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Corporate Governance

Certificate of Incumbency

Preparing Certificates of Incumbency manually requires meticulous attention to detail, cross-referencing multiple corporate documents, and formatting complex officer tables with signature specimens. Corporate attorneys and paralegals spend hours ensuring accuracy in certifications, verifying current bylaws and resolutions, and coordinating with corporate secretaries to gather all necessary information.

Automation ROI

Time savings at a glance

Manual workflow2.5 hoursAverage time your team spends by hand
With CaseMark8 minutesDelivery time with CaseMark automation
EfficiencySave 18.8x time with CaseMark

The Problem

Preparing Certificates of Incumbency is time-consuming and error-prone, requiring careful review of corporate records, precise formatting, and perfect consistency across multiple documents. Banks and counterparties often reject certificates with even minor discrepancies, causing transaction delays and requiring complete redrafting.

The CaseMark Solution

CaseMark automates the entire drafting process by extracting officer information from your corporate documents, ensuring accurate legal names and titles, and generating properly formatted certificates that meet third-party requirements. The AI verifies consistency across all exhibits and includes all required certifications for immediate execution.

Key benefits

How CaseMark automations transform your workflow

Generate complete Certificates of Incumbency in 8 minutes vs. 2.5 hours manually

Automatically extract and verify officer information from corporate records

Ensure consistent formatting and language across all corporate certifications

Reduce errors in bylaws and resolution references with AI-powered verification

Streamline corporate governance workflows for law firms and in-house legal teams

What you'll receive

Document Header with Corporation Name
Secretary's Certification Statement
Bylaws Certification
Board Resolutions Certification
Officer Incumbency Table with Signatures
Third-Party Reliance Statement
Execution Block with Secretary Signature

Document requirements

Required

  • Corporate Bylaws or Operating Agreement
  • Articles of Incorporation or Certificate of Formation

Optional

  • Board Resolutions or Written Consents
  • Prior Certificates of Incumbency
  • Third-Party Requirements or Bank Forms
  • Corporate Minutes or Officer Records

Perfect for

Corporate attorneys handling M&A transactions
In-house counsel managing banking relationships
Corporate secretaries maintaining governance records
Business lawyers facilitating financing transactions
Transactional attorneys requiring corporate authority verification

Also useful for

This workflow is applicable across multiple practice areas and use cases

Loan And Financing98% relevant

Banks and lenders universally require Certificates of Incumbency to verify that corporate officers executing loan documents have proper authority to bind the borrowing entity.

This is one of the most common uses of incumbency certificates, as financial institutions mandate them for virtually all commercial lending transactions to confirm signatory authority.

Certificates of Incumbency are essential closing documents in M&A transactions to verify corporate authority of signatories and confirm officer status for executing transaction documents.

M&A attorneys require these certificates at closing to ensure proper corporate authorization and to satisfy due diligence requirements for buyers, sellers, and financing parties.

Corporate Finance90% relevant

Corporate finance transactions require Certificates of Incumbency to verify officer authority when issuing securities, establishing credit facilities, or executing financing agreements.

Investment banks, underwriters, and investors require these certificates to confirm that corporate representatives have proper authority to execute financing documentation and bind the company.

VC and PE firms require Certificates of Incumbency at investment closings to verify that portfolio company officers executing subscription agreements and related documents have proper corporate authority.

These certificates are standard closing deliverables in venture capital and private equity investments to satisfy investor due diligence and ensure valid execution of investment documentation.

Asset Purchase82% relevant

Asset purchase agreements require Certificates of Incumbency to confirm that officers signing on behalf of the selling or purchasing entity have authority to execute the transaction documents.

Both buyers and sellers in asset transactions need to verify corporate authority of signatories, making incumbency certificates a standard closing deliverable alongside other corporate governance documents.

Frequently asked questions

Q

What is a Certificate of Incumbency and when is it required?

A

A Certificate of Incumbency (also called a Secretary's Certificate) is an official corporate document that certifies the current officers and directors of a corporation and their authority to bind the company. It's routinely required by banks for opening accounts or obtaining loans, by investors in financing transactions, and by counterparties to significant contracts who need to verify that individuals signing on behalf of the corporation have legitimate authority to do so.

Q

How does CaseMark ensure the certificate includes accurate officer information?

A

CaseMark analyzes your uploaded corporate documents—including bylaws, board resolutions, and corporate minutes—to extract precise information about current officers and directors, their full legal names, official titles, and appointment dates. The AI cross-references this information across multiple documents to ensure consistency and flags any discrepancies for your review before generating the final certificate.

Q

Can the certificate be customized for specific bank or third-party requirements?

A

Yes, CaseMark can incorporate specific requirements from financial institutions or other third parties. You can upload bank forms, instruction letters, or checklists, and the AI will ensure the certificate includes all required certifications, such as beneficial ownership statements, taxpayer identification numbers, or specific authorization language. The system adapts the format and content to meet these specialized requirements while maintaining legal accuracy.

Q

What exhibits are typically included with a Certificate of Incumbency?

A

Standard exhibits include the corporation's Bylaws or Operating Agreement (Exhibit A) and relevant Board Resolutions authorizing the specific transaction or granting officer authority (Exhibit B). Additional exhibits may include the Articles of Incorporation, prior certificates for consistency, or specific authorizations required by the requesting party. CaseMark automatically assembles and labels all exhibits in the proper order with appropriate cover pages and certification language.