Vermont UCC search showing weird results - am I missing something?
Running into some confusion with Vermont UCC search results and hoping someone can help clarify what I'm seeing. We're doing due diligence on a equipment financing deal and when I search the Vermont Secretary of State UCC database, I'm getting inconsistent results depending on how I format the debtor name. Same company, but searching 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' versus 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' (with comma) returns different filings. Is this normal for Vermont's system or am I doing something wrong? The collateral involves heavy machinery so we need to make sure we're not missing any existing liens. Has anyone else run into search variations like this in Vermont?
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Sophia Miller
Yeah Vermont's search can be finicky with punctuation. I always run multiple variations - with and without commas, periods, abbreviations like LLC vs L.L.C. The system doesn't normalize everything automatically like some other states do.
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Mason Davis
•This is why I always do wildcard searches when possible. Better to get too many results than miss something important.
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Mia Rodriguez
•Exactly! I learned this the hard way when we almost missed a prior lien because of a comma difference in the debtor name.
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Jacob Lewis
Vermont's UCC search definitely requires multiple search attempts. I usually try: exact name as filed, name without punctuation, abbreviated versions, and sometimes even phonetic variations if the name is unusual. What specific variations are you seeing different results for?
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Elijah Jackson
•The main issue is 'ABC Manufacturing LLC' returns 3 filings but 'ABC Manufacturing, LLC' returns 5 filings. Two completely different result sets with just that comma.
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Amelia Martinez
•That's a significant difference! You definitely need to check both result sets carefully. Sometimes the same filing can appear under different name formats.
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Ethan Clark
•I had a similar situation last month where I almost missed a critical UCC-1 because of punctuation differences. Now I document every search variation I use for the file.
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Mila Walker
This is exactly why I started using Certana.ai's document verification tool. You can upload the company's charter documents along with any UCC filings you find, and it automatically cross-checks all the name variations to make sure you haven't missed anything. It caught a filing I missed in a similar Vermont search situation.
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Logan Scott
•How does that work exactly? Does it search the database for you or just verify what you've already found?
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Mila Walker
•It verifies the documents you upload against each other. So if you upload the company charter and the UCC filings you found, it'll flag any name inconsistencies between them. Really helpful for making sure all the documents actually relate to the same entity.
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Chloe Green
•That sounds useful for due diligence. We've had deals almost fall through because of name matching issues between corporate documents and UCC filings.
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Lucas Adams
Vermont is notorious for this. I always tell my paralegals to search at least 4-5 name variations minimum. Also check if there are any DBAs or trade names that might be used as debtor names on filings.
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Harper Hill
•Good point about DBAs. I've seen UCC-1s filed under the DBA instead of the legal entity name, which makes searches even more complicated.
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Caden Nguyen
•Yes! And sometimes the original filer uses one version on the UCC-1 and a different version on amendments or continuations. Very frustrating.
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Avery Flores
Are you searching by debtor name only or also trying filing number searches? Sometimes if you can find one filing, you can trace related filings through the filing numbers.
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Elijah Jackson
•Just name searches so far. Should I be cross-referencing filing numbers somehow?
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Zoe Gonzalez
•If you find a UCC-1, look for any UCC-3 amendments or continuations that reference that filing number. They might be filed under slightly different debtor names.
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Ashley Adams
•Also check the secured party names - sometimes searching by lender name can reveal filings you missed in debtor name searches.
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Alexis Robinson
This is driving me crazy too! Vermont's system seems to be more literal than other states. I swear I've seen the same company's filings scattered across different name formats and there's no good way to catch them all without doing exhaustive searches.
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Aaron Lee
•Have you tried contacting Vermont SOS directly? Sometimes they can provide guidance on their search algorithms.
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Chloe Mitchell
•I called them once about this exact issue. They basically said the system searches exactly what you type, no automatic variations. So if the filing was entered with a comma and you search without, you won't find it.
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Michael Adams
For heavy equipment deals like yours, definitely worth doing the extra search work. Missing a prior security interest could be expensive. I usually budget extra time for Vermont UCC searches because of these name variation issues.
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Natalie Wang
•Absolutely. Better to over-search than under-search when there's collateral at stake.
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Noah Torres
•I've started keeping a checklist of search variations for each state. Vermont definitely gets the most variations on my list.
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Samantha Hall
•Smart approach. Documentation is key for this kind of due diligence work.
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Ryan Young
Just wanted to add - make sure you're also checking for any fixture filings if the equipment is attached to real estate. Vermont handles those a bit differently and they might not show up in regular UCC searches.
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Sophia Clark
•Good reminder. Fixture filings can be tricky to find and they're critical for equipment that's permanently attached.
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Elijah Jackson
•The equipment is mobile so probably not fixture filings, but I'll double check the attachment details to be sure.
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Katherine Harris
I actually had success with Certana's verification tool on a similar Vermont situation. Uploaded the corporate docs and three different UCC filings I found, and it flagged that two of them were actually for different entities with very similar names. Saved me from a potential mistake.
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Madison Allen
•That's exactly the kind of error that can cause problems down the line. Name verification is so important.
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Joshua Wood
•How long does that verification usually take? Is it instant or do you have to wait?
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Katherine Harris
•Pretty quick - just upload the PDFs and it runs the comparison automatically. Much faster than manually checking every name variation yourself.
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Justin Evans
Update us on what you find! I'm curious whether the 5 filings include the 3 you found in the first search or if they're completely different. That would tell us a lot about how Vermont's system handles name variations.
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Emily Parker
•Yes please update! This could be helpful for others dealing with Vermont searches.
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Elijah Jackson
•Will do - still working through all the results but it's looking like there's some overlap and some unique filings in each search. Definitely confirms the need for multiple search approaches.
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Ezra Collins
•Thanks for sharing this. Vermont UCC searches are always an adventure.
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