Risk Management Blog

You have many options to perform a UCC lien search. There are certified searches that come directly from the filing office, state direct database searches that are available on a state’s website, and proprietary search systems that private service companies build and maintain. A while back, First Corporate Solutions published a blog series on evaluating state search options in which we discussed the benefits and drawbacks of each of these search sources.

The blog post “Evaluating State UCC Search Options Series # 5: Benefits of a Proprietary Database Search” notes a primary benefit of private search systems is their use of broad-based search logic.

What is broad-based name searching?

Search systems that use broad-based name searching offer flexible search logic, as opposed to the strict, exact name search logic used to generate a certified search at the filing office. Broad-based name searching refers to features such as wildcard characters and truncated search strings. These features are designed to produce a more inclusive search result and help you reduce financial risk.

Why is broad-based name searching important?

For one, broad-based name searching helps searchers locate filings under similar names. Locating filings under similar names and identifying name variations is critical, especially when it comes to tax liens. When tax liens are included in UCC Records at the filing office, they can be difficult to locate without a broad-based search engine because tax liens are not held to the same strict debtor naming standards as UCC filers are when naming their debtors. A tax lien is often considered active and enforceable even if it is not filed under the taxpayer’s exact legal name as defined for voluntary lien holders in the Uniform Commercial Code’s Article 9. An exact name search cannot reveal tax liens filed under a name variation; only a broad-based search solution can locate a tax lien under a name variation.

Another great benefit of using search systems that employ broad based search logic is that they help reduce search costs by allowing searchers to combine associated names of interest onto a single search report rather than paying separately for each. For example, imagine a search for a prospect named Robert McDonald. Using a search system’s wildcard feature, a searcher can draw results for McDonald, Mc Donald, MacDonald and Mac Donald as well as Robert, Rob, Bob, Bobby, Robbie and more all onto a single search report!

Want to assure name variations don’t lead to missed tax liens in your lien search results? First Corporate Solutions can help you. Contact us now. Speak with one of our lien search experts. Schedule a demo of our web-based online search system, complete with nationwide broad-based search logic to help you uncover tax liens with name variations.