UCC search coming up empty despite valid filing number - database lag or wrong portal?
Been trying to run a UCC search on what should be an active filing and getting zero results. Have the exact filing number from our loan docs (handed to me by our attorney last month) but when I plug it into the state portal nothing comes back. This is for equipment we financed in March and I know the UCC-1 was supposed to be filed within 30 days of closing. Our bank is asking for proof the lien is properly recorded before they'll release the next draw on our credit line. Anyone else run into search issues where valid filings just don't show up? Starting to worry something got misfiled or the debtor name doesn't match exactly what's in our corporate charter.
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Thais Soares
State databases can have serious lag times, especially if it was filed recently. What state are you searching in? Some take 3-5 business days to show up in the online portal even after acceptance. Also double-check you're using the right search format - some states are picky about exact debtor name matching.
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Fiona Gallagher
•It's been about 6 weeks since closing so lag shouldn't be the issue. I've tried variations of our company name but still nothing. Getting nervous our lender messed up the filing somehow.
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Nalani Liu
•6 weeks is definitely long enough. Something's wrong with either the filing or your search terms. Have you tried searching by secured party name instead of debtor name?
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Axel Bourke
This exact thing happened to me last year. Turns out the filing was done under a slightly different version of our business name than what's on our articles of incorporation. The attorney used the DBA name instead of the legal entity name. You might want to check all possible name variations your business operates under.
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Fiona Gallagher
•That's a good point. We do have a DBA that's different from our incorporation name. Let me try searching under that.
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Aidan Percy
•DBA vs legal name mismatches are super common filing errors. The UCC-1 should really use the exact name from your state's business registry to be properly perfected.
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Fernanda Marquez
•Actually had this bite us on a deal where the lender filed under our old business name from before we amended our articles. Took months to catch and fix with a UCC-3 amendment.
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Norman Fraser
Before you panic, have you confirmed the filing was actually submitted? Sometimes attorneys prepare the UCC-1 but forget to actually file it. Ask for a copy of the filing receipt or confirmation number from the state.
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Fiona Gallagher
•Good suggestion. I assumed it was filed but haven't actually seen proof. Will contact our attorney for the filing confirmation.
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Kendrick Webb
•Yeah this is step one. Get the actual filing receipt before spending more time troubleshooting search terms. If there's no receipt, nothing was filed.
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Hattie Carson
I had a similar nightmare trying to verify document consistency across multiple UCC filings. Found this tool called Certana.ai that lets you upload PDFs and it automatically cross-checks debtor names, filing numbers, and document details. Super helpful for catching name mismatches between your charter docs and UCC filings. Just upload your incorporation papers and any UCC docs you have - it'll spot inconsistencies instantly.
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Fiona Gallagher
•Interesting, never heard of that service. Might be worth trying if I can get copies of all the docs from our attorney.
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Destiny Bryant
•Used Certana recently for a similar issue. It's pretty slick - caught a middle initial difference between our articles and UCC filing that we never would have spotted manually.
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Dyllan Nantx
•How does the pricing work on something like that? Is it worth it for a one-off check?
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Hattie Carson
•Honestly don't remember the exact cost but it was reasonable for the peace of mind. Way cheaper than having to fix a misfiled UCC later or dealing with lien priority issues.
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TillyCombatwarrior
Make sure you're searching the right state too. If your business operates across state lines, the UCC might have been filed in a different state than where you're looking. Equipment financing sometimes gets filed in the state where the equipment is located rather than where the business is incorporated.
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Fiona Gallagher
•We're only in one state and the equipment is here too, so that shouldn't be the issue. But good point for others reading this.
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Anna Xian
•Multi-state filing rules are confusing. I've seen UCC-1s filed in the wrong state and it completely invalidates the security interest.
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Jungleboo Soletrain
UGH these state portals are the WORST. Half the time they're down for maintenance, the other half they give you cryptic error messages. I've had filings that were definitely submitted just vanish from search results for no reason. The whole system needs an overhaul.
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Rajan Walker
•Seriously, some of these state websites look like they haven't been updated since 2005. The search functions are terrible.
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Nadia Zaldivar
•At least your state has an online portal. We still have to mail in search requests and wait 2 weeks for a response.
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Lukas Fitzgerald
Try calling the state filing office directly. Sometimes they can do a manual search or tell you if there are known issues with the online system. Most states have a UCC help desk that's actually pretty responsive.
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Fiona Gallagher
•Good idea. Probably faster than going back and forth with our attorney. Will give them a call tomorrow.
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Ev Luca
•The phone support is usually way better than the online help. They can search by partial names or other criteria that the web portal doesn't allow.
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Avery Davis
•Just make sure you have all your business details handy when you call. They'll want incorporation dates, addresses, all possible name variations, etc.
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Collins Angel
UPDATE: Finally got to the bottom of this. Our attorney did file the UCC-1 but used our DBA name instead of our legal corporate name. The filing is valid but wasn't showing up in searches under our incorporation name. Going to file a UCC-3 amendment to add our legal name as an additional debtor name just to be safe. Thanks everyone for the suggestions - definitely learned to double-check name consistency across all our filing docs.
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Marcelle Drum
•Glad you figured it out! Name issues are so common but easy to miss. Smart move doing the amendment for extra protection.
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Tate Jensen
•This is exactly why I always run document verification now before any major financing. Too many ways for name mismatches to cause problems later.
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Adaline Wong
•Great outcome. Might want to have a conversation with your attorney about UCC best practices to avoid this in future deals.
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