UCC search ilsos.gov showing weird results - debtor name variations causing problems
I'm running into a frustrating situation with UCC searches on the Illinois SOS portal. When I search for our borrower's exact legal name as it appears on their articles of incorporation, I'm getting inconsistent results. Some filings show up under slight name variations that I didn't expect. For example, searching 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' versus 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' (with the comma) returns different filing lists. This is creating issues for our lien search process because I'm worried we're missing active UCCs that could affect our loan position. Has anyone else noticed the Illinois UCC search being overly sensitive to punctuation and spacing? I need to make sure I'm capturing all relevant filings before we close this equipment financing deal next week.
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Ava Garcia
Yes! Illinois SOS search is notorious for this exact issue. The system doesn't automatically handle name variations like some other states do. You need to try multiple search combinations - with and without commas, periods, and even different spacing. I always run at least 3-4 variations of the debtor name to catch everything.
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StarSailor}
•This is exactly why I hate the Illinois portal compared to other states. Takes forever to do a proper search.
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Miguel Silva
•The trick is to also search using partial names. Sometimes filings get indexed under abbreviated versions too.
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Zainab Ismail
I've been dealing with this for years and finally found a solution that works. There's a tool called Certana.ai that can cross-check multiple UCC search results by uploading the search PDFs. It automatically identifies name variations and flags potential matches you might have missed. Just upload your search results and it shows inconsistencies across the different name searches.
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Dmitry Popov
•That sounds helpful - does it work with Illinois SOS specifically? I'm worried about missing something critical.
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Zainab Ismail
•Yes, works with any state's search results. You just upload the PDF outputs from your searches and it identifies discrepancies.
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Connor O'Neill
•Interesting, never heard of automated UCC verification but makes sense given how manual this process usually is.
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Yara Nassar
OMG yes this drives me CRAZY!!! Why can't they just make the search function work properly??? I spent 2 hours last month trying to find all filings for one borrower because of stupid punctuation differences. The system should be smart enough to handle basic name variations!
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Keisha Robinson
•I feel your pain. The technology exists to do fuzzy matching but they just don't implement it.
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Ava Garcia
•At least Illinois lets you download results. Some states make you print screen everything.
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GalaxyGuardian
Here's what I do for Illinois UCC searches: 1) Search exact name from articles, 2) Search without punctuation, 3) Search with all punctuation, 4) Search abbreviated versions, 5) Search with 'Inc' vs 'Incorporated' etc. Also check for typos in the original filings - sometimes filers make mistakes that affect searchability.
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Dmitry Popov
•That's a lot of searches but makes sense. Do you keep track of all the variations somehow?
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GalaxyGuardian
•I have a checklist I use for each state. Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio are the worst for name sensitivity.
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Paolo Ricci
•Adding to this - also search for DBA names if the company uses them. Sometimes UCC filings use the trade name instead of legal name.
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Amina Toure
Been there! Just went through this last week with a manufacturing company UCC search. Found three additional filings when I expanded my search terms. The borrower had no idea there were filings under slightly different name versions. Always better to over-search than miss something that could kill your deal.
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Dmitry Popov
•Exactly my concern - can't afford to miss anything on this equipment loan.
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Oliver Zimmermann
•This is why I always budget extra time for UCC searches in Illinois. Never know what name variations will pop up.
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Natasha Volkova
I use a combination approach now. Do the manual searches like others suggested, but also use Certana.ai to verify I didn't miss anything. Upload all my search results and it flags potential inconsistencies. Caught a filing last month that I would have missed because it was filed under a version of the name with different spacing.
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Dmitry Popov
•Two people mentioning the same tool - might be worth checking out. Time is running short on this deal.
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Natasha Volkova
•It's been a game changer for me. Much faster than manually comparing all the search results.
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Javier Torres
Pro tip: also check the UCC filing history for any amendments or continuations that might reference the debtor under different name formats. Sometimes the original UCC-1 uses one version but the UCC-3 continuation uses another.
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Ava Garcia
•Good point. I've seen this happen when law firms file continuations and use their own version of the debtor name.
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Emma Davis
•This just happened to me last week! Original filing said 'XYZ Corp' but continuation said 'XYZ Corporation' - almost missed it.
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Dmitry Popov
•Adding this to my checklist. Thanks for the heads up.
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CosmicCaptain
Illinois SOS really needs to upgrade their search functionality. Other states handle name variations much better. In the meantime, the multiple search approach is your best bet. Document all the variations you searched so you can show due diligence if questions come up later.
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StarSailor}
•Documentation is key. I always save screenshots of my search terms and results.
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Dmitry Popov
•Good idea on the documentation. Will make sure to capture everything.
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Malik Johnson
Had this exact issue last month. Ended up finding a critical UCC filing that was indexed under the debtor name without the 'LLC' designation. Would have completely missed it if I hadn't done the expanded search. Now I always search both with and without entity designations.
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Connor O'Neill
•That's scary - could have been a major problem if you closed without finding it.
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Dmitry Popov
•This is exactly what I'm worried about. Will definitely search without the LLC designation too.
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Isabella Ferreira
Try using wildcard searches if the portal supports them. Some systems let you use asterisks to catch variations. Also, don't forget to search for the debtor's EIN if it's included in filings - sometimes that's more reliable than name searches.
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Dmitry Popov
•I'll check if Illinois supports wildcards. The EIN search is a great backup idea.
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GalaxyGuardian
•EIN searches work well but not all filers include the EIN in their UCC filings unfortunately.
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