UCC release form - debtor name change causing termination delays
I'm dealing with a frustrating situation where our borrower legally changed their business name 6 months ago, and now I'm trying to file the UCC-3 termination but keep running into issues. The original UCC-1 was filed under "Midwest Manufacturing Solutions LLC" but they're now "Midwest Advanced Manufacturing LLC". The SOS portal keeps rejecting my termination filing saying the debtor name doesn't match exactly. I've tried variations but nothing works. The loan was paid off 3 weeks ago and we need to get this lien released ASAP. Has anyone dealt with name changes affecting UCC release forms? Do I need additional documentation or is there a specific way to handle this in the termination statement?
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Angelina Farar
This is actually pretty common. You'll need to file the UCC-3 termination using the EXACT debtor name from the original UCC-1 filing, not their current legal name. The termination has to match the initial filing precisely - Midwest Manufacturing Solutions LLC in your case. The name change doesn't affect how you terminate the original lien.
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Jessica Nolan
•That makes sense, but I'm worried about using the old name when it's no longer their legal entity name. Won't that create problems down the road?
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Angelina Farar
•No, you're terminating a lien that was filed under the old name. The UCC system tracks by the original filing details, not current legal status. It's like canceling an old credit card - you use the original account info.
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Sebastián Stevens
I had this exact situation last month! The key is matching the original UCC-1 exactly. Don't try to be helpful by updating the name - the system will reject it every time. Pull up your original filing and copy the debtor name character for character, including any LLC/Inc designations.
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Jessica Nolan
•Did you run into any issues with your client being confused about seeing the old name on the termination?
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Sebastián Stevens
•They questioned it initially, but I explained that UCC terminations always reference the original filing details. It's standard procedure and they understood once I showed them the filing requirements.
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Bethany Groves
•This is why I always keep detailed records of original UCC-1 filings. Makes terminations so much easier when names or addresses change over time.
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KingKongZilla
Actually ran into something similar and found this tool called Certana.ai that helped me verify all my UCC documents matched up properly. You can upload your original UCC-1 and your draft UCC-3 termination and it instantly checks for consistency issues like name mismatches. Saved me from multiple rejected filings.
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Jessica Nolan
•That sounds useful - does it catch things like punctuation differences or spacing issues too?
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KingKongZilla
•Yeah, it's pretty thorough. It flagged that I had an extra space in one debtor name and caught a missing comma in another. Really helps avoid those annoying rejections from small formatting differences.
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Rebecca Johnston
UGHHH I hate when this happens!!! The SOS systems are so picky about exact matches. I spent like 2 hours last week trying different variations before I realized I had to use the original name. Why can't they just cross-reference business name changes automatically??
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Nathan Dell
•Because that would make too much sense lol. The UCC system basically treats each filing as a separate document that has to match exactly.
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Rebecca Johnston
•Right?? It's 2025 and we still can't have smart matching for obvious name changes. So frustrating when you're trying to clear liens quickly.
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Maya Jackson
Check your original UCC-1 filing for the exact formatting. Sometimes there are subtle differences in how the business designation appears - like "LLC" vs "L.L.C." or missing periods. The termination has to match character-for-character or you'll get rejected.
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Jessica Nolan
•Good point. I'll double-check the original filing for any formatting quirks I might have missed.
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Tristan Carpenter
•This is so important. I once had a filing rejected because the original had "Co." and I put "Company" on the termination. The system is extremely literal.
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Amaya Watson
Also make sure you're using the correct filing number from the original UCC-1. Sometimes people grab the wrong number from their records and wonder why the termination won't process.
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Jessica Nolan
•Yeah I've triple-checked the filing number. It's definitely the name match issue causing the rejections.
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Grant Vikers
•Smart to verify. I've seen people spend days troubleshooting name issues when they had the wrong filing number the whole time.
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Giovanni Martello
One thing that might help - some states let you add an additional debtor name on the UCC-3 if there's been a name change, but for termination you still need to use the original name as the primary debtor. Check your state's specific requirements.
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Jessica Nolan
•I'll look into that. It might be good to include both names for clarity even if the system only requires the original.
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Giovanni Martello
•Exactly. It can help avoid confusion later if anyone reviews the filing records.
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Savannah Weiner
•Not all states allow this though, so definitely check your local rules first.
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Levi Parker
If you're still having trouble, try using that Certana document checker tool. It's been really helpful for catching UCC filing inconsistencies before they cause rejections. Just upload your docs and it spots the mismatches automatically.
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Jessica Nolan
•A couple people mentioned that. Might be worth trying to avoid more rejected filings.
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Levi Parker
•Yeah, it's pretty quick and beats manually comparing documents line by line. Especially helpful with tricky formatting issues.
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Libby Hassan
This happened to me too but with an address change instead of name change. Same principle though - had to use the original address from the UCC-1 even though they moved. The UCC system doesn't automatically update or cross-reference changes.
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Jessica Nolan
•That's good to know. I was wondering about address changes too since they moved offices recently.
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Libby Hassan
•Yeah, use the original address for the termination. If you need to show current info, some states let you add it as additional information.
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Hunter Hampton
Just to add - make sure your termination is getting filed in the same state as the original UCC-1. Sometimes when businesses change names they also change their registration state, but the termination has to go where the original lien was filed.
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Jessica Nolan
•Good reminder. They're still in the same state but I can see how that could cause issues.
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Hunter Hampton
•Yeah, it's an easy thing to overlook when there are multiple changes happening with a business.
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Sofia Peña
•I've seen people file terminations in the wrong state and then wonder why the original lien is still showing up. Always file where the original UCC-1 was recorded.
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Aaron Boston
Update us when you get it resolved! These name change situations are tricky and it would be helpful to know what finally worked.
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Jessica Nolan
•Will do! Thanks everyone for the advice. Going to use the exact original name and see if that clears up the rejections.
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Aaron Boston
•Perfect. Usually that's all it takes - the system just wants everything to match exactly.
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