How Do I Find UCC Filings on My Business?
Search your state's UCC database, usually run by the secretary of state, using your business's exact legal name. Most states offer free or low cost online searches that list every financing statement filed against the business, along with amendments and terminations.
Where do you search for UCC filings?
UCC filings for businesses are generally filed in the state where the business is organized, for an LLC or corporation, or where the owner lives, for a sole proprietor. Go to that state's secretary of state website and look for UCC search. Some states charge a small fee for official search reports.
How do you search well?
- Use the exact legal name on your organizing documents.
- Search variations too, like with and without punctuation or abbreviations.
- Search any former business names.
- Note each filing's number, date, secured party and status.
How do you read a UCC filing?
Each financing statement shows the debtor, which is your business, the secured party, which is the funder or bank, and a description of the collateral. It also shows whether amendments or a termination have been filed. A filing without a termination is generally treated as active until it lapses.
What if you don't recognize a filing?
Sometimes a filing lists a company you don't know. It can be a funder that bought or serviced an advance, a servicing company or an error. Contact the secured party listed and ask what it relates to.
How do you get old filings removed?
If a filing relates to an advance you've paid off, ask the secured party to file a termination. Send a written request with your zero balance letter. Follow up until the record shows it as terminated.
How long does a UCC filing last?
Financing statements generally lapse after a set period unless continued. Don't rely on lapse; a termination is cleaner.
Why do UCC filings matter?
Funders, banks and buyers of your business all search these records. Knowing what's there first lets you explain or clean it up before anyone asks.
How do sole proprietors search?
If you operate as a sole proprietor, filings are usually made under your own name in the state where you live, since the business has no separate legal identity. Search your name exactly as it appears on your driver's license, which many states use as the standard for individual debtors. Search variations as well, since filers sometimes get the name slightly wrong.
When should you order an official search?
For a bank or a buyer, an official certified search from the filing office is sometimes required. It costs a little more and takes a little longer than an online lookup, but it carries more weight when someone needs formal proof.
How can Afterfirst help with this?
Call 877-FUND-654 if you've found filings you want help with. We'll help you identify each one and request terminations for any advances that are already paid.
What else do owners ask about this?
- Will an MCA's UCC filing stop me from getting a bank loan?
- What happens to my old UCC filings after an MCA consolidation?
- Does my spouse have to sign the personal guarantee on an MCA?
More short answers on this topic are on the credit and liens FAQ, and the MCA apr calculator runs the numbers for your own file.
Where do these facts come from?
Have a question we didn't answer?
Ask us on the call. Call 877-FUND-654 with any question. We call you back, usually the same business day, and we always talk with you before we shop your file.