Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)

You can file UCC Financing Statement and UCC Financing Statement Amendments through our Business Filing System website. Please note that you cannot upload attachments for online UCC filings.  Should your UCC filing require an attachment then your financing statement would need to be submitted via paper.

 

Act 18 of 2001, the Uniform Commercial Code Modernization Act of 2001, was signed into law on June 8, 2001. This Act was effective on July 1, 2001.

  • The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has adopted the National UCC Financing Statement, the National UCC Financing Statement Amendment, the Information Request and the Statement of Claim as approved by the International Association of Commercial Administrators (IACA). No other forms will be accepted. Only one copy of the form should be submitted. A computerized acknowledgement, with the filing information, will be returned to the filer.
  • The filing fees are $84.00 per form for the Financing Statement, the Financing Statement Amendment and the Statement of Claim. Checks must contain a commercially pre-printed name and address. There is no additional fee for attachments or additional debtors. The fee for a search request is $12.00 per Debtor name to be searched. If copies are requested, there is an additional fee of $3.00 per page copied. If certified copies are requested, there is an additional charge of $28.00.
  • Debtor names will be indexed exactly as they appear on the Financing Statement. If multiple debtors are listed in one block, they will be indexed as one debtor. You must use the Financing Statement and the Financing Statement Addendum form to list all Debtor and Secured Party names. The Department will not retrieve Debtor or Secured Party information from attachments.

NOTICE: Because of the increased threat of identity theft and heightened personal security concerns, the Department of State has begun redacting Social Security numbers and bank account and credit card numbers, where identifiable, from UCC financing statements for all filings received on or after August 7, 2002. To assist the Bureau, filers may wish to delete this information prior to filing.

You may contact the Uniform Commercial Code section by calling 717-787-1057 option 3, or by mail at: Uniform Commercial Code, PO Box 8721, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8721.

 

Uniform Commercial Code Filings

The Secretary of the Commonwealth hereby gives public notice of the circulation of private certified bond tenders or drafts referencing Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings made with the Department of State’s Corporation Bureau. An example of this type of document is attached for your review. Please be advised that certain individuals are making and executing these paper documents and are presenting them as payment. They are of questionable validity and acceptance of these documents is at YOUR OWN RISK.

Although the documents vary somewhat in form and content, some of the common characteristics are as follows:

example of a private certified bond tender or draft

A statement at the top indicating that “THIS INSTRUMENT HAS A COLORED BACKGROUND AND MICROPRINTING. THE REVERSE SIDE INCLUDES AN ARTIFICIAL WATERMARK”;

  1. The word “CERTIFIED” in bold shown immediately below the statement referenced in item 1) that is followed by the words “Bond-Tender Dissolution Bond”, “Release of Collateral Bond Revenue”, or “Tender of Payment”;
  2. A reference to UCC 3-311(a), (b) below the words referenced in item 2);
  3. Entries for the following- the a) “Date”, b) “For”, c) “Account number”, d) “To the order of” or “Pay to”, e) “Amount tendered”, and f) “Exactly”;
  4. A statement above the signature line indicating that “UCC PARTIAL ASSIGNMENT OF SECURITY INTEREST FILED WITH PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF STATE CORPORATION BUREAU UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE P.O. BOX 8721, HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA 17105-8721” (emphasis added);
  5. The words “Signature without recourse” below the signature line;
  6. A statement at the bottom indicating that “THIS TENDER IS EXECUTED AND FILED PURSUANT TO PENNSYLVANIA CONSOLIDATED STATUTE, TITLE 13, 3-302, (VERSION OF YOUR UCC 9-405) TAKEN FOR VALUE UCC 3-303 UCC 1-201, (25), (27), (35) NOTICE, LAWFUL U.S. FUNDS IN ACCORDANCE WITH PUBLIC POLICY, HJR-192 OF 6/15/1933, UCC 1-104, 10-104, 1-207”; and
  7. Possible inclusion of the words “NON-NEGOTIABLE NON TRANSFERABLE” (usually at the bottom of the document).

Any of these instruments presented to the Department of State for payment or brought to the Department’s attention are not honored or paid by or through the Department of State and are referred to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. For additional information or assistance, please contact the Department of State’s Office of Chief Counsel at (717) 787-6802.

If one of these documents is presented to you, or if you have information concerning this matter, please notify your local law enforcement officials. In addition, if you would like information about drafts payable upon the U.S. Treasury, please refer to the August 6, 1999, Alert of the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Administrator of National Banks (OCC Alert 99-10).