UCC search API integration throwing debtor name validation errors

Yeah we're seeing that issue too. The API documentation doesn't specify which suffix formats are accepted. Manual searches seem more forgiving.

This is exactly why I gave up on API searches last year. Too unreliable for production use.

Multi-state searches which makes it even more complicated. Each state seems to have different formatting requirements.

Oh man, multi-state API searches are brutal. Each SOS system has its own quirks and undocumented requirements.

Interesting, does it handle the search automation part or just verification after you've already found filings?

It does both actually. Upload your PDFs and it runs consistency checks across multiple search databases. Much easier than coding API integrations.

That sounds like it could solve the formatting headaches we're dealing with.

Because manual searches don't scale when you're doing hundreds per week. That's not realistic for volume operations.

fair point i guess. still think these APIs are more trouble than theyre worth most of the time

Exactly! We're missing filings that clearly belong to the same entity but have slight name variations. API search is too rigid.

Have you tried building in name variation logic on your end? Like automatically generating common suffix alternatives before sending to API?

We tried that approach but it exponentially increases API calls and still misses edge cases.

We're using a mix of direct state APIs and one third-party aggregator. The third-party is more reliable but costs more per search.

Yeah that cost adds up fast when you're doing volume searches. Direct state APIs are cheaper but way more buggy.

I get the frustration but for compliance purposes we need real-time search capability. Can't wait for batch processing when deadlines are tight.

True, I'm lucky our business model allows for some delay in search results.

We've seen some of that too. Getting 401 errors even with valid tokens. API documentation never mentions token refresh requirements clearly.

Exactly. I had to reverse engineer the token refresh timing because their docs were useless.

State government APIs are notoriously poorly documented. It's like they don't want people to use them.

How's the accuracy compared to manual portal searches? Do you still double-check critical searches manually?

Accuracy is actually better than what I was getting with manual searches. It's more systematic about checking name variations and catching filing inconsistencies.

This is so true. The whole infrastructure feels like an afterthought bolted onto 20-year-old systems.

Right? And then they charge premium prices for API access that barely works half the time.

That explains why the error messages are so cryptic. The API is just a thin wrapper around an old system.

Manual isn't scalable for everyone though. Some businesses need the automation even if it's imperfect.

yeah i get that. just saying from my experience the APIs cause more problems than they solve right now

That's really helpful! Can you share more details about your preprocessing rules? What suffix mappings are you using?

Sure, I can put together a quick reference guide. The key is having a comprehensive mapping table for all the common entity suffix variations.

This preprocessing approach makes sense. Most of the API failures are probably just formatting issues rather than actual search problems.