Risk Management Blog

One of the most common areas of confusion relating to public records searching has to do with the costs incurred for search requests, particularly those requests that a customer places with a private service company. The fees associated with this type of research are varied and an invoice may use terminology that is unfamiliar to those with infrequent searching needs. Herein, we offer some guidelines for what types of fees you can expect… >> READ MORE

Lenders gather information from a variety of sources to create a comprehensive profile of an applicant’s existing financial obligations and gauge their ability to repay debts. By the time the lender is ready to initiate public records searches on a prospect, they often already have an idea of what they expect to find based on applicant disclosures and credit report information etc. However, it is uncommon for a lender to provide this information… >> READ MORE

We’re back at it with more UCC terminology and definitions! Last week, we discussed the difference between “active” and “effective” UCC filings, and this week we’re moving on to the definitions of “lapsed” and “purged” filings. Lapsed UCC filing: The filing has passed its effective period and no continuation has been filed. Purged UCC filing: The filing has been removed from the index and is no longer searchable… >> READ MORE

What is Pre-filing? In a traditional funding cycle, a lender will order lien searches on potential borrowers at the start of a new deal. Based on the results of those searches (and other measures of creditworthiness) the lender decides whether to fund the applicant. If the lender elects to advance funds, the lender will file a UCC Financing Statement to perfect their security interest and secure a priority position to collect should the… >> READ MORE

The short answer to this question is Yes, but perhaps it is not the best answer. While it is usually possible in most states to legally serve as your own registered agent (or appoint a friend/family member), it is advisable to designate a third-party to perform this important role. By having someone else responsible for the receipt of your legal and tax documents, you can have the peace of mind that someone will always be available to… >> READ MORE

A UCC report will look different and may contain slightly different information depending on where the search was performed and by whom. As a result, it can be challenging to make sense of a UCC search report if you are unfamiliar with how to “read” it. Knowing that an accurate interpretation of the UCC data that is reported to you is critical to the success of your business, we offer the following tips for how to read a UCC search report. Review… >> READ MORE

The State of Delaware offers Preclearance Review of Corporate Documents to assist filers through the corporate filing process and reduce the number of filings that do not meet required criteria. Various preclearance corporate filing services are offered and their official review procedures are a convenient way to avoid potential processing errors. This service assures that you have accurately drafted your corporate document before formally… >> READ MORE

There are countless occasions in which a person could be asked to supply a certificate of good standing for their business, or where a lender or attorney acts to obtain one. Two of the most common scenarios are to register or qualify a company to transact business in another state, and to open a business banking account. A good standing certificate verifies that an entity is authorized to transact business in a given jurisdiction and… >> READ MORE

When ordering copies of corporate documents, the state filing office or your private service company will ask, “Do you need plain or certified copies of those documents?” This blog post will give a brief explanation of the difference and offer some examples of their uses. If you order a plain copy of business entity documents, e.g., articles, amendment/merger documents, annual filing etc. what you will receive is basically a photocopy… >> READ MORE

Do you have questions about how your perfected security interest will be affected by a federal tax lien? Are you at risk to losing priority in regard to after-acquired collateral in the event a federal tax lien is filed against your debtor? Attorney Bennett Cohen of Illinois law firm Cohen, Salk & Huvard, P.C., gets asked questions like this all the time, and has taken the time to write some answers regarding federal tax liens. You may… >> READ MORE