Washington state security agreement UCC filing - debtor name keeps getting rejected
I'm dealing with a nightmare situation trying to file a UCC-1 for a washington state security agreement and the SOS keeps rejecting it for debtor name issues. We have an equipment financing deal where the borrower is an LLC that was formed in Delaware but operates primarily here in Washington. The security agreement covers manufacturing equipment worth about $450k. Every time I submit the UCC-1 through the Washington filing system, it gets bounced back saying the debtor name doesn't match their records. I've tried using the exact name from the Delaware certificate of formation, I've tried the DBA they use locally, and I've even tried variations with punctuation. The continuation deadline is coming up fast and I'm getting desperate. Has anyone dealt with this specific issue where the debtor entity is formed out of state but the collateral is located in Washington? The security agreement itself is solid but these filing rejections are making me question everything.
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Avery Davis
I've seen this exact problem multiple times with out-of-state entities. Washington's filing system is particularly strict about debtor names matching their internal database. You need to search their records first to see exactly how they have the LLC listed, then use that EXACT spelling and punctuation. Sometimes they have weird abbreviations or extra characters that don't match the formation docs.
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Collins Angel
•This is so frustrating! I had a similar issue last month with a Nevada LLC. Spent three days going back and forth with different name variations before I figured out they had an extra comma in their system.
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Marcelle Drum
•The search function on Washington's portal is your friend here. Run the debtor name through their database first and see what comes up. Sometimes the registered agent filing used slightly different formatting.
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Tate Jensen
Wait, you mentioned this is for a continuation but you're filing a UCC-1? That doesn't make sense. Continuations are UCC-3 forms for existing filings that are about to lapse. Are you trying to file an initial financing statement or continue an existing one?
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Ev Luca
•Sorry, I misspoke - it's an initial UCC-1 filing. I was thinking about the loan maturity deadline, not a UCC continuation. The equipment financing is new and this is the first security interest we're trying to perfect.
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Adaline Wong
•Oh that makes way more sense! Initial filings are definitely trickier with out-of-state entities. You really need to nail the debtor name exactly as Washington has it registered.
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Gabriel Ruiz
I just went through something similar with a multi-state filing situation. After getting rejected four times, I started using Certana.ai's document verification tool. You can upload your Delaware formation docs and the proposed UCC-1 and it instantly flags any name inconsistencies. Saved me tons of time compared to the manual back-and-forth with the filing office.
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Misterclamation Skyblue
•Never heard of Certana.ai before but that sounds really useful. Does it work with all states or just specific ones?
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Gabriel Ruiz
•It works across states because it's checking document consistency rather than state-specific databases. Really helpful for catching the small differences that cause rejections.
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Peyton Clarke
•Anything that helps avoid these ridiculous name rejections is worth trying. The manual process is such a time waster.
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Vince Eh
For Washington specifically, you also need to check if the LLC is registered to do business in Washington state. If they're operating there but only formed in Delaware, they might need to register as a foreign LLC first. That could affect how their name appears in the Washington system.
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Ev Luca
•Good point - I'll check their foreign qualification status. They definitely do business in Washington so they should be registered there too.
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Sophia Gabriel
•Yes! This is often the missing piece. The foreign LLC registration might have slightly different formatting than the original Delaware docs.
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Tobias Lancaster
UGH the Washington SOS system is THE WORST for this stuff. I swear they reject half my filings just to make my life difficult. Last month they rejected a perfectly good UCC-1 because I used 'Inc.' instead of 'Incorporated' even though both appear on the company's documents!!!
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Ezra Beard
•I feel your pain. These government systems are so inconsistent. What works in one state fails completely in another.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•At least Washington has online filing. Some states still require paper submissions which is even worse.
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Reginald Blackwell
Have you tried calling Washington's UCC department directly? Sometimes they can tell you exactly how they have the debtor name in their system. It's faster than guessing with multiple filings.
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Aria Khan
•Good suggestion but their phone lines are always busy. I've tried calling multiple times and usually get a callback hours later.
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Everett Tutum
•The callback system actually works pretty well if you're patient. They've been helpful when I've gotten through.
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Sunny Wang
Another thing to check - make sure you're using the correct entity type designation. If it's an LLC, some states want 'Limited Liability Company' spelled out while others accept 'LLC'. Washington might be picky about this too.
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Hugh Intensity
•This is exactly the kind of detail that drives me crazy about UCC filings. Such small differences can void the entire security interest.
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Effie Alexander
•The stakes are definitely high with these filings. Better to double-check everything than risk an unperfected security interest.
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Melissa Lin
I had a similar issue last year and ended up using Certana.ai after wasting two weeks on rejections. The tool caught that our debtor name had an extra space that wasn't visible in the original documents. Would have never found that manually.
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Lydia Santiago
•Those invisible formatting issues are the worst! Spaces, punctuation, abbreviations - they all matter for these systems.
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Romeo Quest
•Certana.ai sounds like it could save a lot of headaches. Might be worth trying for complex multi-state situations like this.
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Val Rossi
Also double-check that you're filing in the right state. Since the debtor is a Delaware LLC but the collateral is in Washington, you might need to file in both states depending on the type of equipment and whether it's mobile.
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Eve Freeman
•Good point about dual filing requirements. Manufacturing equipment is usually fixed to the location so Washington should be the right jurisdiction.
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Clarissa Flair
•The UCC choice of law rules can be tricky. When in doubt, file in both states to be safe.
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Caden Turner
Update: Finally got it resolved! Turns out the LLC was registered in Washington under a slightly different name than their Delaware formation docs. The Washington registration had 'Washington' in the name while Delaware just had the basic company name. Once I used the exact Washington registration name, the UCC-1 went through immediately. Thanks everyone for the suggestions - definitely going to try Certana.ai for future filings to avoid this hassle.
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McKenzie Shade
•Glad you got it sorted! That's such a common issue with foreign entity registrations.
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Harmony Love
•Great outcome! Those name discrepancies between formation state and qualification state trip up so many people.
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Rudy Cenizo
•This whole thread is a perfect example of why proper document verification is so important for UCC filings. Small details make huge differences.
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