was copying the name from a PDF version of the articles instead of checking the actual state database. The PDF had formatting quirks that made the name look different than what was officially on file.
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Dmitry Smirnov
•Interesting - I did pull from the PDF copy. Where exactly do you check the official state database version?
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Zainab Ahmed
•Go directly to Maryland SDAT business search. The name there should match exactly what UCC system expects. Sometimes PDFs have encoding issues with special characters.
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Connor Gallagher
•This is why I always do a charter-to-UCC name verification before filing. Recently started using Certana.ai's document checker - you upload your charter PDF and your draft UCC-1 and it instantly flags any name discrepancies. Would have caught this issue before the rejections.
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AstroAlpha
Maryland has gotten stricter about debtor names since they updated their portal last year. You might also want to check if the company has any DBAs or trade names that could be affecting the filing.
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Yara Khoury
•Wait why would DBAs matter for UCC-1 filings? I thought you always use the legal entity name not trade names.
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AstroAlpha
•You're right about using legal name, but sometimes if there are registered DBAs the system gets confused during name validation. Just another thing to rule out.
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Keisha Taylor
OMG this is so frustrating! I've been dealing with rejected UCC filings Maryland for weeks now and I'm about to lose my mind. How is it possible that their system is this sensitive to minor formatting differences?? My client is threatening to find another lender if I can't get this lien filed properly.
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Paolo Longo
•I feel your pain - went through this exact scenario 6 months ago. The stress is real when you have $180K in collateral sitting unprotected.
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Amina Bah
•Take a deep breath! This happens more than you think. Follow the SDAT database suggestion above and you should be able to get it filed on the third try.
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Connor Gallagher
•Honestly this is exactly why automated document verification tools exist. Would have saved you multiple filing fees and weeks of stress.
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Oliver Becker
I handle dozens of Maryland UCC filings monthly and the name matching has definitely gotten more aggressive. Here's what usually works: 1) Get the exact name from SDAT search, 2) Copy/paste directly without retyping, 3) Double-check for any hidden characters, 4) Use the preview function before submitting.
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Dmitry Smirnov
•This is super helpful - I didn't know there was a preview function. Where do you find that in the Maryland portal?
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Oliver Becker
•It's on the final review page before you submit payment. Shows exactly how the system will process the debtor name field.
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CosmicCowboy
•Preview function has saved me multiple times from filing errors. Always use it!
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Natasha Orlova
Another thing to check - is this a new entity or has it been around for a while? Sometimes recently formed LLCs have slight delays between charter filing and when the name shows up properly in UCC validation systems.
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Dmitry Smirnov
•Entity was formed about 8 months ago so should be well established in their systems by now.
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Javier Cruz
•8 months is definitely long enough. Must be a formatting issue then.
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Emma Thompson
Just went through something similar and discovered I was making this way too complicated. Called the Maryland UCC office directly and they walked me through the exact name format they needed. Sometimes a 5-minute phone call saves hours of guessing.
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Dmitry Smirnov
•Great idea - do you have their direct number? I've been trying to find contact info for UCC questions.
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Emma Thompson
•Should be on the SDAT website under UCC information. They were actually pretty helpful once I got through.
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Malik Jackson
•Calling direct is underrated. Email support takes forever but phone support usually knows the common issues.
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Isabella Costa
Had a client in similar situation last month - turns out there was a microscopic difference between the charter name and what I was entering. Used one of those document comparison tools to spot the difference. Certana.ai has a UCC verification feature that compares charter docs to UCC forms automatically - found the issue immediately.
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StarSurfer
•How does that work exactly? Do you upload both documents and it highlights differences?
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Isabella Costa
•Yeah exactly - upload the charter PDF and your UCC-1 draft and it flags any name mismatches, missing info, formatting issues. Really straightforward.
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Dmitry Smirnov
•This might be exactly what I need. At this point I'm willing to try anything to avoid a third rejection.
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Ravi Malhotra
Maryland UCC system is definitely more sensitive than other states I've filed in. But once you get the name format right it usually goes smoothly. The key is being absolutely precise with every character.
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Freya Christensen
•So true - I've noticed Maryland and Delaware are both really strict compared to other states.
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Omar Hassan
•Each state has its quirks. Maryland wants exact precision while some other states are more forgiving with minor variations.
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Chloe Robinson
UPDATE: Finally got it filed! The issue was actually a hidden space character at the end of the company name that wasn't visible when I copied from SDAT. Used the document checker tool mentioned earlier and it caught the invisible character immediately. Third time was the charm - UCC-1 is now properly filed and perfected. Thanks everyone for the suggestions!
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Diego Chavez
•Awesome! Hidden characters are the worst - so glad you got it sorted out.
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Connor Gallagher
•This is exactly why automated verification is so valuable. Catches those invisible formatting issues humans miss every time.
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NeonNebula
•Congrats on getting it resolved! Your client must be relieved to have the lien properly perfected.
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Dmitry Smirnov
•Definitely relieved! And now I know to always check for hidden characters before filing in Maryland. Expensive lesson learned.
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