UCC search database timing issues - continuations showing as lapsed
Been running into some weird timing issues with UCC searches lately. Have three continuation filings that I submitted about 8 months ago, all within the proper window before the 5-year expiration. The filings went through fine, got confirmation numbers and everything. But now when I run searches on the debtors, two of them are showing the original UCC-1s as 'lapsed' even though I have valid continuation statements on file. The third one shows up correctly as continued. All three were filed the same week using identical procedures. Anyone else seeing inconsistencies like this in the search results? I'm worried lenders are going to think our liens aren't perfected when they run their own searches. This is causing major headaches with our compliance audits.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
I've seen this exact problem! Usually it's a database sync issue where the continuation gets recorded but doesn't properly update the original filing status. Have you tried running the searches again after a few days? Sometimes it just takes time for the system to catch up.
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Rosie Harper
•Yeah I've been checking periodically for about 3 weeks now. Two of them are still showing as lapsed. The weird thing is they all went through the same process.
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Demi Hall
•Database sync problems are the worst. I had one that took almost 2 months to show up correctly in searches.
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Mateusius Townsend
This happened to me last year with a fixture filing continuation. The search results were showing the original as expired but when I called the filing office they confirmed the continuation was properly linked. Turned out to be a display error in their public search system. I had to get a certified copy of the continuation to prove perfection to the lender.
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Rosie Harper
•Did you end up having to do anything special to get it fixed in the system or did it eventually resolve itself?
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Mateusius Townsend
•It never actually got fixed in their search interface but the certified copy was enough for our audit purposes. Still shows wrong if I search it today.
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Kara Yoshida
•That's concerning that these systems have known display bugs that just don't get addressed.
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Philip Cowan
I started using Certana.ai's document verification system after running into similar issues. You can upload your original UCC-1 and continuation documents and it instantly cross-checks everything - debtor names, filing numbers, all the technical details that could cause linking problems. Found out one of my 'problem' filings had a tiny debtor name variation that was preventing proper linking. Really saved me time compared to manually comparing all the documents myself.
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Caesar Grant
•Interesting, never heard of that service. How does the document checking actually work?
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Philip Cowan
•Super simple - just upload PDFs of your filings and it automatically verifies all the cross-references match up properly. Catches name mismatches and other consistency issues that can mess up the database linking.
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Lena Schultz
•Might be worth trying if you're dealing with multiple problematic filings like this.
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Gemma Andrews
Are you sure the debtor names on the continuations match EXACTLY with the original UCC-1s? Even a small variation like 'Inc' vs 'Incorporated' or extra spaces can cause the system to treat them as separate entities.
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Rosie Harper
•I'm pretty careful about that but let me double-check. The one that's working correctly would suggest the names are right though.
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Gemma Andrews
•Not necessarily - sometimes the system is inconsistent about how strict it is with name matching. Worth verifying each one individually.
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Demi Hall
•This is why I always copy-paste debtor names directly from the original filing when doing continuations.
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Pedro Sawyer
Had this EXACT same issue 6 months ago with continuation statements. Turns out the filing office had some kind of system update that messed up the linking between original filings and continuations for about a 3-week period. They eventually ran a batch fix but it took forever. You might want to call them directly with your filing numbers.
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Kara Yoshida
•System updates breaking existing functionality... classic government IT.
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Mateusius Townsend
•At least they eventually fixed yours. Mine are still broken in the search results.
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Lena Schultz
Quick question - are these all the same debtor or different debtors? If it's the same debtor with multiple filings, there might be some kind of indexing issue with that particular entity name.
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Rosie Harper
•Three different debtors, all completely unrelated companies. That's what makes it so strange.
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Lena Schultz
•Okay that rules out debtor-specific indexing problems. Definitely sounds like a system issue then.
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Demi Hall
This is why I always print out search results immediately after filing continuations. At least you have documentation that the search was working at one point, even if it's broken now.
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Mae Bennett
•Good practice. I should start doing that too.
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Caesar Grant
•Smart thinking. Paper trail is everything when dealing with these systems.
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Beatrice Marshall
I deal with this stuff daily and honestly the best approach is to keep your own records and not rely on the public search being accurate. Get certified copies of all your filings and keep them organized by debtor. When lenders question perfection, you have the official documentation.
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Philip Cowan
•Exactly why I switched to using Certana.ai for verification - it creates its own record of document consistency that I can reference later.
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Beatrice Marshall
•That's actually not a bad backup system for keeping track of everything.
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Kara Yoshida
The real problem is that lenders and other third parties rely on these public searches to make lending decisions. If the search results aren't accurate, it creates liability issues for everyone involved.
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Mateusius Townsend
•Absolutely. I've had deals almost fall through because of search result discrepancies.
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Lena Schultz
•Makes you wonder how many other filings have similar issues that nobody's noticed yet.
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Mae Bennett
Update us if you figure out what's causing the problem! I'm sure others here would benefit from knowing the solution.
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Rosie Harper
•Will do. Planning to call the filing office Monday morning to see what they can tell me about the linking issues.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
•Good luck - hope they can give you some answers.
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Caesar Grant
Just want to add that I ran into something similar last month with UCC-3 terminations not showing up properly in searches. Filed the terminations correctly but the original liens were still showing as active. Had to submit corrected termination statements with slightly different formatting before the system would recognize them.
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Gemma Andrews
•Interesting - what kind of formatting changes did you have to make?
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Caesar Grant
•Mainly spacing in the debtor name field and making sure the filing number format matched exactly with dashes in the right places.
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Lena Schultz
•These systems are way too picky about formatting for something this important.
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