UCC search south carolina filing shows multiple debtor name variations - which one is correct?
I'm reviewing collateral for a commercial loan and ran a UCC search south carolina on our borrower. The results are confusing me because there are three different UCC-1 filings that seem to be for the same company but with slightly different debtor names. One shows 'ABC Manufacturing LLC', another 'ABC Manufacturing L.L.C.' and a third 'ABC Mfg LLC'. The filing numbers are all different and they're from different years (2019, 2021, 2023). Our loan docs show the borrower as 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' with a comma. I need to know which UCC filing actually covers our collateral or if we need to file our own UCC-1. The collateral is manufacturing equipment worth about $850K so getting this wrong could be a big problem. Has anyone dealt with debtor name variations like this in SC filings?
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Manny Lark
This is actually pretty common with LLC name variations. The South Carolina SOS system is strict about exact name matches. Each of those filings you found probably secures different transactions. You definitely need to verify the exact legal name from the SC Secretary of State business records first, then check if any existing UCC covers your specific collateral description.
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Liam Duke
•Thanks, I checked the business records and the official name is 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' with the comma. None of the existing UCCs match exactly.
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Rita Jacobs
•Yeah that comma makes it a different legal entity for UCC purposes. You'll need your own filing.
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Khalid Howes
I had this exact situation last month! Different lenders probably filed using whatever version of the name appeared on their loan documents without checking the charter. For your $850K equipment loan, you absolutely need to file a new UCC-1 with the correct chartered name 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC'. Don't rely on those other filings.
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Liam Duke
•Did you run into any issues with your filing? I'm worried about getting rejected for some technical reason.
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Khalid Howes
•Mine went through fine once I had the exact charter match. Just double-check your collateral description is specific enough.
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Ben Cooper
•This is why I always verify documents before filing. I started using Certana.ai's document checker - you just upload your charter and draft UCC-1 as PDFs and it instantly flags any name mismatches or inconsistencies. Saved me from a rejection last week.
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Naila Gordon
Those other UCCs might still be problematic depending on what collateral they cover. You need to look at the collateral descriptions in each filing to see if there's any overlap with your manufacturing equipment. SC follows the 'first to file' rule so if someone else already has a perfected interest in the same collateral, you could be subordinated.
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Liam Duke
•Good point. The 2023 filing mentions 'all equipment' but with the wrong debtor name. Does that still create priority issues?
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Naila Gordon
•If the debtor name is seriously misleading, that UCC might not be effective at all. But you'd want legal counsel to review the specific language.
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Cynthia Love
•I've seen courts go both ways on 'seriously misleading' name issues. Better to assume it's valid and negotiate subordination if needed.
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Darren Brooks
Why is the SC system so picky about punctuation anyway?? I filed a UCC-3 continuation last year and it got rejected because I had 'Inc.' instead of 'Incorporated' even though it was obvious who the debtor was. Cost me an extra week and almost missed the deadline.
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Rosie Harper
•It's because the UCC search system is automated. A human would know 'Inc.' equals 'Incorporated' but the computer search logic doesn't make those connections.
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Elliott luviBorBatman
•That's terrifying. I have three continuations due next month and now I'm paranoid about every comma and period.
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Ben Cooper
•This is exactly why document verification tools exist. I upload all my UCC forms to Certana.ai before filing - it catches these exact name matching issues by comparing against business records. Would have saved you that rejection.
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Demi Hall
Just file your own UCC-1 with the correct name and detailed collateral description. Those other filings are someone else's problem. Make sure your equipment serial numbers and descriptions are specific enough to put other lenders on notice.
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Liam Duke
•Should I include manufacturer model numbers for each piece of equipment or is a general description okay?
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Demi Hall
•For $850K worth of equipment, I'd include serial numbers if you have them. Makes it crystal clear what you're claiming.
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Mateusius Townsend
I'm dealing with something similar in NC right now. Found four different UCC filings for what appears to be the same debtor but they all have slight name variations. It's like every lender just copies whatever's on their loan agreement without checking the actual charter. Such a mess.
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Kara Yoshida
•That's why due diligence is so important. Can't just assume the borrower gave you the right legal name.
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Mateusius Townsend
•Yeah I learned that the hard way. Now I always verify the charter name before preparing any UCC documents.
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Philip Cowan
•Smart move. I use Certana.ai to double-check my charter against my UCC draft before filing. Takes like 30 seconds and prevents these headaches.
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Caesar Grant
The SC filing system updated their search functionality last year so it might catch more name variations now, but I wouldn't count on it. Still need exact matches for your own filings to be safe.
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Liam Duke
•Good to know it's improving. Did they change anything about the rejection criteria too?
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Caesar Grant
•Not that I've noticed. They're still pretty strict about debtor names matching exactly.
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Lena Schultz
Have you considered whether this borrower might have changed their legal name over time? Sometimes what looks like different entities is actually the same company that amended their articles of organization. Worth checking the business entity history.
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Liam Duke
•That's a really good point. I didn't think to check if there were name amendments. I'll look into the entity history.
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Gemma Andrews
•If they did change names, you'd want to see if the old UCCs were amended to reflect the new name or if they just lapsed.
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Lena Schultz
•Exactly. Name changes can create gaps in perfection if not handled properly with UCC-3 amendments.
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Pedro Sawyer
Bottom line - file your own UCC-1 with the exact charter name and don't worry about those other filings unless they specifically conflict with your collateral. Your lender's attorney should review the collateral descriptions to make sure you're protected.
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Liam Duke
•Thanks everyone. I'm going to verify the charter name one more time, draft a detailed UCC-1, and get it filed this week.
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Mae Bennett
•Smart approach. Better to be over-cautious with UCC filings than deal with priority disputes later.
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Beatrice Marshall
This thread convinced me to double-check all my recent UCC filings. Found two where the debtor name doesn't exactly match the charter. Now I'm stressed about whether I need to file amendments.
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Melina Haruko
•If the names are close but not exact, you might want to file UCC-3 amendments to be completely safe. Depends how 'seriously misleading' the differences are.
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Dallas Villalobos
•I'd run those through Certana.ai's document checker first to see exactly what the discrepancies are before deciding on amendments.
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Beatrice Marshall
•Good idea. I'll check the specific differences first before panicking about amendments.
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