UCC Search Logic Help

How to Search UCC Records
There are two basic ways to perform a search with the Oregon UCC office. You can do an uncertified search yourself through our web page, or request our office to perform a certified search for you for a fee. The web page will allow you to do a Non-Standard search to find names that may not come up when using the Standard RA9 search logic. It will also mimic, if you wish, the RA9 search logic to find the same results that a certified search in our office would.

For a boarder search (similar names, etc., you may wish to select the Non-Standard RA9 tab.

What is the RA9 Search Logic?
Many people have questions about the standard search logic under the Oregon Administrative Rules for RA9. One of the reasons that the search logic has changed is because of the very different requirements the law makes of filers. Now the filing office is required to enter the information into the database exactly as it is written in the form. The filing office no longer may make judgment calls. For example, when a filer enters:

          Last name: Brown
          First name: John and Mary
          Middle: (blank)

The office will type into the database a single debtor named John and Mary Brown. Clearly, the filer will need to be extremely careful about how the name is presented to our office, and the searcher must use care, as well.

The rules in question can be found in Sections 500-503, with 502.7 being worthy of note, as it is by far the most complicated. Please reference a copy of the specific rules mentioned herein. Here is a simple explanation of the new search logic.

How does it work?
The basic idea is that of casting the widest net possible, in order to bring back a filing referencing the legal name of the debtor. Therefore, most searches today will probably bring in many more individual names than under the present system, but searches on business names will be more restrictive. Moreover, the rules are written to be completely automated, "Human judgment does not play a role in determining the results of the search."

Some rules apply to both businesses and individual names: punctuation, case, and spaces are disregarded. Results show only filings related to exact names given, as interpreted by 502.7, in the case of individuals. Business names are fairly straightforward, with extraneous details left out of search criteria such as entity types (inc., LP) at the end of a name. Individual names are much more complex, but basically revolve around the "name field": if there's a hit in each name field (last, first and middle initial) AND all the fields together, then it will show up in the search report.

Given the last name, a hit in the remaining name fields will be made if either the initial letter of the name, if no name or initial is listed, or all the letters are matched. For example, "B" will show "B", "Bill" and "Bob", while "Bob" will show "B" or "Bob" only. The lack of middle initial brings up all middle names and initials. The chart below shows the different variations; note that each search name successfully brings up each variation.

Search Name	Matching Debtor Name on Report?
Below shows the different variations; note that each search name successfully brings up each variation.	G. Ruth	George Ruth	G. H. Ruth	George H. Ruth	G. Herman Ruth	George Herman Ruth
G. Ruth	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
George Ruth	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
G.H. Ruth	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
George H. Ruth	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
G. Herman Ruth	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
George Herman Ruth	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Clearly, things that are reasonably similar to the search name will be found. But what about other names that seem close but are easily distinguishable? Under the rules, some will be found, others will not, as below.

Search Name	Matching Debtor Name on Report?
	Babe Ruth	Greg Ruth	Greg H. Ruth	G. Howard Ruth	G. William Ruth	Gary Howard Ruth
G. Ruth	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
G.H. Ruth	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
George Ruth	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
George H. Ruth	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
G. Herman Ruth	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
George Herman Ruth	No	No	No	No	No	No

Appendix - From Oregon Administrative Rules 160-040

Section 5 -- Search Requests and Reports

500. General requirements.
The filing officer maintains for public inspection a searchable index for all records of UCC documents. The index shall provide for the retrieval of a record by the name of the debtor and by the file number of the initial financing statement and each filed UCC record relating to the initial financing statement.

501 Search requests
Search requests shall contain the following information.

                   501.1 Name searched.
                    A search request should set forth the name of the debtor to be searched and must specify
                    whether the debtor is an individual or an organization. A search request will be processed
                    using the name in the exact form it is submitted.

501.2 Requesting party.
The name and address of the person to whom the search report is to be sent.

501.3 Fee.
The appropriate fee shall be enclosed, payable by a method described in rule 113.

                    501.4 Hold search.
                  A filer of an initial financing statement may request a search to reflect that filing only through
                    the use of a search request as described in OAR 501. The check box on the National
                    Standard form that refers to such a search is insufficient for requesting service.

          502 Rules applied to search requests.
          Search results are produced by the application of standardized search logic to the name
          presented to the filing officer. Human judgment does not play a role in determining the results of
          the search. The following rules apply to searches:

                    502.1 Number of matches.
                    There is no limit to the number of matches that may be returned in response to the
                    “standard” RA9 search criteria. A Non-Standard search has a return limitation of 500
                    records.

502.2 Case.
No distinction is made between upper and lower case letters.

                    502.3 Punctuation.
                    Punctuation marks and accents are disregarded. The search logic will    only accept ASCII
                    characters A - Z and 0 - 9, with the exception that "&" will be treated as "AND". ***Note: In
                   order to receive the best possible results, we recommend that you search any/all
                   applicable names using both "and" and "&".

                  502.4 Organization names.
                    Words and abbreviations at the end of a name that indicate the existence or nature of an
                    organization as set forth in the “Ending Noise Words” list as promulgated and adopted by
                    the International Association of Corporation Administrators, are disregarded. Such words
                    include the following: company, limited, incorporated corporation, limited partnership, limited
                    liability company or abbreviations of the foregoing.

                    502.5 "The."
                   The word "The" at the beginning of the search logic is disregarded. (Tip for searchers: If the
                    business name you are searching has "The" at the beginning, include it in your
                    searching criteria. Results will reflect matching business names with and without "The"
                    at the beginning).

502.6 Spaces.
All spaces are disregarded.

502.7 Special rules for names of individuals.

                   502.7.1 First and middle names.
                   For first and middle names of individuals, initials are treated as the logical equivalent of all
                    first and middle names that begin with such initials. Middle initials and names shall also
                    return results without any middle name or initial, and no middle name or initial is equated
                    with all middle names and initials.

                    For example, a search request for "John A. Smith" would cause the search to retrieve all
                    filings against all individual debtors with "John" or the initial "J" as the first name, "Smith" as
                    the last name, and with the initial "A" or any name beginning with "A" in the middle name field
                    or no middle name or initial. Possible results include: "John A. Smith," "John Alexander
                    Smith," and "John Smith."

                  If the search request was for "John Smith" (first and last names with no designation in the
                    middle name field), the search would retrieve all filings against individual debtors with
                    "John" or the initial J as the first name, "Smith" as the last name, and with any name or initial,
                    or no name or initial in the middle name field. Thus, "John A. Smith," "John Smith," "J. Smith",
                    "John R. Smith," and "John Alexander Smith" are all possible results.

                    502.7.2 Suffixes.
                    Suffixes of individual names, such as "Jr." and "III" will be disregarded as search criteria.

                   502.8 Unlapsed financing statements.
                   The searcher may request to view only filings that have not reached their expiration date. After
                   using the preceding rules to modify the name to be searched, the search will reveal only
                   names of debtors that are contained in unlapsed financing statements and exactly match the
                   name requested, as modified.

                   502.9 Lapsed financing statements.
                 The searcher may request to view filings that have passed their expiration date. After using
                 the preceding rules to modify the name to be searched, the search will reveal only names of
                 debtors that are contained in lapsed financing statements that have been expired for up to 2
                 years and exactly match the name requested, as modified.

                    502.10 Active database search.
                    Searchers may request to see both lapsed and unlapsed filings by choosing "All" on the
                    search request form. The "active database" contains both lapsed and unlapsed financing
                    statements.

503 Optional information.
A UCC search request may contain any of the following information.

                    503.1 Additional criteria.
                    The request may limit the records requested by limiting them by reference to the address of
                    the debtor, the city of the debtor, the date of filing (or a range of filing dates) or the identity of
                    the secured party of record on the financing statements. A report created by the filing officer
                    in response to such a request shall contain the statement "A limited search may not reveal
                    all filings against the debtor searched and the searcher bears the risk of relying on such a
                    search."

503.2 Copy request.
The request may ask for copies of UCC records identified on the primary search response.

                    503.3 Mode of delivery.
                  Instructions on the mode of delivery desired, if other than by ordinary mail, which request will
                    be honored if the requested mode is available to the filing office.

504 Search responses.
Reports created in response to a search request shall include the following.

504.1 Filing officer.
Identification of the filing officer.

504.2 Report date.
The date the report was generated.

504.3 Name searched.
Identification of the name searched.

504.4 Certification date.
The certification date and time through which the search is effective.

                    504.5 Identification of initial financing statements.
                   Identification of each unlapsed initial financing statement filed on or prior to the certification
                    date and time corresponding to the search criteria, by name of debtor, by identification
                    number, and by file date and file time.

                   504.6 History of financing statement.
                    For each initial financing statement on the report, a listing of all related UCC records filed by
                    the filing officer on or prior to the certification date.

504.7 Copies.
Copies of all UCC records revealed by the search and requested by the searcher

Corporation Division

UCC Search Logic Help