UCC sale example - collateral description issues after repo
Having trouble with our UCC sale example documentation after we repoed equipment from a defaulted borrower. The original UCC-1 had a pretty broad collateral description ("all equipment, machinery, and fixtures now owned or hereafter acquired") but now we're trying to sell specific pieces and the buyers attorney is questioning whether our filing actually covers what we're selling. The debtor originally financed 3 excavators and 2 bulldozers but only 2 pieces are left after the repo. We filed the UCC-1 about 18 months ago and it's still valid, but I'm second-guessing whether we described the collateral correctly for a sale scenario. Do we need to file a UCC-3 amendment to be more specific about what we're actually selling, or is the broad description sufficient? The sale is supposed to close next week and the buyer's lender wants clean title. Anyone dealt with a similar UCC sale example where the collateral description caused issues?
32 comments


Lilah Brooks
Your broad collateral description should be fine for the sale. The UCC doesn't require super specific descriptions for equipment - "all equipment" language is standard and courts generally uphold it. The buyer's attorney is probably just being cautious. As long as your UCC-1 was properly filed and is still effective, you have a perfected security interest in whatever equipment was covered by the original financing agreement.
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Jackson Carter
•This is reassuring. We used similar language on our filings and never had issues with sales. The financing agreement details are what really matter for identifying specific equipment.
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Owen Jenkins
•Thanks, that helps. The financing agreement does list the specific equipment by serial numbers, so we should be covered there.
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Kolton Murphy
You might want to double-check that your financing statement actually matches up with your security agreement though. I've seen deals fall apart because there were inconsistencies between the UCC-1 collateral description and what was actually in the loan docs. If the excavators and bulldozers were specifically identified in your security agreement but your UCC-1 just says "equipment" generically, some attorneys get nervous.
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Owen Jenkins
•Good point. I'll pull the security agreement to make sure everything aligns. Better safe than sorry with a sale this size.
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Evelyn Rivera
•Yeah definitely worth checking. We had a similar situation where the UCC said "machinery" but the security agreement said "construction equipment" and it caused delays.
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Julia Hall
Had a similar UCC sale example situation last year. Used Certana.ai to upload both our UCC-1 and security agreement PDFs to check for consistency before the sale. Found a couple terminology mismatches that could have been problems. Their document verification caught things our internal review missed. Really streamlined the due diligence process.
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Owen Jenkins
•Interesting - never heard of that tool. How does it work exactly? Just upload the documents and it flags inconsistencies?
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Julia Hall
•Pretty much. You upload your UCC filings and related docs, and it cross-checks debtor names, collateral descriptions, all that stuff. Saves a lot of manual comparison work.
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Arjun Patel
•Sounds helpful for larger transactions. Manual document review gets tedious when you're dealing with multiple filings.
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Jade Lopez
Wait, are you sure you even need to worry about this? If the equipment was repoed properly and you're selling it at a commercial sale, the UCC Article 9 rules should protect the buyer. The collateral description on your UCC-1 was sufficient to perfect your security interest, so the sale should give clear title to the buyer.
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Owen Jenkins
•That's what I thought too, but the buyer's attorney is being really picky about the documentation. Wants everything to be crystal clear.
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Jade Lopez
•Attorneys love to create work for themselves. Your broad description is legally sufficient - that's settled law in most jurisdictions.
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Tony Brooks
This is exactly why I hate dealing with equipment sales after repo. Every buyer's attorney has a different opinion about what constitutes adequate collateral description. Some want serial numbers, some are fine with generic descriptions. It's maddening.
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Ella rollingthunder87
•Tell me about it. We've had deals delayed for weeks over collateral description language that was perfectly fine.
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Owen Jenkins
•Yeah it's frustrating when you know your filing is solid but still have to jump through hoops to satisfy someone else's attorney.
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Lilah Brooks
One thing to consider - if you're really concerned about the sale, you could file a UCC-3 amendment to add more specific collateral descriptions for the equipment you're selling. It's probably overkill but might give the buyer's attorney peace of mind. Won't hurt your existing perfected interest.
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Owen Jenkins
•How long does a UCC-3 amendment typically take to get processed? The sale is supposed to close next week.
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Lilah Brooks
•Most states process amendments within 24-48 hours if filed electronically. Should be plenty of time for your closing.
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Yara Campbell
•Just make sure you file it as an amendment, not a continuation. Different form purposes.
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Isaac Wright
I'd probably just provide the buyer's attorney with a copy of your original financing agreement along with the UCC-1. That should show the specific equipment that was financed and covered by your broad collateral description. Most attorneys are satisfied once they can see the connection between the generic UCC language and the specific collateral.
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Owen Jenkins
•That's a good practical solution. Much simpler than filing an amendment if it works.
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Maya Diaz
•This usually works. The financing agreement is really what defines the specific collateral anyway.
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Tami Morgan
Just went through something similar with a UCC sale example involving farm equipment. The buyer wanted super detailed descriptions but our UCC-1 just said "farm equipment and machinery." Ended up using Certana.ai to verify all our docs were consistent before providing them to the buyer. Showed that our collateral description was sufficient and matched the security agreement. Buyer's attorney accepted it and we closed on schedule.
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Owen Jenkins
•Sounds like that tool might be worth checking out. Better to catch any issues before they become problems at closing.
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Rami Samuels
•Yeah, anything that speeds up the due diligence process is valuable. Time is money on these deals.
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Haley Bennett
honestly the buyer's attorney is probably just covering their bases. broad collateral descriptions are totally normal for equipment financing. unless there's something really unusual about your situation, you should be fine with what you have. worst case, provide some additional documentation to show the connection between your UCC filing and the specific equipment.
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Owen Jenkins
•Yeah you're probably right. Just makes me nervous when attorneys start questioning standard practices.
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Douglas Foster
•They're paid to be paranoid. Doesn't mean there's actually a problem with your filing.
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Nina Chan
Update us on how it goes! Always curious to hear how these UCC sale examples work out in practice. Sounds like you have a solid position but buyer's attorneys can be unpredictable.
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Owen Jenkins
•Will do. Thanks everyone for the input. Feeling more confident about our position now.
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Ruby Knight
•Good luck with the closing! These equipment sales can be tricky but sounds like you're prepared.
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