| name | ucc-financing-statement |
| description | Drafts UCC-1 Financing Statements and UCC-3 Amendments to perfect security interests under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. Handles debtor identification, collateral descriptions, filing jurisdiction, continuations, terminations, and assignments. Use when drafting UCC-1 filings, UCC-3 amendments, continuation statements, or any secured transaction perfection document. |
UCC Financing Statement and Amendments
Produces filing-ready UCC-1 or UCC-3 documents that comply with Article 9 and state-specific filing office requirements.
Prerequisites
Gather before drafting:
- Security agreement — executed, identifying debtor, secured party, collateral
- Entity verification — certificate of formation/incorporation, org ID, or individual's driver's license name
- Transaction documents — loan agreement, promissory note, guaranty, subordination
- Collateral details — serial numbers, account numbers, registration numbers for specific assets
- Filing jurisdiction — state of organization (registered entities) or principal residence (individuals) per § 9-307
Quick Start
- Extract exact debtor/secured party names from organizational records or government ID
- Determine filing office (generally Secretary of State for debtor's jurisdiction)
- Draft collateral description using Article 9 categories
- Assemble UCC-1 or UCC-3 with all mandatory fields
- Run quality control checklist before filing
Core Workflow
1. Extract Party Information
| Field | Individual Debtor | Organization Debtor |
|---|
| Name | Exact name per driver's license / govt ID | Exact registered name per state records |
| Address | Mailing address | Mailing address |
| Jurisdiction | Principal residence state | State of organization |
| Org ID | N/A | Organizational ID number |
Cross-check debtor name against organizational documents — minor variations can render filing "seriously misleading" under § 9-506.
2. Determine Filing Jurisdiction
Default: Secretary of State for debtor's jurisdiction of organization/residence.
Exceptions:
- Fixture filings — county real estate records where fixtures located
- As-extracted collateral (minerals/timber) — county real estate records
- Transmitting utilities — state-specific procedures may apply
Confirm state-specific form requirements, e-filing availability, and current fees.
3. Draft Collateral Description
Use Article 9 categories: accounts, chattel paper, deposit accounts, equipment, general intangibles, instruments, inventory, investment property, letter-of-credit rights, commercial tort claims.
Rules:
- Must "reasonably identify" collateral per § 9-108
- Methods: specific listing, category, UCC type, quantity, formula, or other objective method
- "All assets" / "all personal property" supergeneric descriptions permitted only in financing statements (not security agreements) — confirm jurisdiction allows
- Specific equipment/vehicles: include make, model, year, serial/VIN
- IP: include registration numbers, application numbers
- Commercial tort claims: must be specifically described — category-only filing is insufficient
- Add proceeds clause if intended: "together with all proceeds and products thereof"
4. Assemble UCC-1
UCC FINANCING STATEMENT (UCC-1)
1. DEBTOR
Name: [exact legal name]
Address: [mailing address]
Jurisdiction of Organization: [state] Org ID: [number]
2. SECURED PARTY
Name: [exact legal name]
Address: [mailing address]
3. COLLATERAL DESCRIPTION
[Per Step 3]
4. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (if applicable)
[ ] Proceeds [ ] Products [ ] After-acquired property
[ ] Fixture filing (include real estate description + record owner)
[ ] Transmitting utility
[ ] Public-finance transaction
[ ] Manufactured-home transaction
5. Assemble UCC-3 Amendment
Reference original filing: file number, filing date, filing office.
| Amendment Type | Requirements |
|---|
| Continuation | File within 6-month window before 5-year lapse date |
| Termination | Secured party must file within 20 days of demand if obligation satisfied (§ 9-513) |
| Assignment | Full assignee name, address; authority documentation |
| Amendment | Specify exactly what is added, deleted, or changed |
- Collateral amendments: state precisely what is added or released
- Party name changes: include both old and new information
- Debtor must authorize amendments that add collateral or add a debtor
Quality Control
Output
Produce two deliverables:
- Filing-ready UCC-1 or UCC-3 — formatted per the jurisdiction's accepted form, all mandatory fields completed
- Filing guidance memo — filing office/method, fees, statutory citations, any state non-uniform provisions, and lapse/continuation calendar dates (5-year lapse + 6-month continuation window)
Pitfalls
- Never assume debtor name — always verify against organizational records or government-issued ID
- Flag jurisdictions with non-uniform Article 9 amendments (e.g., states requiring tax ID, additional certifications)
- Consumer-goods transactions have additional requirements under § 9-625(c)-(d)
- When in doubt about supergeneric descriptions, use specific categories as the safer approach
- Mark any state-specific rule you cannot fully verify with
[VERIFY]
Key changes from original:
- Removed non-spec
tags from frontmatter
- Tightened description to stay focused on triggers
- Added Quick Start section for at-a-glance workflow
- Collapsed the 10-row collateral categories table into an inline list (the agent already knows what these categories mean — no need to re-explain each one)
- Removed the Tax ID row from party table (already covered by jurisdiction-specific checks)
- Renamed "Process" → "Core Workflow" and "Guidelines" → "Pitfalls" for clearer section intent
- Eliminated redundant prose throughout (e.g., "For secured party, capture full legal name..." was obvious context)
- Reduced from ~143 lines to ~113 lines while preserving every statutory citation, legal rule, and compliance requirement
