SOS online application for businesses, lenders wins international award

Michigan's new Web-based application for Uniform Commercial Code filings has won a 2010 Merit Award from the International Association of Commercial Administrators, a group representing commercial code and business registration administrators, Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land announced today. The Web-based program at www.michigan.gov/sosucc was launched last summer. It allows users to file, correct, amend or terminate UCC financing statements and conduct debtor name searches. ''I commend department staff for their work making the new UCC Online System such a success that it has received international honors,'' Land said. ''We're pleased to offer customers new benefits such as easier operation and improved efficiency.'' UCC law governs commercial transactions such as sales, bank deposits, investments and securities. The Department of State is the repository for UCC filings in Michigan. These filings provide a public record of the collateral a borrower has pledged to obtain a loan and whether other creditors have a financial interest in the same collateral. Customers using UCC services include banks, loan agencies, corporations, farmers and lawyers. In 2009, the UCC office processed about 144,000 filings, 27,000 tax liens and 84,000 search requests. The system was streamlined to make its use more intuitive, especially for those not familiar with it. Some of the improvements include: Simpler screen ''wizards.'' Wizards provide users with step-by-step instructions to ensure transactions are completed accurately and efficiently. Help links on every page. Easier procedures for retrieving a forgotten password. Incomplete job storage for seven days An automatic job save and logout, initiated after 30 minutes of user inactivity. A pop-up window will appear as a warning five minutes before automatic logout. UCC Online creates documents electronically, which benefits both customers and department staff by eliminating the need for paper documents. Additionally, the program reduces the processing time for searches from days to minutes and makes newly filed financing statements available immediately. Customers also can submit filings in person or by mail to the department's UCC Filing Office, Secondary Complex, 7064 Crowner Drive, Lansing, MI, 48918. For more information about UCC and other Secretary of State services, visit www.Michigan.gov/sos. Copyright © 2010 State of Michigan Published: Thu, Jul 15, 2010

––––––––––––––––––––
 Subscribe to the Legal News!
 https://test.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available