U.S. Trustee Program

In light of the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, the USTP has re-issued its enforcement guidelines for bankruptcy debtors affected by natural disasters. These guidelines, which were first adopted in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, identify considerations that shall guide the Program’s activities in the handling of case administration and litigation in the event of a natural disaster.

As required by section 1175 of Public Law 109-162, the U.S. Trustee Program has issued its annual public report on criminal referrals. The report provides the aggregate results of bankruptcy related criminal referrals made during Fiscal Year 2016.

The United States Trustee Program has long taken the position that debtors with assets or income derived from marijuana may not proceed through the bankruptcy system. Today, the USTP issued a letter to the more than 1,100 private trustees who administer bankruptcy cases, reiterating its position and discussing the private trustees’ responsibilities to report such cases to the U.S. Trustees.

The Administrative Expense Multipliers and IRS’s National Standards for Allowable Living Expenses and Local Standards for Transportation and Housing and Utilities Expenses accessible through the “Means Testing Information” page have been updated. The revised multipliers and standards will apply to cases filed on or after May 1, 2017.

As required by section 603(a)(2)(D) of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, Public Law 109-8, the U.S. Trustee Program has issued its annual public report on debtor audits. The report provides the aggregate results of audits of individual
chapter 7 and chapter 13 cases for Fiscal Year 2016.

The Census Bureau’s Median Family Income Data accessible through the “Means Testing Information” page has been updated. The U.S. Trustee Program will apply the updated data to all cases filed on or after April 1, 2017.