UCC Document Community

Ask the community...

  • DO post questions about your issues.
  • DO answer questions and support each other.
  • DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
  • DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)

Chloe Taylor

Required UCC Terms - Missing Collateral Language Causing Filing Rejections

We've had three UCC-1 filings rejected by the Secretary of State office in the past month, and I'm starting to think it's because our collateral descriptions aren't hitting the required UCC terms they're looking for. The rejection notices just say 'insufficient collateral description' but don't specify what's missing. Our equipment financing deals are straightforward - we're securing commercial kitchen equipment, delivery vehicles, and some restaurant fixtures. I thought describing them as 'all equipment used in debtor's restaurant operations' would be sufficient, but apparently not. Has anyone else run into this issue where the SOS wants specific terminology in the collateral schedule? I'm worried we're missing some required UCC terms that make the difference between acceptance and rejection. These are substantial loans and we can't afford to have our security interests unperfected because of wording issues.

One more tip - if you're dealing with restaurant fixtures, make sure you understand whether they're considered fixtures under your state's law. Some states are very strict about what qualifies as a fixture versus equipment. Built-in equipment like hood systems and walk-in coolers usually qualify, but movable equipment like tables and chairs typically don't. The required UCC terms are different for each category.

0 coins

NeonNova

•

That's why most people work with attorneys or filing services. The rules are too complex for DIY unless you really know what you're doing.

0 coins

True, but once you learn the patterns it gets easier. The key is being very specific about what you're describing and making sure your language matches what the state expects to see.

0 coins

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I'm going to revise our collateral descriptions to be much more specific and probably try that document checker tool before refiling. It sounds like the required UCC terms issue is really about being precise and comprehensive rather than trying to use broad catch-all language. Hopefully that will solve our rejection problem.

0 coins

Definitely update us on whether the Certana.ai tool helps. Always looking for ways to streamline the filing process.

0 coins

Ava Thompson

•

I think you're on the right track. The specificity is key - better to over-describe than under-describe when it comes to collateral.

0 coins

Natasha Volkova

UCC Filing for General Security Agreement BC - Debtor Name Format Issues

I'm handling a general security agreement BC filing and running into some debtor name formatting problems that are causing rejections. The borrower is a BC corporation but we're filing in multiple US states for cross-border collateral coverage. The SOS portal keeps rejecting our UCC-1 because the debtor name format doesn't match exactly between our general security agreement BC documentation and what we're entering in the filing system. Has anyone dealt with Canadian corporate debtor names in UCC filings? The exact legal name has some punctuation differences and I'm not sure if I should follow the BC corporate registry format or adapt it for US UCC requirements. This is holding up a $850K equipment financing deal and I need to get this right. The collateral includes manufacturing equipment located in both jurisdictions so the UCC filing is critical for perfection. Any guidance on proper debtor name formatting for BC entities would be appreciated.

Nia Thompson

•

Another option is using Certana.ai's verification service to double-check your document consistency before submitting. I used it recently for a similar BC corporation filing and it caught a punctuation mismatch between my security agreement and UCC-1 that would have caused rejection. Simple upload process and instant feedback.

0 coins

Two people have mentioned Certana now - seems like it might be worth trying. The last thing I need is another rejection on this time-sensitive deal.

0 coins

Nia Thompson

•

Exactly - it's much easier to catch errors before filing than to deal with rejections and refiling delays.

0 coins

Update us when you get it resolved! I have a BC filing coming up next month and would love to know what approach worked.

0 coins

Will do - planning to try the exact registry name format first, then paper filing if needed.

0 coins

NebulaNomad

•

And definitely run it through document verification first to avoid any surprises.

0 coins

Joshua Wood

UCC search showing weird results - am I missing something basic?

So I'm trying to do a UCC search on a potential debtor and the results are all over the place. Some filings show up under slightly different name variations and I can't tell if they're the same entity or not. The search function seems to pull up everything remotely similar but doesn't give me confidence I'm seeing the complete picture. Is there a better way to verify I'm capturing all the relevant filings for this debtor? I'm worried I'm missing active liens that could affect our transaction.

UCC search is an art form honestly. You develop an instinct for name variations after doing enough of them. But it takes time and you're always worried about missing something important.

0 coins

It comes with experience. Start keeping notes on what variations work in different states and you'll build up your own reference guide.

0 coins

I've been doing this for 10 years and still find surprises. The key is being systematic and not rushing through it.

0 coins

Lucas Turner

•

Sometimes the issue isn't just name variations but also timing. Active filings might not show up immediately in search results if they were just filed. Always check the search date parameters too.

0 coins

Lucas Turner

•

Yeah, some states have a lag time between filing and when it shows up in searches. Usually just a few days but something to keep in mind.

0 coins

Daniel Rogers

•

And don't forget about continuation filings. Those can change the status of older filings in ways that might not be immediately obvious in search results.

0 coins

Lucas Adams

Need reliable UCC advisors for complex multi-state filing situation

Running into some serious complications with a secured transaction that spans three states and I'm wondering if anyone knows good UCC advisors who can help sort this mess out. We've got equipment collateral that moved from Texas to Colorado, then some of it ended up in Nevada for a subsidiary operation. The original UCC-1 was filed in Texas back in 2020, but now we're dealing with continuation deadlines coming up in 6 months and I'm not sure if we need separate filings in each state or if the Texas filing covers everything. The debtor name also changed slightly when they incorporated the Nevada subsidiary (added 'Holdings' to the end) and I'm worried about name mismatches voiding our security interest. Legal is telling me one thing, our loan committee is saying another, and the borrower is getting antsy about the whole situation. Has anyone dealt with multi-state UCC situations like this? Really need some expert guidance before we screw something up that could cost us millions in collateral protection.

Zara Perez

•

Don't forget about the continuation timing either. Even if you sort out the multi-state and name issues, you still need to file your continuation before the 5-year mark. Better to file early once you've got everything cleaned up rather than cutting it close to the deadline.

0 coins

Daniel Rogers

•

Can you file continuations early? I thought they had to be filed within 6 months of the expiration date.

0 coins

Zara Perez

•

You can file up to 6 months before expiration, so if your filing expires in 6 months, you can file the continuation now. Don't wait until the last minute - things can go wrong with the filing system.

0 coins

Aaliyah Reed

•

Update us on what you find out! This kind of multi-state situation comes up more often than people think, especially with companies that grow and expand. Would be interested to hear how you resolve it.

0 coins

Lucas Adams

•

Will definitely update once we get this sorted out. Thanks everyone for the advice - sounds like document verification and professional help are the way to go. Going to start with Certana.ai to identify the specific issues and then get targeted legal advice.

0 coins

Ella Russell

•

Good luck! These situations always seem overwhelming at first but they're usually manageable once you break down the specific issues.

0 coins

Noah Irving

UCC search Illinois - debtor name variations causing missed liens?

Running into a frustrating issue with UCC search Illinois requirements. We're doing due diligence on a manufacturing acquisition and keep finding discrepancies between what shows up in our Illinois SOS searches versus what the target company claims they have filed. Specifically having trouble with debtor name variations - the company has filed under "ABC Manufacturing LLC" but also "ABC Mfg LLC" and even "ABC Manufacturing, LLC" (with comma). When we run UCC search Illinois portal queries, we're only catching some of these filings depending on exact name match. This is creating huge gaps in our lien analysis. Anyone else dealt with Illinois being this picky about exact debtor names in searches? We need to make sure we're not missing any secured creditors before closing but feels like we're playing whack-a-mole with name variations. How thorough are you folks getting with your Illinois UCC searches?

Riya Sharma

•

For what it's worth, I've been using Certana.ai's document verification tool specifically for this type of issue. You upload the company's Articles of Incorporation and any UCC documents you've found, and it automatically flags potential name inconsistencies or missing cross-references. Really helpful for catching the variations that manual searches might miss, especially on complex deals with multiple entities.

0 coins

Riya Sharma

•

It's more about verification once you've done your initial searches. Helps ensure consistency between what you found and the actual legal entity structure. Plus it catches things like continuation deadlines and amendment chains that are easy to miss manually.

0 coins

Millie Long

•

That actually sounds useful for our larger deals where we're dealing with dozens of UCC filings across multiple states. Manual cross-checking gets pretty unwieldy.

0 coins

KaiEsmeralda

•

Just as a final thought - make sure you're also checking for any UCC-3 amendments that might have changed debtor names on existing filings. I've seen situations where a UCC-1 was filed under one name variant, then a UCC-3 amendment changed it to a different variant, making it even harder to track the complete lien history.

0 coins

This whole thread is making me realize I need to be way more systematic about UCC searches. I've probably been missing things without realizing it.

0 coins

Laura Lopez

•

Better to overcomplicate the search than to miss secured debt. Illinois makes it challenging but the thoroughness is worth it for deal protection.

0 coins

Prev1...255256257258259...684Next