UCC lien look up complications after name change merger
Running into major headaches trying to do a UCC lien look up on a borrower who went through a corporate name change last year. The company was originally filed as "Midwest Industrial Solutions LLC" but they merged and are now "Midwest Industrial Group LLC". When I search the UCC database, I'm getting partial results that don't seem to capture all the active liens. Some filings show up under the old name, others under variations of the new name. I need to make sure I'm seeing everything before we move forward with additional financing. The SOS search function seems to be missing liens that I know exist because I have the filing numbers from previous transactions. Has anyone dealt with this kind of UCC lien look up mess when there's been a name change? I'm worried about missing something critical that could affect our collateral position.
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Diego Fisher
This is exactly why name changes are such a nightmare for UCC searches. You really need to search under every possible variation of both the old and new names. The database doesn't always cross-reference properly, especially if the continuation filings weren't done correctly after the name change.
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Henrietta Beasley
•Absolutely right about searching variations. I always do partial name searches too, not just exact matches. Sometimes the filing clerks make typos or the debtor name gets truncated in weird ways.
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Lincoln Ramiro
•But how do you know you've found everything? I've been burned before thinking I had all the liens and then finding out there was one more filed under a slightly different variation.
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Faith Kingston
Had this exact problem last month. The company I was researching had three different name variations in the UCC database and I was going crazy trying to make sure I caught them all. Eventually found a tool called Certana.ai that lets you upload multiple documents and it cross-checks everything automatically. You can upload the charter documents and it verifies the debtor names match across all your UCC filings. Saved me hours of manual searching and gave me confidence I hadn't missed anything.
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Emma Johnson
•How does that work exactly? Do you just upload PDFs and it tells you if there are inconsistencies?
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Faith Kingston
•Yeah, pretty much. You upload the corporate documents and UCC filings and it flags any name mismatches or inconsistencies. Really helped me catch a lien that was filed under an old DBA name that I would have missed otherwise.
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Liam Brown
•Interesting, I'll have to check that out. I've been doing everything manually and it's such a pain when you have complex corporate structures.
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Olivia Garcia
Don't forget to check if they filed UCC-3 amendments to reflect the name change on existing liens. A lot of secured parties forget to do this and it creates a mess in the public record. If they didn't amend the original UCC-1 filings, you'll definitely have liens showing up under the old name that are still active.
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Evelyn Kim
•That's a great point. How do I tell if a UCC-3 amendment was properly filed? Should I be looking for specific language or codes?
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Olivia Garcia
•Look for UCC-3 filings that reference the original UCC-1 file number and show the name change in the amendment section. The filing should clearly indicate it's updating the debtor name from the old entity to the new one.
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Noah Lee
•Also make sure the amendment was filed in the correct state. I've seen cases where the secured party filed the amendment in their home state instead of where the original UCC-1 was filed.
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Ava Hernandez
UGH this is why I hate corporate name changes. The filing system is just not set up to handle this stuff properly. I spent three days last week trying to piece together the lien history for a company that had gone through two name changes and a merger. The SOS database search is basically useless for complex scenarios like this.
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Isabella Martin
•Tell me about it. And don't even get me started on when they change states of incorporation too. Then you're searching multiple state databases with multiple name variations.
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Elijah Jackson
•I always tell my clients to think twice before doing name changes for exactly this reason. The UCC filing complications are a nightmare.
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Sophia Miller
Have you tried calling the Secretary of State office directly? Sometimes they can do more comprehensive searches than what's available online. I've had luck getting help from the filing staff when I explain the situation.
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Mason Davis
•Good suggestion but in my experience they're usually too busy to do detailed searches. They'll tell you to use the online system.
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Mia Rodriguez
•Depends on the state. Some are more helpful than others. Worth a try though.
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Jacob Lewis
Make sure you're also checking for any DBAs or trade names the company might have used. Sometimes liens get filed under doing-business-as names that don't show up in your main entity searches.
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Amelia Martinez
•This is so important and often overlooked. I always ask for a complete list of all names the company has operated under.
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Ethan Clark
•And don't forget abbreviated versions. LLC vs L.L.C. vs Limited Liability Company - they might all be separate search results.
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Mila Walker
•The punctuation thing is real. I've seen UCC filings where the same company name appears with and without commas, periods, etc.
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Logan Scott
I actually just went through something similar and used that Certana tool someone mentioned earlier. It was pretty helpful for catching inconsistencies I wouldn't have found manually. You can upload your UCC search results along with the corporate docs and it flags potential issues.
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Chloe Green
•Did it find anything you missed in your manual search?
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Logan Scott
•Yeah, it caught a UCC-1 that was filed under a slightly different version of the company name. The middle word was abbreviated differently and I hadn't thought to search for that variation.
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Lucas Adams
Another thing to watch out for - make sure you're searching the right date ranges. If the name change happened mid-year, you need to search under the old name for filings before the change date and the new name for filings after.
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Harper Hill
•Good point. And remember that continuation filings might still reference the old name even if they were filed after the change if the secured party didn't update their records.
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Caden Nguyen
•This is getting really complicated. Maybe I should just hire a professional search company to handle this.
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Lucas Adams
•That's always an option but it can get expensive. The automated tools are usually sufficient if you know what to look for.
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Avery Flores
Don't forget to check if any of the UCC-1 filings have lapsed! If a continuation wasn't filed within the five-year window, the lien might not be active anymore even if it shows up in your search results.
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Zoe Gonzalez
•This is crucial. Just because you find a UCC-1 doesn't mean it's still effective. Always check the filing date and look for continuation statements.
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Ashley Adams
•The database usually shows the lapse date but sometimes it's not clear. Better to calculate it yourself from the original filing date.
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Alexis Robinson
I've been dealing with UCC searches for 15 years and name changes are still the most frustrating part of the job. My advice is to be obsessively thorough and document every search you do. That way if something comes up later, you can show you did your due diligence.
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Aaron Lee
•Great advice. I always keep screenshots of my search results with timestamps for exactly this reason.
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Chloe Mitchell
•Same here. CYA is critical in this business. You never know when someone's going to question your search methodology.
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Evelyn Kim
•Thanks everyone for all the advice. I'm going to try some of these approaches and see if I can get a complete picture of the lien situation. This has been really helpful.
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Anastasia Smirnova
One additional tip that's saved me countless hours - create a spreadsheet to track all your search variations and results. Include columns for the exact name searched, date range, number of results found, and notes about what you discovered. This helps you stay organized and ensures you don't accidentally search the same variation twice. I also include a column for the search URL or screenshot filename so I can quickly reference back to specific results. It's tedious upfront but becomes invaluable when you're dealing with complex corporate histories like yours.
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