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Home > Business > Uniform Commercial Code
UCC Fee Schedule

Effective July 1, 2001, Montana implemented Revised Article 9 (RA9) of the Uniform Commercial Code, the body of law that provides for nationwide uniformity in the way certain kinds of loans are secured. A UCC lien is a financial document stating that a lender (secured party) has a claim in certain property belonging to someone else (debtor). By filing a UCC lien, a secured party establishes his or her priority for payment over subsequent secured parties if the debtor defaults on the loan.  The lien document filed with the Montana Secretary of State's Office provides a notice to interested parties of the existence of a security interest against specific collateral.

Debtor Name

It is the responsibility of the secured party to get the debtor's name right. The Secretary of State's office will reject UCC liens and amendments that do not correctly identify debtor's name as required by RA9. Listed below are some helpful tips to consider when reflecting a debtor name on a UCC lien.

  • Examine, copy, and retain multiple identification records to reveal name variations (for example, Social Security card, driver's license, tax returns, etc.).
  • Do not rely on a signature, even if legible, to discern the exact name of an individual.
  • If the individual has only one financing name, such as "Cher," list the name in the space provided for the last name.
  • Trade names adopted by individuals and organizations are not correct debtor names.
  • Never combine multiple debtor names on one form (for example, Smith, Jack and Jill, or Jack Smith DBA/Jack's U Serve).
  • Identify suffixes to distinguish filings by lineage (for example, Jr. or Sr.)
  • If the debtor is an organization, check the charter documents in the organization's state of jurisdiction.
  • Double-check the spelling of the debtor name on the lien.

Debtor Organization

If the debtor is an organization, then the state in which the debtor was organized, the type of organization, and the organization's identification number must now be included on the lien. This requirement covers new filings as well as amendments that add new organizations as debtors. Here are some helpful tips when completing this information: 

·        Type of organization refers to corporation, limited partnership, limited liability company, etc.

·        Jurisdiction of organization is the state in which the entity incorporated or in which its charter documents (Articles of Incorporation) were filed.

·        In Montana, the organizational ID number is the folder number assigned to the charter documents by the Secretary of State's Office.

For more information about the organizational status of specific debtors, visit the Secretary of State's Business Entity Search page.                   

Filing Location

The filing location of a UCC lien is determined as follows: 

  • If the debtor is a "registered" organization, the UCC is filed in the state of organization/registration.
  • If the debtor is an individual, the UCC is filed in the state of legal residence.

Filing Time

Administrative Rule: 44.6.202 EFFECTIVE DATE AND TIME

(1) Any filing delivered by the postal service has an effective time as of 8:00 a.m. on the delivery date. Filings received after 4:00 p.m. have the next business day's effective date.

(2) Any filing received by fax, walk-in, or express delivery service will have the same date and time as received.

Debtor and Secured Party Signatures

The debtor and secured party are required to authorize the filing of a UCC lien.  If authorization is obtained then the signatures of the debtor and secured party are not required on the lien notice filed with the Secretary of State’s office. 

The debtor is required to sign, authorize or authenticate an Effective Financing Statement (EFS) lien filed by the secured party under the Federal Act.  If authorization or authentication occurs the debtor is not required to sign the EFS notice filed with the Secretary of State’s office.

Amendments

When filing an amendment with the Secretary of State’s office you must provide the original filing number along with the name of the debtor and secured party.  Reflecting this information will assist the filing office with identifying the correct lien notice is being amended.

UCC Bulk

UCC Bulk download allows registered users to download a complete listing of all Uniform Commercial Code and Effective Financing Statement liens recorded with the Montana Secretary of State’s office.  To register for this service please contact Discovering Montana at 449-3468 or (866) 449-3468.

UCC Search

The Secretary of State’s Office offers a Uniform Commercial Code search service through Discovering Montana. This service, available for a fee, provides information about all liens filed with our office, both active liens and those that lapsed or were terminated after June 30, 2001. Through the UCC Search site, you can search debtor names, view filing information, order copies of filings and amendments, and print certified search certificates. For information regarding the Secretary of State’s search criteria click on the following Administrative Rule: 44.6.201.

To use the service, you need to contact Discovering Montana at (406) 449-3468 or 1-866-449-3468.

LIENS

Liens currently filed with the Secretary of State's Office are: 

  • UCC liens (against goods used or bought for commercial purposes)
  • Agricultural liens (against goods used or bought for farming or ranching purposes)
  • Effective Financing Statement liens (against crops, livestock, and unmanufactured products)
  • Transmitting utility liens (related to transmitting electric or electronic communications; operating a railroad, subway, street railway or trolley bus; transmitting goods by pipeline or sewer; and transmitting or producing electricity, steam, gas, or water)
  • Notice of federal tax liens (when taxes are assessed against a taxpayer on all his/her property and rights to property)
  • Notice of child support liens (against all property)
  • Title 71 liens (against crops for services performed in relation to that crop, such as spraying or dusting)
  • Consumer goods liens (against goods used or bought for personal, family, or household purposes)
  • Public finance transaction liens (against transactions in which long-term debt securities are issued to and/or for the benefit of the state or a governmental unit of the state)
  • Manufactured home transaction liens (create purchase-money security interests in manufactured homes

UCC FORMS NOTICE EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2013

The Montana Secretary of State’s Uniform Commercial Code Unit has adopted new UCC forms in response to the passage of HB 212.  The new financing statement forms will be effective July 1, 2013.  A thirty (30) day grace period will be provided beginning July 1, 2013 and ending July 31, 2013, whereby the filing of previously prescribed UCC forms will be accepted by this filing office. 

Effective August 1, 2013, old versions of the forms will be rejected. 

The prescribed forms will be available on the UCC Forms page July 1, 2013 in a fillable electronic format.

This notice applies to only Article 9 records filed as: 

  • UCC Liens;
  • Manufactured-Home Transaction Liens;
  • Public-Finance Transaction Liens; and
  • Transmitting Utility Liens. 

This notice does not impact records filed as: 

  • Notice of Federal Tax Lien;
  • Notice of Child Support Liens;
  • Title 71 Liens; or
  • Effective Financing Statement Liens.

 

Panoramas by Craig Hergert