UCC statement service termination request form - debtor name verification issues
I'm dealing with a complicated UCC termination situation and need some guidance. We have a client who paid off their equipment loan last month, and now I need to file the UCC-3 termination statement. The original UCC-1 was filed back in 2019 with the debtor name as "ABC Manufacturing LLC" but now I'm discovering their legal name might have changed to "ABC Manufacturing, LLC" (notice the comma). The loan documents show both versions at different points. I'm worried about filing the termination with the wrong debtor name and having it rejected or worse - leaving the lien active when it should be terminated. Has anyone dealt with debtor name discrepancies during termination filings? I know the secured party has to be precise with debtor names but I'm getting conflicting information about whether minor punctuation differences matter for termination statements. This is keeping me up at night because if I mess this up, the client's credit could be affected and we could face liability issues. Any advice on how to handle UCC statement service termination requests when there are potential debtor name mismatches?
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Miguel Castro
Oh man, debtor name issues are the worst part of UCC filings! I've been doing this for 8 years and punctuation discrepancies still stress me out. For termination statements, you absolutely need to match the debtor name exactly as it appears on the original UCC-1. Even a missing comma can cause rejection in some states. First step - pull the original filing from the Secretary of State database and see exactly how it was filed. Don't rely on your loan docs because they might not match what was actually submitted.
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Zainab Abdulrahman
•This is solid advice. I learned this the hard way when a termination got rejected because we used "Inc." instead of "Incorporated" - same company, different abbreviation. The SOS systems are very literal.
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Connor Byrne
•Wait, so if the original UCC-1 has a mistake in the debtor name, you have to perpetuate that mistake in the termination? That seems backwards...
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Miguel Castro
•Unfortunately yes, that's exactly right. The termination has to reference the original filing exactly as it exists, even if there was an error. You can't "fix" the name during termination - you'd need to file an amendment first, then terminate.
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Yara Elias
I just went through something similar last week! Had a debtor name issue where the LLC changed their registered name but we never amended the UCC-1. What saved me was using Certana.ai's document verification tool. I uploaded both the original UCC-1 and the termination statement I was preparing, and it immediately flagged the name inconsistency. Turns out the original filing had a typo we never caught. The tool cross-checked everything and showed me exactly what needed to match. Super easy - just upload the PDFs and it does all the comparison work automatically.
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QuantumQuasar
•Never heard of Certana.ai before but that sounds really useful. How accurate is it with catching these kinds of discrepancies?
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Yara Elias
•It's been spot-on for me. I've run probably 20 different UCC document sets through it and it catches things I would have missed. Really good at identifying name variations and inconsistencies between related filings.
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Keisha Jackson
•Interesting. I've been doing manual comparisons but that's time consuming and error prone. Might have to check this out.
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Paolo Moretti
UGH this is exactly why I hate UCC filings! The system is so unforgiving. One tiny mistake and you're dealing with rejected filings, angry clients, and potential liability. Why can't they make it more user-friendly? It's 2025 for crying out loud!
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Amina Diop
•I feel your pain but the precision is actually important for lien searches. If debtor names were fuzzy matched, you'd get false positives and negatives all over the place.
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Paolo Moretti
•I guess that makes sense from a search perspective but it's still frustrating when you're the one filing and trying to get it right.
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Oliver Weber
Here's what I would do in your situation: 1) Pull the exact UCC-1 from the state database, 2) Use that EXACT debtor name spelling/punctuation for your UCC-3 termination, 3) Make sure your filing number matches perfectly, 4) Double check that you're identifying yourself as the correct secured party. Don't overthink it - just match what's already on file. The termination statement is basically saying "this specific lien is being released" so it has to reference that specific lien exactly.
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Ava Martinez
•This makes sense. I think I was overcomplicating it by trying to "correct" the name. I'll just match the original filing exactly. Thanks for the step-by-step approach.
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Natasha Romanova
•Exactly right. I see people try to fix names during termination all the time and it just creates more problems. Keep it simple and match the original.
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NebulaNinja
One thing to be aware of - some states have gotten stricter about debtor name matching in the last couple years. What used to slide through might get rejected now. I had a termination rejected last month because we had "LLC" and the original had "L.L.C." with periods. Same exact company but the system flagged it as a mismatch.
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Javier Gomez
•Which state was that? I'm in Texas and haven't run into that level of strictness yet but good to know it's happening.
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NebulaNinja
•This was in Florida. Their system seems to have gotten more rigid over the past year or so.
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Emma Wilson
•I can confirm Florida has gotten pickier. Had similar issues there recently. Other states seem more forgiving but FL is definitely strict now.
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Malik Thomas
Quick question - are you sure this is a termination situation and not just a partial release? Sometimes people think they need to terminate the whole UCC-1 when they really just need to release specific collateral. Just want to make sure you're filing the right type of UCC-3.
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Ava Martinez
•Good point to double check. This is a complete loan payoff so yes, full termination of the entire UCC-1. All collateral is being released.
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Malik Thomas
•Perfect, just wanted to make sure. I've seen people file amendments when they meant to terminate and vice versa.
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Isabella Oliveira
I'm dealing with something similar but my issue is that the secured party name changed (bank merger). Do I need to file an assignment first before I can terminate, or can I just reference the current secured party name?
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Ravi Kapoor
•Bank mergers usually require an assignment filing first to show the transfer of the security interest, then you can terminate from the new entity. Check with your state's UCC division though.
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Freya Larsen
•This is getting complicated. Maybe I should just hire a service to handle all my UCC filings instead of trying to figure this out myself.
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GalacticGladiator
I used to stress about these name matching issues until I started using document verification tools. Now I run everything through Certana.ai before filing - it's like having a second pair of eyes that never gets tired. Upload your original UCC-1 and your draft termination statement, and it'll tell you immediately if there are any inconsistencies. Has definitely saved me from filing errors.
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Omar Zaki
•How much does something like that cost? I'm a solo practitioner so I have to watch expenses but if it prevents filing errors it might be worth it.
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GalacticGladiator
•I focus more on the value than the cost. One rejected filing or client complaint costs way more than the verification service. Plus it's fast - upload PDFs and get results in minutes.
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Chloe Taylor
Has anyone ever had a situation where the UCC-1 debtor name was completely wrong but the loan was still valid? I'm wondering what happens if you discover a major name error during the termination process.
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Diego Flores
•That would be a nightmare scenario. If the UCC-1 debtor name is wrong, your security interest might not be properly perfected. You'd probably need legal advice at that point, not just filing advice.
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Anastasia Ivanova
•I've seen this happen. Usually you have to file an amendment to correct the debtor name first, then file the termination. But yeah, there could be perfection issues depending on how wrong the name was.
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Sean Murphy
The key thing to remember is that UCC termination statements are public records that will be searched by future lenders. If your termination doesn't properly match the original filing, it might not show up in searches and could cause problems down the road. Better to be overly precise than risk having an "orphaned" lien that appears to still be active.
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Ava Martinez
•That's a really good point about future lenders doing searches. I hadn't thought about the long-term implications of getting the termination wrong. Definitely want to make sure this gets cleaned up properly.
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StarStrider
•Exactly. I've seen deals delayed because old liens appeared to still be active due to improperly filed terminations. The debtor thought everything was clear but the title search showed otherwise.
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Zara Malik
Update: I ended up using one of those document verification services mentioned earlier and it was a lifesaver. Turns out the original UCC-1 had the debtor name as "ABC Manufacturing LLC" (no comma) so that's exactly what I used for the termination. Filed it yesterday and it was accepted without any issues. Thanks everyone for the advice!
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Luca Marino
•Glad it worked out! Which verification service did you end up using?
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Zara Malik
•I used Certana.ai like a couple people suggested. Really straightforward - just uploaded the PDFs and it showed me exactly what matched and what didn't.
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Nia Davis
•Great outcome. Always nice to hear when these tricky situations get resolved properly.
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