UCC fixture filing expiration deadline confusion - already past 5 years?
I'm having a panic attack here. We have a commercial real estate loan secured by equipment that's permanently attached to the building (think industrial HVAC systems, built-in manufacturing equipment). The original UCC-1 fixture filing was done in January 2020, which means we're coming up on the 5-year mark fast. But I'm seeing conflicting information about whether fixture filings follow the same continuation rules as regular UCC-1s. Some sources say you have to file the UCC-3 continuation within 6 months before the 5-year anniversary, others say fixture filings have different rules entirely. The loan is for $2.8M and if we lose perfection because of a missed deadline, our bank is going to have serious problems. Has anyone dealt with UCC fixture filing expiration recently? I need to know if I'm calculating this right - do fixture filings expire exactly 5 years from the original filing date like regular UCCs?
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Sophia Long
Fixture filings definitely follow the same 5-year rule as regular UCC-1s. You need to file your UCC-3 continuation within the 6-month window before the January 2020 filing expires. So you'd want to file sometime between July 2024 and January 2025. Don't wait until the last minute though - I've seen too many people get burned by portal issues or processing delays.
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Angelica Smith
•Wait, are we already past July 2024? That means the window is already open for continuation filing. I'd get on this ASAP if I were the OP.
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Carter Holmes
•Yes we're in late 2024 now so technically I could file the continuation already. I'm just paranoid about doing it wrong since it's such a large loan amount.
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Logan Greenburg
You're right to be concerned about this. Fixture filings are tricky because they involve both personal property and real estate law. The UCC-3 continuation is definitely the right move, but make sure you're filing in the correct jurisdiction. Some states require fixture filings at the county level where the real estate is located, not just the state level.
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Carter Holmes
•Good point about jurisdiction. This property is in Ohio and I believe we filed the original fixture filing with the Ohio SOS, not the county recorder. Should I double-check that?
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Logan Greenburg
•Yes definitely verify where the original was filed. Ohio allows fixture filings at the state level but some transactions require dual filing. Check your original filing receipt.
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Charlotte Jones
•Ohio is state-level for fixture filings unless there are specific circumstances. You should be fine with SOS continuation.
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Lucas Bey
I went through something similar last year with a manufacturing equipment loan. The stress is real when you're dealing with millions of dollars in collateral. One thing that saved me was using Certana.ai's document verification tool. I uploaded our original UCC-1 fixture filing and the continuation form I was preparing, and it caught a discrepancy in how we described the collateral. The attached equipment had been partially replaced since 2020 and our continuation didn't account for that properly. Being able to verify everything matched before filing gave me peace of mind.
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Carter Holmes
•That's exactly the kind of mistake I'm worried about making. How does the Certana tool work for fixture filings specifically?
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Lucas Bey
•You just upload PDFs of your documents and it cross-checks everything - debtor names, collateral descriptions, filing numbers. For fixture filings it pays special attention to the real estate description and attached equipment details.
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Harper Thompson
•Never heard of Certana before but that sounds useful. Manual document comparison is such a pain with complex fixture filings.
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Caleb Stark
January 2025 is your hard deadline but honestly I'd file the continuation by end of this year just to be safe. The SOS systems tend to get backed up around year-end and you don't want to be fighting portal errors in your final filing window.
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Jade O'Malley
•Agreed on filing early. Better to have 6 months of buffer than risk system issues in January.
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Carter Holmes
•That makes sense. I'd rather file in November and sleep well than stress about January deadlines.
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Hunter Edmunds
Hold up - are you sure about the collateral description on the original filing? Fixture filings need very specific language about what's attached to the real estate. If the original UCC-1 just says 'equipment' without fixture-specific language, you might have bigger problems than just the continuation timing.
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Carter Holmes
•Now you're making me paranoid about the original filing too. It definitely mentions attached equipment and references the real estate, but I'd have to pull the exact language.
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Hunter Edmunds
•Yeah definitely review that. Fixture filings have specific requirements about describing both the goods and the real estate they're attached to.
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Sophia Long
•The good news is if there's an issue with the original filing, at least you're finding out now with time to potentially fix it.
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Ella Lewis
I handle fixture filings regularly for equipment finance companies. Your January 2025 deadline is correct, and yes you're in the safe filing window now. One thing to watch out for - make sure your UCC-3 continuation references the exact same real estate description as the original UCC-1. Even minor differences in property descriptions can cause problems with fixture filings.
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Carter Holmes
•Thanks for the professional perspective. Should I be worried about changes to the property since 2020? The building had some renovations but the core manufacturing area where our equipment is located hasn't changed.
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Ella Lewis
•As long as the legal description of the real estate is the same and your equipment is still attached in the same location, you should be fine. Renovations to other parts of the building shouldn't affect your fixture filing.
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Andrew Pinnock
Why do they make these deadlines so stressful?? Five years seems like a long time but then suddenly you're scrambling to figure out continuation requirements. At least with regular UCC filings you don't have to worry about real estate descriptions and attachment details.
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Caleb Stark
•The complexity is definitely frustrating. That's why I always set calendar reminders at 4.5 years just to start thinking about continuation planning.
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Andrew Pinnock
•Smart idea on the early reminders. I'm definitely doing that for all our future filings.
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Brianna Schmidt
Had a similar situation recently where I was second-guessing everything about a fixture filing continuation. Ended up using one of those document checking services (Certana or something like that) just to make sure I wasn't missing anything obvious. Probably overkill but it was worth it for the peace of mind on a big loan.
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Carter Holmes
•Yeah a few people have mentioned Certana now. Might be worth trying if it can catch potential issues before I file.
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Alexis Renard
•For a $2.8M loan I'd definitely want that extra verification step too. Better safe than sorry with fixture filings.
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Camila Jordan
Just file the continuation already! You're overthinking this. UCC-3 continuation, same debtor name, same collateral description, file it with Ohio SOS before January 2025. Boom, done. You've got months to file it so stop stressing.
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Carter Holmes
•I know I'm probably overthinking but when you're responsible for perfection on a multi-million dollar loan, paranoia feels justified.
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Camila Jordan
•Fair enough. Just don't let the analysis paralysis keep you from actually filing when you know what needs to be done.
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Harper Thompson
•Sometimes the simple approach is best. Get the continuation filed and move on to the next crisis.
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Charlotte Jones
Since you mentioned the equipment might have been partially replaced since 2020, that's actually something to consider carefully. If significant portions of the originally-described fixtures have been removed or replaced, your collateral description might not accurately reflect what's currently attached to the real estate. That could be a perfection issue beyond just the continuation timing.
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Carter Holmes
•Good point. Some of the HVAC components were upgraded in 2022 but the main manufacturing equipment is all original. Should I amend the collateral description in the continuation?
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Charlotte Jones
•You can't amend the collateral description in a continuation - that would require a separate UCC-3 amendment. But if the core equipment securing the loan is still there and properly attached, the continuation should be fine.
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Ella Lewis
•Right, continuation just extends the time period. If you need to update collateral descriptions that's a separate filing entirely.
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Alexis Renard
Update us when you get this filed! I'm curious how it goes since I have a couple fixture filings coming up for continuation next year. Always helpful to hear how the process actually works in practice.
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Carter Holmes
•Will do. I'm planning to file the continuation in the next couple weeks so I'll report back on how smooth the Ohio SOS portal is.
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Sophia Long
•Yeah please update. Ohio's system has been pretty reliable in my experience but it's good to hear current user reports.
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Emma Davis
Carter, I've been following this thread and it sounds like you've got good advice here. Just wanted to add that I always recommend doing a quick search of the current UCC records before filing the continuation to make sure there haven't been any unauthorized filings or changes to your original record. It's rare, but I've seen cases where clerical errors at the filing office or identity mix-ups created problems that weren't discovered until someone tried to continue a filing. Takes 5 minutes to search Ohio SOS records online and could save you headaches down the road. Also, keep detailed records of when you file the continuation - not just the filing receipt but screenshots of the confirmation page. You never know when you might need to prove exactly when something was submitted.
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Mateo Hernandez
•That's excellent advice Emma. I hadn't thought about doing a current search before filing the continuation. With all the system changes and potential for clerical errors, it makes total sense to verify the original filing is still showing up correctly in the database. I'll definitely do that search first and take screenshots of everything when I file. Thanks for the practical tips - this is exactly the kind of real-world guidance I was hoping to get from this community.
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Taylor To
•Emma's advice about doing a pre-filing search is spot on. I learned this the hard way when I found a data entry error had corrupted our original filing record - the debtor name had an extra space that wasn't visible in the original confirmation but showed up in the database. Caught it just before filing a continuation and had to do a corrective amendment first. Now I always verify the current record matches my files exactly before doing any UCC-3 work. Also seconding the screenshot advice - I keep a folder with timestamped screenshots for every UCC filing I do.
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