Bankruptcy Basics provides basic information to debtors, creditors, court personnel, the media, and the general public on different aspects of the federal bankruptcy laws. It also provides individuals who may be considering bankruptcy with a basic explanation of the different chapters under which a bankruptcy case may be filed and to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about the bankruptcy process.

• When you file bankruptcy

On April 20, 2005, President Bush signed into law the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 ("BAPCPA"). BAPCPA made substantial changes to the Bankruptcy Code. And the Bankruptcy Judges Division has made significant revisions to this online version of Bankruptcy Basics to account for BAPCPA's changes to the Code.

In 2005, the Bankruptcy Code was amended to require that most individual debtors complete a special briefing from an approved credit counseling agency before filing a bankruptcy case. In most states, the United States trustee is responsible for approving the providers that offer this special pre-bankruptcy briefing, and in the six districts located in Alabama and North Carolina, the bankruptcy administrator assigned to those districts approve them. The United States trustee and the bankruptcy administrators maintain a list of approved providers.

http://www.uscourts.gov/bankruptcycourts/bankruptcybasics.html

While the bankrupcty information presented is deemed accurate it should not be cited or relied upon as legal authority. It should not be used as a substitute for reference to the United States Bankruptcy Code (title 11, United States Code) and the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, and this bankrputcy information should not substitute for the advice of competent legal counsel.

• Personal Bankruptcy

• Credit Counseling before you file for Personal Bankruptcy

• Questions to Ask and Facts to know when choosing a Credit Counselor