UCC Document Community

Just want to add that if you're doing UCC continuation filings, make absolutely sure the debtor name on your UCC-3 continuation matches exactly what's on the original UCC-1. Mississippi will reject continuations for name mismatches even if the underlying business is the same entity.

This is such a common issue that really highlights the importance of getting debtor names right from the start. For your situation with the $340K loan, I'd recommend a two-step approach: first, get the debtor's current Secretary of State filing to confirm their exact legal name, then file a UCC-3 amendment to correct your original filing if needed. The amendment will relate back to your original filing date, so you won't lose priority. Also consider doing periodic searches under all known name variations to monitor for any new filings by other creditors - you want to make sure you're not missing potential priority issues. Mississippi's system is unforgiving with exact name matching, but once you get it right, you'll have peace of mind for that continuation filing next year.

Thanks everyone! This has been really helpful. I think I'll go with the current registered name approach and look into that document verification tool to make sure everything matches up properly before I submit. Really appreciate all the advice on Pennsylvania UCC-1 filing requirements.

Great discussion here! As someone who files UCCs regularly in Pennsylvania, I want to emphasize that the current registered name approach is definitely correct. One additional tip - when you do the PA Secretary of State business entity search, print or screenshot the results showing the exact legal name. This gives you documentation that you used the proper name format in case there are any questions later. The $52 electronic filing fee mentioned earlier is accurate, and the system usually processes within 1-2 business days. For a $180K transaction, it's definitely worth taking the extra time to get everything perfect upfront.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I ended up trying the Certana.ai verification tool mentioned earlier and it caught three name inconsistencies I hadn't noticed. Turns out two of the entities had slight variations in their legal names that weren't showing up in my initial searches. Much more confident about the due diligence now.

This is a really helpful thread - I'm dealing with a similar situation in Oklahoma right now. One thing I've learned the hard way is to always pull the actual UCC-1 forms, not just rely on the search results summary. Sometimes the search results show abbreviated or truncated debtor names that don't match what's actually filed. The full forms will show you exactly how the name was entered originally, which helps you understand why certain search variations aren't working.

Been there with the lapsed filings situation. It's frustrating but not the end of the world. Just file new UCC-1s with current debtor information and you'll be back in business. The good news is California's electronic filing system makes it pretty quick once you have all your info together.

Just wanted to add another perspective from someone who manages UCC filings for a credit union. The 5-year rule is definitely standard, but I always recommend setting up reminders at 4.5 years to give yourself plenty of cushion. California's system can sometimes have delays or maintenance windows, and you don't want to be scrambling at the last minute. For your 2019 filings, you're definitely looking at new UCC-1s at this point. On the bright side, it's a good opportunity to clean up any debtor name issues or collateral descriptions that might have been problematic in the original filings.

Update us when you figure out what the exact issue was! These Montana filing stories always help others avoid the same mistakes. Sounds like you're on the right track checking the punctuation and getting the official name formatting.

I've been through this exact same headache with Montana UCC filings! In my experience, it's almost always punctuation or spacing issues. Beyond the comma that others mentioned, also check for any extra spaces before or after the name - Montana's system is notorious for rejecting filings due to trailing spaces that you can't even see. I learned to copy the name directly from their business entity search results and paste it exactly into the UCC-1 form. Also worth double-checking that you're using the current registered name and not any "doing business as" variations. Hope you get it sorted soon - those lender delays are the worst part of these filing issues!