UCC Document Community

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Mateusius Townsend

How to apply for a UCC code - filing number assignment confusion

I'm trying to figure out how to apply for a UCC code for our equipment financing deal. Our lender says we need to get a 'UCC code' before we can finalize the loan documents, but I'm not sure what they mean exactly. Are they talking about getting a filing number when we submit the UCC-1? Or is there some separate application process I need to do first? This is for a $180K equipment purchase and the lender wants everything perfect. I've looked at our Secretary of State website but it just talks about filing the UCC-1 form online. Do I need to reserve a filing number ahead of time or does it get assigned automatically when I submit? Really don't want to mess this up since the equipment delivery is scheduled for next week and financing depends on getting the UCC filed correctly.

Honorah King

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Pro tip: After you file and get your filing number, save a copy of the filing receipt and the filed UCC-1 for your records. Your lender will probably want copies, and you'll need the filing number for any future amendments or continuations. Also, set a calendar reminder for 4.5 years from now to file a continuation if you want to keep the lien active.

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Oliver Brown

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Yes! I missed a continuation deadline once and had to rush to refile everything. The 5-year expiration sneaks up on you.

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Honorah King

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Exactly why I always set the reminder for 4.5 years - gives you a buffer to get the continuation filed before expiration.

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Mary Bates

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Bottom line: there's no separate UCC code application. File your UCC-1 financing statement through your Secretary of State's website, get your filing number instantly (in most states), and that number is what your lender is calling a 'UCC code'. Just be super careful with the debtor name accuracy and you'll be all set for your equipment financing.

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Perfect summary, thank you! I feel much more confident about this now.

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This whole thread should be pinned somewhere. The UCC code confusion comes up constantly in financing deals.

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Josef Tearle

DLM security agreement UCC filing - debtor name discrepancies causing rejections

Having major issues with our DLM security agreement UCC-1 filing. We're trying to perfect our security interest but keep getting rejections from the SOS due to debtor name inconsistencies. The original security agreement shows the debtor as "DLM Industries, LLC" but our corporate records have slight variations (DLM Industries LLC, D.L.M. Industries, LLC, etc.). Filed three times now and each rejection costs us time and money. The collateral involves equipment financing for about $2.8M so we can't afford to have an unperfected lien. Anyone dealt with similar debtor name matching issues on DLM security agreements? What's the exact format the filing office expects for entity names? Really frustrated with this process and our lender is getting impatient about the perfection timeline.

Malia Ponder

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Just went through this last month. Ended up having to get a certificate of good standing from the state to verify the exact legal name format. Cost extra but guaranteed we had it right. For a deal that size, might be worth the extra step.

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Ryder Ross

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How much did that cost? And how long did it take to get?

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Malia Ponder

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About $50 and took 3 business days online. Definitely faster than multiple rejection cycles.

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Update: Finally got our DLM security agreement UCC-1 accepted! Turns out the issue was a period after 'LLC' that was in our loan docs but not in the state records. Used one of the document verification tools mentioned here to double-check before resubmitting. Thanks everyone for the advice - saved us from another rejection cycle.

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Olivia Kay

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Which verification tool did you end up using? Might need something similar for our next filing.

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Used Certana.ai - just uploaded both documents and it highlighted the discrepancy immediately. Wish I'd known about it earlier.

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Jungleboo Soletrain

Best UCC filing website for bulk continuations?

Does anyone know which UCC filing website works best for processing multiple continuation filings? I've got about 30 UCC-1s that need continuations filed in the next 45 days and I'm drowning in the paperwork. My current lender portal keeps timing out when I try to upload more than 3 at once. The debtor names are all slightly different formats between our original filings and what shows up in the SOS database searches. Some have LLC vs L.L.C., some have different middle initials, etc. Really worried about rejections due to name mismatches. Has anyone found a reliable UCC filing website that can handle batch uploads without constantly crashing? Time is running out and I can't afford to have these lapse.

Vince Eh

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Don't forget about the 6-month window for continuations. You're cutting it close but still within the acceptable timeframe for most states.

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Vince Eh

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Smart to plan for rejections. That's why getting the debtor names exactly right the first time is so critical.

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This is why I always set reminders 90 days before continuation deadlines. Gives you buffer for exactly this kind of issue.

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Update us on how it goes! I'm sure others here will face similar bulk continuation challenges. Good luck with getting them all filed cleanly.

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Will do. Thanks for all the advice everyone. Going to try the document verification approach and see if that helps with the name matching issues.

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Smart approach. Prevention is always better than dealing with rejections after the fact.

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Eleanor Foster

Louisiana security agreement debtor name issues causing UCC filing headaches

Been dealing with a mess on a commercial equipment loan where the Louisiana security agreement has the debtor listed as 'J&M Construction LLC' but when I pull the Secretary of State records, the actual registered name is 'J & M Construction, LLC' (with spaces around the ampersand and a comma). The original UCC-1 was filed using the security agreement version without spaces, and now we're getting ready for a continuation but I'm worried about the name mismatch. The loan is secured by heavy machinery worth about $180K and we can't afford to have the lien get screwed up over punctuation. Has anyone dealt with Louisiana's specific rules on debtor name variations in security agreements vs UCC filings? I know each state has quirks but Louisiana seems particularly strict about exact name matches. The continuation deadline is coming up in 4 months and I want to get this sorted before we file anything.

Julia Hall

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Just want to echo what others have said about not waiting. Louisiana doesn't give you much wiggle room if you miss the continuation deadline because of name issues. Get that amendment filed now.

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Arjun Patel

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Yep, once that 5-year period lapses, you're starting over with a whole new UCC-1 filing.

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Jade Lopez

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And explaining to your client why their lien lapsed is not a conversation you want to have.

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Tony Brooks

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Update: Got the UCC-3 amendment filed yesterday with the corrected debtor name from the Secretary of State records. Used one of those document checking tools someone mentioned (Certana.ai) to make sure everything matched up perfectly before submitting. Took about 10 minutes to upload and verify everything. Amendment is already showing as processed in Louisiana's system. Thanks for all the advice - continuation is ready to go now with the right debtor name.

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Yara Campbell

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Glad you got it sorted. That feeling of relief when you see the amendment processed is the best.

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Isaac Wright

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Smart move using the document checker. Those name mismatches are so easy to miss when you're just eyeballing documents.

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Yara Sabbagh

UCC lien services recommendations after filing disaster with debtor name mismatch

I'm dealing with a nightmare situation where our commercial lending department has been managing UCC filings internally for years, but we just discovered multiple debtor name inconsistencies across our portfolio that could potentially invalidate our security interests. We've got UCC-1 filings where the debtor names don't exactly match the incorporation documents, and some continuations that reference slightly different entity names than the original filings. Our compliance team is freaking out because we're talking about $2.3M in secured loans that might not be properly perfected. Has anyone worked with professional UCC lien services that can help audit existing filings and clean up these messes? I'm looking for services that can handle both the research side and the corrective filing work. Time is critical since some of these filings are approaching their 5-year marks.

The silver lining is that once you get this cleaned up, you'll have a much better process going forward. Sounds like this could be a blessing in disguise to overhaul your whole UCC procedure.

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Yara Sabbagh

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That's definitely the plan. We're already looking at implementing better checks and balances to prevent this from happening again.

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Smart. Prevention is always cheaper than correction.

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I'd be interested to hear how this turns out. We're probably due for a UCC audit ourselves - this thread is making me nervous about our own portfolio. Keep us posted on what approach works best.

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Yara Sabbagh

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Will do. I'm hoping to have a game plan in place by next week. I'll update the thread once I've made some progress.

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Thanks, looking forward to the update. This kind of information is really valuable for all of us.

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