Consumer and Creditor Information

The full text of the federal Bankruptcy Code is available at the Law Information Institute Web site maintained by Cornell University Law School. See U.S. Code: Title 11 - Bankruptcy.

The Federal Bankruptcy Rules and Official Bankruptcy Forms are available on the federal courts’ Web site. See United States Bankruptcy Courts for more information.

All debtors must appear and testify under oath at a meeting of creditors, which is required by Bankruptcy Code Section 341. Debtors will be questioned by the trustee assigned to the case and may also be questioned by creditors or other parties. For more information, including Best Practices for how to prepare for and attend these meetings, please refer to Section 341 Meeting of Creditors Information.

The United States Trustee Program (USTP) has long taken the position that debtors with assets or income derived from marijuana may not proceed through the bankruptcy system. The USTP has communicated that policy informally to the more than 1,100 private trustees who administer bankruptcy cases. The current directive seeks to ensure the uniform application of the bankruptcy laws by making sure that all of the private trustees know about and adhere to this longstanding policy.

For more information, refer to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Consumer Information.

The United States Trustee Program (USTP) has enforcement guidelines it will apply to bankruptcy debtors adversely affected by a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, when appropriate.

Information about filing bankruptcy is available on the Web site of the federal bankruptcy courts at United States Bankruptcy Courts.

Resources may be available if you are in danger of losing your home because you are behind in mortgage payments. Government agencies that provide information and assistance include the Department of Housing and Urban Development (Find a Housing Counselor and Avoiding Foreclosure) and the Federal Trade Commission (Facts for Consumers).

Scam operators target people whose home mortgages are in trouble. For more information, refer to Bankruptcy Foreclosure or Mortgage Rescue Scams, the Homeowners' Concerns section of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Consumer Information, and this FBI and USTP issued Intelligence Assessment [PDF - 126 KB].

You may find more information on various types of financial fraud, including where to report financial fraud, at www.StopFraud.gov, the Web site of the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.