West Virginia Secretary of State UCC Filing Portal Down Again - Anyone Else Having Issues?

I had success around 6am this morning filing a termination, but it took three attempts. Try clearing your browser cache and using Chrome instead of whatever you're using now.

The WV portal has been problematic for months. I always file continuations at least 30 days early now because of stuff like this.

Thanks, I double-checked the debtor name against the original filing and it matches exactly. Just frustrating when you can't even get to the filing screen because the whole portal is down.

Totally understand the frustration. When I run into portal issues like this, I usually prepare the filing documents ahead of time so I can submit immediately when the system comes back up.

Never heard of that service before but sounds useful. Is it expensive?

I just upload the PDFs and it cross-checks everything automatically. Way faster than manually comparing documents page by page. Really saved me from a potential lien perfection issue.

Interesting, I'll look into that. Right now my main concern is just getting the filing submitted before the deadline.

I feel your pain but getting angry doesn't fix the portal. At least WV doesn't charge extra fees for electronic filing like some states do.

You're right, but it's still frustrating when you're trying to do your job and the tools don't work.

Good tip about the file size. My continuation form is pretty basic so it should be small enough. I'll try the late night approach.

Yeah, the overnight filing strategy has worked for me with multiple states that have overloaded systems during business hours.

It's a straight continuation - no changes to debtor name, secured party, or collateral description. Just extending the effectiveness period for another 5 years.

Perfect, that should be straightforward once the portal cooperates. Continuations are usually the easiest UCC-3 filings.

Wait, I thought continuations were good for 7 years not 5? Or is that different by state?

UCC-1 initial filings are effective for 5 years, continuations extend that for another 5 years. The 7 year thing might be what you're thinking of for other types of liens.

Thanks for confirming it's not just me. I'll definitely call first thing tomorrow if it's still down.

Their UCC staff is actually pretty helpful when you can reach them. Just be patient with the hold times.

Most states have moved to electronic-only filing, but you'd have to check WV's specific requirements. Paper filing might still be an option for emergencies.

Worth checking into as a backup plan. Paper filings usually take longer to process but at least you get a filing date stamp.

I think WV still does paper but charges extra fees. Check their fee schedule on the SOS website.

Great news! I'll try again now. Hopefully it stays working.

Good luck! The submission went through pretty quickly once I could access the upload screen.

That's smart thinking. I usually just double-check manually but an automated verification might catch things I miss.

Exactly - it's saved me from several potential rejections over the years. Upload your UCC-1 and continuation docs and it flags any inconsistencies immediately.

Congrats! Always a relief when these filings go through successfully.

Awesome! I'm going to try again now that it seems to be working.

Glad it worked out! The early filing approach plus document verification really does reduce the stress factor on these deadlines.