3. Acknowledgments of Filing. Subsections (a) and (b) [Maine cite subsections (1) and (2)] require the filing office to acknowledge the filing of a record. Under subsection (a) [Maine cite subsection (1)], the filing office is required to acknowledge the filing of a written record only upon request of the filer. Subsection (b) [Maine cite subsection (2)] requires the filing office to acknowledge the filing of a non-written record even in the absence of a request from the filer.

4. Response to Search Request. Subsection (c)(3) [Maine cite subsection 3, paragraph (c)] requires the filing office to provide "the information contained in each financing statement" to a person who requests it. This requirement can be satisfied by providing copies, images, or reports. The requirement does not in any manner inhibit the filing office from also offering to provide less than all of the information (presumably for a lower fee) to a person who asks for less. Thus, subsection (c) [Maine cite subsection (3)] accommodates the practice of providing only the type of record (e.g., initial financing statement, continuation statement), number assigned to the record, date and time of filing, and names and addresses of the debtor and secured party when a requesting person asks for no more (i.e., when the person does not ask for copies of financing statements). In contrast, the filing office's obligation under subsection (b) [Maine cite subsection (2)] to provide an acknowledgment containing "the information contained in the record" is not defined by a customer's request. Thus unless the filer stipulates otherwise, to comply with subsection (b) [Maine cite subsection (2)] the filing office's acknowledgment must contain all of the information in a record.

Subsection (c) [Maine cite subsection (3)] assures that a minimum amount of information about filed records will be available to the public. It does not preclude a filing office from offering additional services.

5. Lapsed and Terminated Financing Statements. This section reflects the policy that terminated financing statements will remain part of the filing office's data base. The filing office may remove from the data base only lapsed financing statements, and then only when at least a year has passed after lapse. See Section 9-519(g) [Maine cite section 9-1519, subsection (7)]. Subsection (c)(1)(C) [Maine cite subsection (3), paragraph (a), subparagraph (iii)] requires a filing office