UCC lien search Tennessee showing wrong debtor name - filing rejected twice
Got a major headache with a UCC lien search Tennessee situation. We're trying to file a UCC-1 for equipment financing on a $280K excavator deal, but the Tennessee SOS portal keeps rejecting our filing because the debtor name doesn't match what's showing up in their system. When I run the UCC lien search Tennessee database, it shows the company as 'ABC Construction LLC' but our loan docs have 'ABC Construction, LLC' (with the comma). The bank is breathing down my neck because we're supposed to close tomorrow and they won't fund without the perfected security interest. Filed twice already and got rejected both times with the same error code. Is this comma thing really going to kill our deal? The business is definitely the same entity - same EIN, same address, same principals. How picky is Tennessee about exact name matches? I've heard other states are more forgiving but this is my first Tennessee filing and I'm stressed.
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Zoe Alexopoulos
Tennessee is super strict about debtor names on UCC filings. Even small punctuation differences like commas can cause rejections. You need to match exactly what's in their Secretary of State database. Have you tried searching their business entity database to see how the LLC is officially registered?
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Andre Lefebvre
•I did check the business entity search and it shows 'ABC Construction LLC' without the comma. So our loan docs are wrong then? Can we amend the loan agreement or do we need to refile the UCC with the correct name?
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•You can't amend the loan docs easily at this stage. File the UCC-1 with the exact name from the state database. The loan docs having a comma doesn't invalidate the filing as long as the UCC uses the legally correct name.
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Jamal Anderson
This exact thing happened to me last month with a Tennessee filing! The debtor name issue is no joke there. What saved me was using Certana.ai's document verification tool - I uploaded both the articles of incorporation and my UCC-1 draft, and it instantly flagged the name mismatch before I even submitted. Saved me from another rejection.
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Mei Wong
•Never heard of Certana.ai but that sounds useful. How does it work exactly?
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Jamal Anderson
•You just upload your PDFs and it cross-checks everything automatically. Found like 3 other inconsistencies in my docs too - filing number format, collateral description issues. Takes like 2 minutes.
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Andre Lefebvre
•Definitely need to check that out. Can't afford another rejection at this point.
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QuantumQuasar
Tennessee SOS is absolutely ruthless with name matching. I've seen deals fall apart over apostrophes and ampersands. Always always always verify the exact legal name in their business entity database before filing. It's not just Tennessee though - most states are getting stricter about this stuff.
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Liam McGuire
•So true. Had a client whose UCC got rejected because we used '&' instead of spelling out 'and' in the business name. $50K mistake right there.
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Amara Eze
•Wait, do you mean the filing fee was $50K or the deal was worth $50K? Because Tennessee UCC filing fees are only like $10-15.
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Liam McGuire
•The deal was $50K. Rejection caused delays, client went with another lender. Expensive lesson about debtor name accuracy.
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Giovanni Greco
OMG this is literally happening to me right now too! Different state but same stupid punctuation issue. Why can't these systems be more intelligent about obvious variations? It's clearly the same company!
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•Because the UCC system is designed to be precise. If you allow variations, you create ambiguity about which entity actually granted the security interest. The strict matching protects both lenders and borrowers.
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Giovanni Greco
•I get it legally but it's still frustrating when you're trying to close a deal and the system rejects over a comma.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
File with the correct name ASAP. Tennessee processes UCC filings pretty quickly if you submit during business hours. Also make sure your collateral description is specific enough - they've been rejecting vague descriptions lately too.
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Andre Lefebvre
•Good point about collateral description. I just put 'construction equipment' - is that too vague?
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•Way too vague. Include make, model, year, serial number if you have it. At minimum 'excavator equipment' or 'earthmoving equipment' - something more specific than just 'construction equipment.
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Dylan Wright
•Actually you can use broader descriptions for equipment. The key is being detailed enough to identify what you're securing but not so specific that you miss something. 'All construction and earthmoving equipment' would work.
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Sofia Torres
Had this same issue with a Tennessee UCC filing. What worked for me was calling the SOS office directly. They can tell you exactly what name format they have on file and sometimes they'll accept alternate versions if you can prove it's the same entity.
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Andre Lefebvre
•Did you actually get through to someone? Every time I call government offices I get stuck in phone tree hell.
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Sofia Torres
•Called at 8 AM sharp when they opened. Got through to someone in the UCC division who was actually helpful. They have a specific number for UCC questions.
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GalacticGuardian
This is why I always run a preliminary UCC search and verify debtor names before preparing any financing documents. Saves so much headache later. Tennessee's system is actually pretty good once you know the quirks.
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Dmitry Smirnov
•What other quirks should we know about Tennessee UCC filings?
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GalacticGuardian
•They're picky about address formats too. Use the exact address from the business registration. And they don't accept certain collateral descriptions that other states do.
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Ava Rodriguez
Just went through this nightmare scenario. Ended up using that Certana tool someone mentioned and it caught the name issue plus two other problems I didn't even know about. Wish I'd known about it before wasting a week on rejected filings.
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Miguel Diaz
•What other problems did it find?
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Ava Rodriguez
•Collateral description was too broad and the secured party address didn't match what we had in the loan agreement. Would have been three more rejections.
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Zainab Ahmed
Tennessee SOS updated their system last year and it's been much stricter about name matching since then. You definitely need to use the exact name from their database. No shortcuts or approximations.
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Connor Gallagher
•When did they update? I filed there in March and didn't have issues.
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Zainab Ahmed
•The update was in July. Much more automated now but way less forgiving of minor variations.
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AstroAlpha
File it correctly with the exact name from the state database and you should be fine. Don't overthink it - just match exactly what Tennessee has on file. The loan docs having a comma doesn't matter for UCC purposes as long as the filing is accurate.
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Andre Lefebvre
•Thanks everyone. Going to resubmit with the correct name and better collateral description. Hopefully third time's the charm!
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Yara Khoury
•Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
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