UCC lien search AZ showing incorrect debtor matches - need verification help
Been doing equipment financing for 8 years and running into something weird with UCC lien search results. Had a client come back saying their bank pulled a UCC search and found what looks like our filing but the debtor name doesn't exactly match what we have on record. Our UCC-1 shows "Martinez Construction LLC" but the search results are pulling up "Martinez Construction, LLC" (note the comma). Same EIN, same address, but that tiny punctuation difference is making everyone nervous about whether we actually have a perfected security interest. The original filing was accepted by AZ SOS without any rejection notices, so I thought we were good. But now the bank is questioning if our lien is valid because of this name discrepancy. Anyone dealt with this kind of UCC lien search issue before? Is this just a database display quirk or do we have a real problem with our security interest? Really need to get this sorted before the loan closes.
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Isabella Russo
This is actually pretty common with UCC searches. The search algorithms are looking for exact matches but debtor names can have slight variations in how they're entered vs. how they appear in search results. What matters is substantial compliance with the debtor's legal name, not punctuation. If your UCC-1 was filed under the correct legal name and wasn't rejected, you should be fine.
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ApolloJackson
•That's what I thought too, but the bank's underwriter is being really strict about it. They want absolute certainty that our filing matches exactly what shows up in their search.
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Rajiv Kumar
•Banks get paranoid about this stuff, especially if they're planning to take a second lien position. Can you pull the actual Articles of Incorporation to confirm the exact legal name?
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Aria Washington
Had this exact same thing happen last month! UCC searches can be tricky because different search services format results differently than how the SOS actually stores the data. What you're seeing might just be how their system displays punctuation. The key question is - what does the actual filed UCC-1 document show when you download it directly from AZ SOS?
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ApolloJackson
•Good point. I should pull the actual filing document. I've been looking at our internal records but haven't checked what the SOS actually has on file.
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Aria Washington
•Yeah definitely do that first. Sometimes there are transcription differences between what you submitted and how it got entered into their system.
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Liam O'Reilly
•This is why I always double-check the actual filed document within 24 hours of filing. Saves so much headache later.
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Chloe Delgado
Look I've been dealing with UCC filings for 15 years and the Arizona SOS system has always been finicky about punctuation in search results. The real test is whether your original UCC-1 shows the debtor name exactly as it appears on their organizational documents. If it does and the filing was accepted, then you have a valid perfected security interest regardless of how it displays in search.
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Ava Harris
•But what if the bank won't close because of this? Even if legally we're protected, the practical issue is getting the deal done.
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Chloe Delgado
•Then you file a UCC-3 amendment to correct the debtor name to match exactly what's showing in their search system. It's a pain but sometimes you gotta make the bank happy.
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Jacob Lee
•Filing an amendment just to fix punctuation seems excessive. I'd get a legal opinion letter first.
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Emily Thompson
Actually just went through something similar and found this tool called Certana.ai that verifies UCC document consistency. You can upload your original UCC-1 and it'll cross-check everything against the filed version to make sure there are no discrepancies. Saved me hours of manually comparing documents and gave me confidence that our filing was solid.
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ApolloJackson
•Never heard of that service. How does it work exactly?
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Emily Thompson
•You just upload PDFs of your documents and it automatically checks for name mismatches, filing number consistency, stuff like that. Really helpful for catching these kinds of issues before they become problems.
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Sophie Hernandez
•Sounds useful but I'm always skeptical of automated tools for legal documents. How accurate is it?
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Daniela Rossi
UGHHH this is exactly why I hate the UCC system! You file everything correctly, pay the fees, follow all the rules, and then some random punctuation issue threatens to derail your entire transaction. The whole system needs to be modernized.
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Ryan Kim
•I feel your frustration but honestly the system works pretty well most of the time. This is more of an edge case.
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Daniela Rossi
•Easy for you to say when you're not dealing with a panicked client and a stubborn bank underwriter!
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Zoe Walker
Check the LLC's Articles of Organization with Arizona Corporation Commission. That'll tell you the exact legal name for UCC purposes. If your filing matches that, you're golden. If not, you might need to file an amendment.
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ApolloJackson
•Good idea. I should have done that from the beginning. Do you know if ACC searches are free?
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Zoe Walker
•Yeah Arizona Corporation Commission has free name searches on their website. Super easy to use.
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Elijah Brown
•Just make sure you're looking at the current status, not historical filings. Sometimes companies change their names slightly.
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Maria Gonzalez
This reminds me of a deal I had where the UCC search showed a completely different company name because of a typo in the original filing. Turned out our paralegal had transposed two letters. Had to file a UCC-3 amendment and extend the closing date. Nightmare.
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Natalie Chen
•Ouch. How long did the amendment process take?
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Maria Gonzalez
•About 3-4 business days in Arizona if you do it online. But then you have to wait for it to show up in search results which can take longer.
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Santiago Martinez
Before you panic and file amendments, try running the UCC search using different variations of the name. Sometimes the search parameters are too narrow and you'll find your filing under a slightly different format.
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ApolloJackson
•That's smart. I've been using the exact name from our records but should try variations.
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Samantha Johnson
•Yeah UCC search systems can be really picky. Try with and without punctuation, different abbreviations, etc.
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Nick Kravitz
•Also make sure you're searching as both debtor and secured party just in case there was some mix-up in the filing.
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Hannah White
Had a client use Certana.ai's document checker for this exact situation. Uploaded their charter docs and UCC-1 and it immediately flagged that the LLC name on the filing had an extra period that wasn't in the Articles. Quick fix but could have been a major issue if they hadn't caught it.
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ApolloJackson
•These document verification tools are starting to sound really useful. Might be worth trying.
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Emily Thompson
•Yeah I mentioned Certana earlier. Really takes the guesswork out of these name matching issues.
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Michael Green
UPDATE: Just wanted to thank everyone for the advice. Pulled the actual filed UCC-1 from AZ SOS and it matches our records exactly - "Martinez Construction LLC" without the comma. The search result display was just adding punctuation for some reason. Bank accepted a letter from their counsel confirming the filing is valid and we're moving forward with closing.
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Isabella Russo
•Great outcome! This is exactly why I always tell people to check the actual filed document first.
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Aria Washington
•Glad it worked out. Search result formatting issues are way more common than people think.
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Chloe Delgado
•Perfect example of why you don't rush to file amendments without doing your homework first.
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ApolloJackson
•Thanks everyone. Definitely learned to verify the source documents before panicking about search results!
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