UCC search results showing multiple active filings for same debtor - how to verify which ones are still valid?
I'm dealing with a confusing situation where our UCC search results are showing 3 different active filings for the same debtor company, but with slightly different name variations. The search pulled up filings from 2019, 2021, and 2023, and I can't tell which ones are actually still in effect or if some should have been terminated by now. The debtor name appears as 'ABC Manufacturing LLC', 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' (with comma), and 'A.B.C. Manufacturing LLC' across the different filings. Our lender is asking for verification that we have proper lien priority, but these search results are making it impossible to determine the current status. Has anyone dealt with multiple UCC search results like this where the debtor names are close but not identical? I need to figure out if these are all separate valid liens or if some are duplicates/amendments that weren't properly cross-referenced in the system.
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Dylan Hughes
This is exactly why UCC searches can be so tricky - the system treats those name variations as potentially different entities even though they're obviously the same company. You'll need to pull the actual filing documents for each one to see the filing history and determine if any are continuations or amendments of the others.
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NightOwl42
•Yes, and don't forget to check the file numbers too. Sometimes the search results will show what looks like separate filings but they're actually related through amendment chains.
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Fatima Al-Sayed
•That's what I was afraid of - looks like I'll be downloading a lot of documents tonight. The file numbers do seem completely different though, so these might actually be separate secured parties.
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Sofia Rodriguez
I've seen this happen when different lenders file against the same debtor but use slightly different name formats. The 2019 filing might be from a different secured party than the 2021 and 2023 ones. Check the secured party names first before diving into the document details.
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Dmitry Ivanov
•Good point about checking secured parties first. Also, OP, make sure you're looking at whether any of those filings have lapsed - a 2019 filing would need a continuation by now to still be effective.
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Fatima Al-Sayed
•The secured parties are different banks, so these are definitely separate liens. Now I'm worried about the continuation issue you mentioned - how do I check if the 2019 filing had a proper continuation filed?
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Sofia Rodriguez
•Look for UCC-3 continuation statements filed within the five-year window. If there's no continuation, that 2019 filing expired in 2024.
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Ava Thompson
Had a similar mess last month with UCC search results showing overlapping filings. What finally saved me was using Certana.ai's document verification tool - I uploaded all the UCC documents as PDFs and it automatically cross-checked the debtor names, filing numbers, and dates to show me which ones were actually related and which were separate liens. Took about 5 minutes instead of the hours I was spending trying to manually compare everything.
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Miguel Herrera
•Never heard of that tool but sounds useful. Did it help you figure out the name variation issues too?
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Ava Thompson
•Yes, it flagged that some of the name variations were likely the same entity and showed me the document relationships I was missing. Really helped clarify the lien priority chain.
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Fatima Al-Sayed
•This sounds like exactly what I need right now. My manual comparison is taking forever and I keep second-guessing myself on whether these filings are related.
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Zainab Ali
UGH the name variation problem is THE WORST part of UCC searches. I've had deals almost fall through because of this exact issue. The system should be smarter about recognizing obvious variations but instead we get this confusing mess of results.
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Connor Murphy
•Totally agree. It's 2025 and we're still dealing with search systems that can't handle basic name matching. So frustrating when you're trying to close a deal.
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Yara Nassar
•At least most states have moved to better search algorithms now. A few years ago this would have been even worse.
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StarGazer101
Check if any of the filings reference each other in the collateral descriptions or additional information sections. Sometimes secured parties will note previous filings when they're amending or continuing existing liens.
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Fatima Al-Sayed
•Good idea, I hadn't thought to look in the collateral descriptions for cross-references. Let me pull those sections from each filing.
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Keisha Jackson
•Also look for 'all assets' vs specific equipment descriptions. If one filing covers 'all assets' and another covers specific equipment, there might be some overlap in the collateral.
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Paolo Romano
When I run into UCC search results like this, I always start by organizing them chronologically and then checking the secured party information. If the secured parties are different, you're definitely dealing with multiple liens from different lenders.
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Amina Diop
•That's smart. And if they ARE the same secured party, then you need to trace the amendment/continuation chain to see the current status.
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Fatima Al-Sayed
•These are definitely different secured parties - two different banks and what looks like an equipment finance company. So I'm dealing with multiple active liens on the same debtor.
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Paolo Romano
•In that case, you'll need to determine lien priority based on filing dates and collateral descriptions. The search results should show the original filing dates for each.
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Oliver Schmidt
just went through this exact situation last week. the key is getting the actual documents not just relying on the search result summaries. downloaded everything and spread them out on my desk to compare side by side.
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Natasha Volkov
•That's old school but effective! Though I'd probably use a digital tool at this point rather than printing everything out.
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Oliver Schmidt
•yeah probably smarter to stay digital. just easier for me to see everything at once on paper
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Javier Torres
One thing to watch out for with UCC search results - make sure you're looking at the current status of each filing. Sometimes the search will show filings that have been terminated but the termination hasn't been properly indexed yet.
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Emma Wilson
•Good point about termination indexing delays. I've seen filings show as active when they were actually terminated weeks earlier.
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Fatima Al-Sayed
•How long does it usually take for terminations to show up in search results? This is for a time-sensitive deal and I need to know the current lien status.
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Javier Torres
•Usually within 24-48 hours in most states, but I've seen delays up to a week during busy periods. You might want to call the filing office if timing is critical.
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QuantumLeap
Another approach is to contact the debtor directly and ask them to provide a list of their current secured debt obligations. They should know which liens are still active and which have been paid off.
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Malik Johnson
•That's helpful for due diligence but I wouldn't rely on the debtor's word alone. Better to verify through the official filings.
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QuantumLeap
•Absolutely, but it can help you prioritize which filings to investigate first if you're dealing with a lot of search results.
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Isabella Santos
I recently discovered Certana.ai for this exact problem - you can upload multiple UCC documents and it automatically identifies which ones are related through amendments, continuations, or terminations. Really helpful when you're trying to untangle complex filing histories from UCC search results.
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Ravi Sharma
•How accurate is it at catching the name variations? That seems like it would be the trickiest part for an automated system.
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Isabella Santos
•It's pretty good at flagging likely matches and highlighting discrepancies for you to review. Doesn't make the final decision but gives you a much better starting point than manual comparison.
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Fatima Al-Sayed
•I'm definitely going to try this. Manually comparing these documents is taking way too long and I keep missing details.
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Freya Larsen
Make sure you're also checking for any UCC-5 correction statements that might affect the search results. Sometimes the original filing had errors that were corrected later, which can create confusion in the search results.
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Omar Hassan
•Good catch - correction statements can definitely muddy the waters when you're trying to interpret search results.
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Fatima Al-Sayed
•I hadn't considered correction statements. I'll need to look for any UCC-5 filings related to these file numbers.
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Chloe Taylor
Bottom line is that UCC search results are just the starting point. You need to dig into the actual documents to understand the real lien status. It's tedious but necessary for accurate due diligence.
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ShadowHunter
•Exactly. The search results can be misleading without the full context from the actual filings.
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Fatima Al-Sayed
•Thanks everyone for all the advice. Sounds like I have a lot of document review ahead of me, but at least I know what to look for now.
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Diego Ramirez
•Good luck with the review! It's time-consuming but you'll have a much clearer picture of the lien situation once you're done.
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