§ 9-516 — What constitutes filing; effectiveness of filing

(a) What constitutes filing. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b), communication of a record to a filing office and tender of the filing fee or acceptance of the record by the filing office constitutes filing. (b) Refusal to accept record; filing does not occur. Filing does not occur with respect to a record that a filing office refuses to accept because: (1) the record is not communicated by a method or medium of communication authorized by the filing office; (2) an amount equal to or greater than the applicable filing fee is not tendered; (3) the filing office is unable to index the record because: (A) in the case of an initial financing statement, the record does not provide a name for the debtor; (B) in the case of an amendment or information statement, the record: (i) does not identify the initial financing statement as required by Section 9-512 or 9-518, as applicable; (ii) identifies an initial financing statement whose effectiveness has lapsed under Section 9-515; or (iii) identifies an initial financing statement which was terminated pursuant to Section 9-501.1; (C) in the case of an initial financing statement that provides the name of a debtor identified as an individual or an amendment that provides a name of a debtor identified as an individual which was not previously provided in the financing statement to which the record relates, the record does not identify the debtor's surname; (D) in the case of a record filed or recorded in the filing office described in Section 9-501(a)(1), the record does not provide a sufficient description of the real property to which it relates; or (E) in the case of a record submitted to the filing office described in Section 9-501(a)(1), the filing office has reason to believe, from information contained in the record or from the person that communicated the record to the office, that: (i) if the record indicates that the debtor is a transmitting utility, the debtor does not meet the definition of a transmitting utility as described in Section 9-102(a)(81); (ii) if the record indicates that the transaction relating to the record is a manufactured-home transaction, the transaction does not meet the definition of a manufactured-home transaction as described in Section 9-102(a)(54); or (iii) if the record indicates that the transaction relating to the record is a public-finance transaction, the transaction does not meet the definition of a public-finance transaction as described in Section 9-102(a)(67); (3.5) in the case of an initial financing statement or an amendment, if the filing office believes in good faith that the record was communicated to the filing office in violation of Section 9-501.1(a); (4) in the case of an initial financing statement or an amendment that adds a secured party of record, the record does not provide a name and mailing address for the secured party of record; (5) in the case of an initial financing statement or an amendment that provides a name of a debtor which was not previously provided in the financing statement to which the amendment relates, the record does not: (A) provide a mailing address for the debtor; or (B) indicate whether the name provided as the name of the debtor is the name of an individual or an organization; (6) in the case of an assignment reflected in an initial financing statement under Section 9-514(a) or an amendment filed under Section 9-514(b), the record does not provide a name and mailing address for the assignee; or (7) in the case of a continuation statement, the record is not filed within the six-month period prescribed by Section 9-515(d). (c) Rules applicable to subsection (b). For purposes of subsection (b): (1) a record does not provide information if the filing office is unable to read or decipher the information; and (2) a record that does not indicate that it is an amendment or identify an initial financing statement to which it relates, as required by Section 9-512, 9-514, or 9-518, is an initial financing statement. (d) Refusal to accept record; record effective as filed record. A record that is communicated to the filing office with tender of the filing fee, but which the filing office refuses to accept for a reason other than one set forth in subsection (b), is effective as a filed record except as against a purchaser of the collateral which gives value in reasonable reliance upon the absence of the record from the files. (e) The Secretary of State may refuse to accept a record for filing under subdivision (b)(3)(E) or (b)(3.5) only if the refusal is approved by the Department of Business Services of the Secretary of State and the General Counsel to the Secretary of State.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 97-836, eff. 7-20-12; 97-1034, eff. 7-1-13; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)