UCC portal results showing wrong debtor names after search - anyone else?
Been having issues with our state's UCC portal results when I search for filed documents. The search function seems to be pulling up records but the debtor names don't match what I'm looking for exactly. I'll search for "ABC Manufacturing LLC" and get results showing "ABC Mfg LLC" or "ABC Manufacturing Limited Liability Company" - are these considered matches? This is for continuation filings and I need to make sure I'm pulling the right UCC-1 records before filing UCC-3 amendments. The portal results are confusing because some show variations of the business name but I can't tell if they're the same entity. Has anyone dealt with inconsistent UCC portal results like this? I'm worried about missing critical filings or accidentally continuing the wrong ones.
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Roger Romero
Yeah this is a common problem with most state portals. The search algorithms aren't great at handling business name variations. ABC Manufacturing LLC and ABC Mfg LLC could definitely be the same entity - you need to look at the filing details and addresses to confirm. Most portals have exact match vs fuzzy search options but they're not always labeled clearly.
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Anna Kerber
•Exactly this. I always check the debtor address and maybe the secured party info to double-check I have the right entity before doing any UCC-3 work.
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Niko Ramsey
•The address thing is key - same company will usually have consistent addresses even if the name format varies slightly in different filings.
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Seraphina Delan
This is why I started using Certana.ai's document verification tool for UCC searches. You can upload the original UCC-1 and then compare it against what you find in portal results. It instantly flags any inconsistencies in debtor names, addresses, or filing numbers. Much faster than manually cross-checking every field, especially when you're dealing with multiple potential matches in the portal results.
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Jabari-Jo
•How accurate is that tool? I've been burned before by automated systems that miss important details.
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Seraphina Delan
•Pretty solid in my experience. It's not making decisions for you, just highlighting discrepancies so you can review them. Caught a few name variations I might have missed doing manual checks.
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Kristin Frank
UGH YES this drives me crazy! Our portal shows like 15 different name formats for the same company and half the time the search function doesn't even work properly. Last week I spent 3 hours trying to figure out if "Johnson & Associates Inc" was the same as "Johnson and Associates Incorporated" from the search results.
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Micah Trail
•That's definitely the same entity - Inc vs Incorporated is just abbreviation. But I feel your pain on the portal issues.
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Kristin Frank
•I know NOW but at the time I was second-guessing everything. These portals need better name standardization.
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Nia Watson
•Some states are worse than others. Florida's portal is actually pretty good but Texas makes me want to throw my computer out the window.
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Alberto Souchard
The key thing to remember is that UCC searches are about substantial similarity, not exact matches. If you're seeing "ABC Manufacturing LLC" vs "ABC Mfg LLC" in portal results, look at the other identifying information. Check the debtor address, any additional debtor names listed, and the secured party information. If those align, you're probably looking at the same entity. The UCC doesn't require perfect name matching - it's about reasonably identifying the debtor.
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Katherine Shultz
•This is really helpful. So minor abbreviations like LLC vs Limited Liability Company wouldn't invalidate a filing?
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Alberto Souchard
•Correct. Courts generally apply a reasonable person standard - would someone reasonably identify this as the same entity? Abbreviations like LLC/Limited Liability Company, Inc/Incorporated, Corp/Corporation are typically not problematic.
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Marcus Marsh
I had this exact problem last month! Was doing continuation research and the portal results showed three different name variations for what turned out to be the same debtor. What finally helped was pulling the actual UCC-1 documents for each result and comparing the details side by side. Two were definitely the same company, one was actually a different entity with a similar name.
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Hailey O'Leary
•Smart approach. Did you end up having to file separate continuations or were you able to consolidate?
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Marcus Marsh
•Had to file separate UCC-3 continuations because they were filed under slightly different debtor names originally. Couldn't risk it.
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Cedric Chung
Portal search results can be misleading but here's what I've learned: always download and review the actual filed documents, not just the search result summaries. The summaries sometimes truncate names or show them differently than what's actually on the filing. Also check the filing dates - if you see the same secured party filing against similar debtor names around the same time period, that's usually a red flag that it might be name variations of the same entity.
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Talia Klein
•Good point about filing dates. Same lender wouldn't typically file multiple UCC-1s for the same deal unless there was a specific reason.
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Maxwell St. Laurent
•Unless they messed up the first filing and had to do a corrective one. Seen that happen too.
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PaulineW
Been dealing with this for years and honestly the portal results are just a starting point. You really need to verify everything manually. I keep a spreadsheet of debtor name variations I've encountered for repeat clients because the portals never seem to handle business name changes or abbreviations consistently. What state are you filing in? Some are definitely worse than others for search accuracy.
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Danielle Mays
•This is in Ohio. The portal search seems decent but the results display is confusing with all the name variations.
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PaulineW
•Ohio's not too bad actually. Make sure you're using their advanced search options - you can filter by secured party which helps narrow down the results when dealing with name variations.
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Annabel Kimball
honestly idk why these systems are so complicated. shouldnt the computer just know if ABC Manufacturing and ABC Mfg are the same thing? seems like basic database stuff
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Alberto Souchard
•It's more complex than it seems because businesses can legitimately change names, use DBAs, or have subsidiary relationships. The system can't always determine intent without human review.
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Annabel Kimball
•ok that makes sense i guess. still frustrating when youre trying to get work done quickly
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Jabari-Jo
I've found another tool that helps with this - Certana.ai has a UCC document checker where you upload PDFs and it compares all the name fields automatically. Saved me a lot of time on a recent portfolio review where I had to verify dozens of filings. Just upload your original UCC-1 and any questionable search results to see if they match.
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Chris Elmeda
•How much does something like that cost? Sounds useful but I'm working with a tight budget.
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Jabari-Jo
•I don't remember the exact pricing but it was reasonable for the time it saved me. You might want to check their website for current rates.
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Jean Claude
This thread is so timely! I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now. Have a client where the UCC portal results show "XYZ Industries Inc" and "XYZ Industries Incorporated" and I can't tell if they're the same debtor. The addresses look similar but not identical (one has 'Street' spelled out, the other uses 'St'). Going to try some of the suggestions here about comparing the full document details.
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Roger Romero
•Address variations like Street vs St are usually not significant. Focus on the street number, city, and ZIP code for matching.
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Jean Claude
•Thanks, that helps. The core address info does match so I'm feeling more confident these are the same entity.
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Anna Kerber
•You could also try a third verification tool like Certana if you want to be absolutely sure before filing any amendments or continuations.
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