NOTE: The following is provided to address frequently asked questions. For more detailed information, please review the Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney.
You have three options:
- Come to the Bankruptcy Court at 721 19th Street, Denver, CO 80202, and print off documents from your case. The cost is $.10/page payable, in exact cash (no change will be given), or – if you do not have an open bankruptcy case – a credit card and photo I.D.
- Request copies by phone at 720-904-7480. The cost is $.50/page.
- Subscribe to PACER at https://pacer.uscourts.gov to access your full case file. You will need to provide a credit card number, but your fees may be waived.
You may obtain a copy of your Certificate of Discharge in-person, online, or by phone at 720-904-7480.
There are many requirements for filing a new bankruptcy case. Please review the “Filing a Case” section in the Guide for Debtors Filing Bankruptcy Without an Attorney and the accompanying chapter specific checklists.
A mailing matrix is a verified list of your creditors and their addresses in electronic format. It is required in all bankruptcy cases.
You may enter your creditors and upload your matrix directly to the Court using the Creditor Matrix Online tool. Once you complete the process, print the page with the code in the middle and submit it with your bankruptcy paperwork. The Court cannot process your electronic matrix without the code.
Alternatively, you may prepare your matrix in .txt format and submit it on a CD or flash drive with your bankruptcy paperwork.
What to file to amend schedules D, E/F to add creditors:
- The Amended Schedule
- List of Creditors/Creditor Mailing Matrix (only the newly added creditors)
- The Notice of Amendment to Schedule (L.B. Form 1009-1.1)
- Certificate of Service (L.B. Form 9013-1.2)
- Filing Fee (Unless an Application to Have the Chapter 7 Filing Fee Waived B103B was granted previously.)
- See Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1009(a), L.B.R. 1009-1 and this packet for more information.
Individual debtors and creditors are unable to file electronically through CM/ECF. Please deliver documents in person, by U.S. mail, or overnight carrier to US Bankruptcy Court, 721 19th St., Denver, CO 80202. Please note that documents are not considered filed until entered on the docket.
Payment of fees may be done online via debit, PayPal, or ACH, or in person or through the mail, in the form of cashier’s check, money order, or exact cash (no change provided).
Please do not send cash through the mail. No personal checks or credit cards are accepted. All cashier’s checks and money orders should be made payable to “Clerk, USBC”.
No. Please print on one side of the paper only. Also, please do not staple your documents.
Soon after a bankruptcy case is filed, a meeting is held so that creditors and the trustee can ask the debtor(s) a series of questions under oath. This meeting is required by Bankruptcy Code section 341(a) and is presided over by the trustee, not the judge.
A trustee is a private person appointed and supervised by the United States Trustee to administer the bankruptcy estate. They are not a government employee.
Individuals must complete a course in credit counseling before filing a new bankruptcy case. For a list of authorized providers, click here.
Financial management is a post-filing instructional course that all individual debtors must take to receive a discharge. For a list of authorized providers, click here.
Bankruptcy and Your Credit Report
How long does a bankruptcy stay on my credit report?
The Fair Credit Reporting Act is the law that controls credit reporting companies. The law states that credit reporting companies may not report a bankruptcy case on a person's credit report after ten years from the date the bankruptcy case is filed or discharged. See 15 U.S.C. 1681c.
The Bankruptcy Court does not control credit reporting companies or report or transmit information to them. Bankruptcy records are public. Credit reporting companies may collect those records and report them. You must directly contact the credit reporting company directly to discuss information on your credit report. If you have questions about this process or have issues gaining cooperation from a credit company, you should contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-382-4357.
How do I get a bankruptcy removed from my credit report?
Again, the bankruptcy courts do not provide information to the credit reporting companies. The credit reporting companies or information providers collect information regarding bankruptcy cases from the court’s public records. Once a case is filed with the bankruptcy court, that case becomes part of the court’s permanent records. No matter the status of your case (open, closed, discharged, dismissed, etc.) the credit reporting companies can still report your case on your credit report for up to ten years.
No one can legally remove accurate information from a credit report. You can ask the credit reporting agency (Equifax, Transunion or Experian, see contact information below) for a free investigation of information in your file that you dispute as inaccurate or incomplete.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, both the credit reporting company and the information provider (that is, the person, company, or organization that provides information about you to a credit reporting company) are responsible for correcting inaccurate or incomplete information in your report. The credit company will verify the item in question with the creditor, who must respond within 30 days. After the investigation is complete, the credit reporting company will notify you of the outcome. If information on your credit report has changed or been deleted, you will receive a copy of the revised report.
The three credit reporting companies are:
- Equifax Information Services LLC, 1800-829-4577, www.equifax.com
- TransUnion LLC, 1800-888-4213, www.transunion.com
- Experian, 1-800-311-4769, www.experian.com
Visit www.annualcreditreport.com,call 1-877-322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.