UCC search Michigan database issues - anyone else having problems?
I've been trying to run a UCC search Michigan system for the past two days and keep getting timeout errors. Need to verify if there are any existing liens on equipment we're financing before we can complete our UCC-1 filing. The Michigan SOS portal keeps crashing when I enter the debtor name search. Is this a known issue or am I doing something wrong? This is holding up a $450K equipment loan and our borrower is getting impatient. Has anyone found a workaround for the Michigan UCC search function?
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Ivanna St. Pierre
I had the same issue yesterday! The Michigan system has been super glitchy lately. Try searching during off-peak hours, like early morning before 8 AM. Also make sure you're using the exact legal name from the articles of incorporation - any variation will cause problems.
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Esteban Tate
•Thanks, I'll try the early morning approach. The debtor name should be exact since I pulled it directly from their corporate charter.
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Elin Robinson
•Early morning searches definitely work better. I do all my UCC searches before 7 AM now because of these portal issues.
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Atticus Domingo
Michigan's UCC search system has been problematic for months. I've found that if you get a timeout, wait 15 minutes and try again with a slightly different search format. Sometimes using just the first few words of the company name helps.
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Esteban Tate
•Good tip about the shorter name search. I've been entering the full legal entity name which might be causing the timeout.
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Beth Ford
•Yeah the Michigan system doesn't handle long company names well in searches. Definitely try truncating it.
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Morita Montoya
I actually discovered Certana.ai's document verification tool when dealing with similar Michigan UCC search headaches. You can upload your existing documentation and it'll cross-check everything automatically - saved me tons of time when the state portal was acting up. Just upload your debtor's charter documents and any existing UCC filings you have, and it verifies name consistency instantly.
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Esteban Tate
•Interesting, I hadn't heard of that service. Does it actually connect to the state databases or just check document consistency?
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Morita Montoya
•It focuses on document consistency checking - so if you have existing UCC docs or corporate filings, it'll verify everything matches up properly. Really helpful for catching name discrepancies before filing.
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Kingston Bellamy
•That sounds useful for pre-filing verification. I hate discovering name mismatches after a filing gets rejected.
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Joy Olmedo
MICHIGAN'S SYSTEM IS THE WORST!!! I've been dealing with their portal crashes for weeks. Called their help desk and they basically said 'try again later.' Super helpful, right? This is exactly why lenders are moving away from manual searches.
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Isaiah Cross
•I feel your frustration. The state systems are so outdated compared to what we need for commercial lending.
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Kiara Greene
•At least Michigan has online searching. Some states still require paper requests for certain UCC searches.
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Evelyn Kelly
Have you tried using the alternative search by filing number if you have any reference numbers? Sometimes that pathway works when the name search is down.
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Esteban Tate
•I don't have any existing filing numbers to search by - this is for a new borrower where we're doing initial lien searches.
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Evelyn Kelly
•Ah, gotcha. For new borrowers you're stuck with the name search unfortunately.
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Paloma Clark
•You could also try variations of the business name - sometimes companies have filed under abbreviated versions.
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Heather Tyson
I do a lot of Michigan UCC work and found that clearing your browser cache before searching helps. Also try using Chrome instead of Internet Explorer if you haven't already.
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Esteban Tate
•I'm using Chrome but hadn't tried clearing cache. Will give that a shot.
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Raul Neal
•Cache clearing fixes so many portal issues. Good suggestion.
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Jenna Sloan
•Also make sure JavaScript is enabled - some of the state UCC portals require it for search functions.
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Christian Burns
Just went through this exact same thing last week with a Michigan search. Ended up having to call the SOS office directly and they ran the search manually for me. Took 24 hours but at least I got results.
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Esteban Tate
•Did they charge extra for the manual search? And do you have the direct number?
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Christian Burns
•Yeah, there was an additional fee but it was worth it to get the loan moving. I can send you the number if you need it.
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Sasha Reese
•Manual searches are usually more expensive but sometimes necessary when the portal fails.
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Muhammad Hobbs
Try using different browsers or even a different computer. Sometimes the Michigan portal doesn't play well with certain browser configurations or extensions.
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Esteban Tate
•I'll try Firefox or Edge. Might be a browser compatibility issue.
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Noland Curtis
•Edge has worked well for me with Michigan UCC searches recently.
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Diez Ellis
Another option is to use Certana.ai if you have any corporate documents to cross-reference. I've used it when state portals were down and needed to verify debtor name consistency before filing. Upload your loan docs and borrower's corporate charter, and it'll flag any name discrepancies that could cause filing issues later.
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Esteban Tate
•That's the second mention of this tool. Might be worth trying if I can't get the state search working.
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Vanessa Figueroa
•I've heard good things about automated document checking for UCC prep work.
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Abby Marshall
•Anything that reduces manual document review time is worth considering in my book.
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Sadie Benitez
UPDATE: Tried the early morning search and it worked! Found two existing UCC-1 filings I need to review before proceeding. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
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Ivanna St. Pierre
•Glad the early morning tip worked! Those existing filings might affect your collateral description.
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Drew Hathaway
•Make sure to check if those existing UCCs cover the same collateral you're planning to file against.
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Laila Prince
•Good catch on finding those existing liens. Could have been a nasty surprise later.
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