A UCC document that is an initial financing statement or an amendment that adds a debtor to a financing statement and that fails to specify whether the debtor is an individual or an organization should be refused by the filing office. If it is accepted for filing in error, the following rules shall apply.

1. (1) Identification of organizations. When not set forth in a field designated for individual names, a name is treated as an organization name if it contains words or abbreviations that indicate status such as the following and similar words or abbreviations in foreign languages: association, church, college, company, co., corp., corporation, inc., limited, ltd., club, foundation, fund, L.L.C., limited liability company, institute, society, union, syndicate, GmBH, S.A. de C.V., limited partnership, L.P., limited liability partnership, L.L.P., trust, business trust, co-op, cooperative and other designations established by statutes to indicate a statutory organization. In cases where organization or individual status is not designated by the filer and is not clear, the filing officer will use their own judgment.
2. (2) Identification of individuals. A name is entered as the name of an individual and not the name of an organization when the name is followed by a title substantially similar to one of the following titles, or the equivalent of one of the following titles in a foreign language: proprietor, sole proprietor, proprietorship, sole proprietorship, partner, general partner, president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, M.D., O.D., D.D.S., attorney at law, Esq., accountant, CPA. In such cases, the title is not entered.
3. (3) Individual and organization names on a single line. Where it is apparent that the name of an individual and the name of an organization are stated on a single line and not in a designated individual name field, the name of the individual and the name of the organization shall be entered as two separate debtors, one as an individual and one as an organization. Additional filing fees for the additional debtor name(s) may be required.

4. (4) Individual names. The failure to designate the last name of an individual debtor in an initial financing statement or an amendment adding such debtor to a financing statement should cause a filing to be refused. If the filing is accepted in error, or if only the last name is designated, the following data entry rules apply.

   1. (A) Freestanding initials. An initial in the first position of the name is treated as a first name. An initial in the second position of the name is treated as a middle name.
   2. (B) Combined initials and names. An initial and a name to which the initial apparently corresponds is entered into one name field only (e.g., "D. (David)" in the name "John D. (David) Rockefeller" is entered as "John" (first name); "D. (David)" (middle name); "Rockefeller" (last name)).
   3. (C) Multiple individual names on a single line. Two individual names contained in a single line are entered as two, different debtors (e.g., the debtor name "John and Mary Smith" is entered as two debtors: "John Smith", and "Mary Smith").
   4. (D) One word names. A one word name is entered as a last name (e.g. "Cher" is treated as a last name).
   5. (E) Nicknames. A nickname is entered in the name field together with the name preceding the nickname, or if none, then as the first name (e.g., "William (Bill) Jones").

Source Note:The provisions of this §95.408 adopted to be effective September 4, 2001, 26 TexReg 6654.