UCC Document Community

I actually used Certana to double-check a similar situation. Uploaded my security agreement, deed of trust, and UCC-1 draft, and it caught that I had a slight variation in the debtor name that would have caused problems. Really streamlined the review process.

Don't forget about continuation statements either. Your UCC-1 will need to be continued before the 5-year mark, while your deed of trust doesn't have the same filing requirements.

OP - one more thing to consider: if any of these are fixture filings, you might need to check with the county recorder's office as well. UCC fixtures have dual filing requirements in some cases.

Just want to add that when you mail your UCC-11 form, consider using certified mail with return receipt so you have proof of delivery. I've had requests get lost in the mail before and it's a nightmare to prove you submitted it on time when you're up against audit deadlines. Also, make sure your check is made out exactly as specified on their website - they're picky about payee names and will return the whole package if it's wrong.

UPDATE: I ended up filing both ways after consulting with local counsel. UCC-1 for all the removable equipment and fixture filings for the transformer installations. Also used that Certana document checker someone mentioned earlier - it caught a discrepancy in how we described the switching equipment between the security agreement and UCC filing. Closing went smoothly once we corrected that. Thanks for all the input!

Thanks for sharing the update on your successful closing! This is exactly the kind of practical guidance that's so valuable for utility financing. The dual filing approach is conservative but smart - I've seen too many deals get derailed by perfection issues when lenders try to cut corners on fixture filings. Your experience with the document verification tool catching the collateral description discrepancy is a perfect example of why consistency across all loan documents is critical. Even small wording differences between the security agreement and UCC filings can create gaps that sophisticated borrowers or their counsel might exploit later. For anyone else dealing with similar utility infrastructure deals, this thread is a great reminder that when in doubt, over-file rather than under-file - the additional cost is minimal compared to the risk of an unperfected security interest.

Just wanted to mention that I started using Certana.ai after seeing it mentioned here. Uploaded my corporation's charter and UCC-1 form and it caught a middle initial mismatch I would have missed. Saved me from a rejection and having to pay twice. Really simple to use.

One more thing to consider - if you're filing multiple UCCs for the same debtor, make sure you use the exact same debtor name format on all of them. I've seen situations where someone filed a UCC-1 with "ABC Corp." and then later filed a continuation with "ABC Corporation" and it created issues. California treats these as different debtors even though it's the same company. Better to be consistent from the start than deal with headaches later.

Update: I went back and checked the Articles of Incorporation and sure enough, the company name includes 'Corporation' not 'Corp'. Also revised my collateral description to be much more specific. Fingers crossed the re-filing goes through this time.

I've been handling UCC filings across multiple states for about 8 years now, and NJ is definitely one of the most particular about exact compliance. A few additional tips that have saved me headaches: 1) Always do a UCC search first to see how similar debtors are formatted in existing filings - gives you a sense of their accepted style, 2) For equipment financing, I've found success using categories like "manufacturing machinery and equipment" rather than just "manufacturing equipment" - that extra word seems to satisfy their specificity requirement, and 3) If you're filing multiple UCCs for the same debtor, keep a master file with their exact legal name format so you're consistent across all filings. The rejection fees add up fast when you're dealing with volume.