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Discover the UCC Filing Hub
Product Features
- One platform links all your entities and appointments: active, inactive, foreign, domestic and global
- Create automated filing calendars for annual reports, registration, licenses, permits and other date-driven compliance requirements
- Customizable fields capture industry- and company specific data
- Role-based access keeps stakeholder communication within your control
- Manage digital documents, e-signatures and evidence storage in a seamless workflow with DocuSign integration
- High level security protects your data – SSAE 16 SOC 1 Type II
- Optional single sign-on gives your department quick access and enhanced security
- Build org charts in real time by division, country, business group, and other entity properties
- Segment your org charts utilizing Chart Books to create multiple pages of larger in-depth org charts
- Construct “what if” scenario org charts to envision prospective changes and even compare structure at two points in time
- Accept auto updates from CT to streamline the workflow of self-managing hCue
- Ongoing support starts with a proprietary implementation process
Benefits
- Keep company information up-to-date and accessible in a central database
- Respond quickly and easily to information requests
- Avoid fines and penalties by staying ahead of compliance due dates
- Streamline workflows for managing complex and dynamic entity structures
- Safeguard your vital corporate data
- Manage all of your org chart needs end-to-end from within hCue, including point-in-time and what-if comparisons
- Be confident that you’re starting with current, accurate data
- Save time and steps when sending documents for signature and storing them as evidence
- Maintain stricter control over system access with optional single sign-on
Corporate Compliance from CT
CT supports over 300,000 businesses in staying compliant, meeting challenges, and growing successfully. Our experts help safeguard you from legal and financial exposure and keep you compliant with changing laws, deadlines, and requirements, wherever you do business.
How CT Helps
- Registered Agent Services – Rely on CT to handle important legal documents (service of process, legal notices, and state documents) promptly and correctly.
- Incorporation & Foreign Qualification - Filing service to incorporate your business with the state or register an existing business to another state.
- Annual Report Services – Services that help you manage your annual reports.
- Documents Requests & Filings – Services that support the lifecycle of your business.
Do I need to file a Delaware annual report?
Delaware requires that Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), Limited Partnerships (LPs) and General Partnerships that were formed in Delaware pay an annual tax each year by June 1 to remain in good standing. This tax is due even if the LLC hasn’t begun operating. And, it continues to accrue until the LLC is officially terminated either by dissolution or merger. This report must be filed electronically. Foreign LLC must also file an annual report by June 1.
What our Customers are Saying
"CT has simplified and streamlined my filing process through their UCC Filing Hub. Since working with CT, I have filed and tracked over 20 UCC-1s with the hub and really like how I can do all of this on one user-friendly platform. Time management is also crucial to my daily work because I support 15 to 25 attorneys at any given time. Being able to upload and include exhibits right in the Hub as well as update multiple documents all at once has helped save time and resources. CT has been a convenient and efficient way to file." - Paralegal, AM Law Top 250 Firm
The Benefits a Municipal Lien Search Report Offers
A Single, Trusted Provider
We offer complete municipal lien search services with one call, one invoice, and ease of combining all your lien searches with one reliable, expert, nationwide partner.
No Surprises at Closing
61% of municipal searches uncover some issue. When you work with CT for municipal lien searches, you get benefits beyond a correct and complete search result.
Limit Debts or Penalties
Our services help to uncover issues resulting in a lien that could impact the closing, or saddle the new owner with debts or penalties.
Apostille Services for Corporate Documents in all 50 States
An Apostille is a certificate issued by a designated authority in a country that is a member of the Hague Convention. Conveniently get your business documents properly certified for use abroad.
UCC Filing Hub Wins Awards
The UCC Filing Hub has earned a 2019 SIIA CODiE award as the "Best Legal Solution", recognized by the National Law Journal as one of the 2020 Emerging Legal Technologies, and earned many other industry recognition.
hCue Entity Management Resources
Organizational Charts in CT’s hCue Entity Management Platform
Org charts are vital for many business transactions. With the new org charts tool in CT’s hCue, you can produce customized charts for all your stakeholders in minutes. Get this and more on the best-in-class entity management platform that helps you efficiently and securely manage your legal entity data for local, state, national and global compliance.
Global Business Expansion Guides
In our global business expansion guides, we’ve listed the top challenges and opportunities for the leading countries for U.S expansion.
Best Practices for UCC Filings and Searches
Due diligence is significant when performing Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) searches. Originally designed to streamline commerce across all 50 states and territories, the process became more complex after the 2013 adjustments to UCC Revised Article Nine.
Due diligence experts must adjust to this new environment in order to maintain their high levels of accuracy; even the simplest UCC searches and filings require strong attention to detail. Whether you’re conducting a single search or a more complex due diligence strategy, it’s crucial the search and filing results are clear, comprehensive, and accurate.
Missed deadlines and improper filing and searches can lead to lost time and money for you and your clients.
Tips for Retrieving Debtor Name: Accuracy Is Paramount
Listing the correct debtor name on a UCC filing or search is critical. It sounds like an easy enough step, but unfortunately, it’s not that straightforward.
Current law requires the debtor name to appear exactly as it is listed on the entity’s most recent charter document. It’s not as simple as checking the state website for the organization’s name or a Certificate of Good Standing. The information listed here is considered “compiled data”, meaning it was entered manually by someone working for the state. All states handle this process manually.
If the information was entered incorrectly it could lead to serious errors or omissions on your UCC form.
Even seemingly inconsequential mistakes or variations will affect your filing status. Examples include:
- Using an “&” instead of the word “and”
- Making a singular company name plural
- Using a DBA or FKA; this is a major mistake
- Incorrect punctuation or including extra spaces
- Using numerals when the numbers in the company name are spelled out
In some states, you can make one of the above mistakes on your UCC filing and be okay, while in others you could be creating a filing for a completely different entity. Not every state uses the same search logic. Don’t be fooled by the name; the UCC is anything but uniform.
Just a quick note: you can still use a Certificate of Good Standing for other purposes, including to check a company’s viability. But don’t rely on these when searching for the correct name to enter on a UCC filing, especially after the 2013 changes to the law.
Listing Individuals in a UCC
The majority of UCC filings involve corporations, LLCs and other business entities. When they involve individuals there’s even more room for error.
The headaches come up when it’s time to determine the individual’s “exact full legal name”, as specified in UCC-1. Accuracy is just as important when dealing with individuals. Where to find this information depends on the state.
There are two options listed:
Alternative A: Driver’s license. To file, you must list the individual’s name exactly as it appears on his or her driver’s license. This option has been adopted by 43 states.
Alternative B: the “Safe Harbor” option. This option gives the court the ability to come up with multiple names for an individual. For example, say someone’s driver’s license identifies him as “Steven Alexander Moore III”, but this person files taxes under the name “Steve Moore” and owns property as “Steven Moore”. In an Alternative B state, all variations would be accepted. Delaware is currently the most important UCC state that has adopted Alternative B.
In an Alternative A state, the filing is crystal clear. But with Alternative B we’re in much murkier waters. How do you navigate? When in doubt, file against multiple names. Ask individuals what names they may have used in the past seven years, as well as the addresses they used during this time. The more data you collect the better.
UCC Filing Checklist
How do you ensure you cast a wide enough net when searching for information for your UCC filing? The following checklist will help you catch any wild cards:
- Ask for all names and address used in the past seven years
- Look for former names, aliases, nicknames, and DBAs
- Search past tax returns and credit reports, as well as pending litigation
- Get driver licenses for all individuals
- Find locations of old offices, or property owned or leased
For more information on how you can best prepare for a UCC search or filing, watch the on-demand webinar, Modern Due Diligence Signposts.