New York Bankruptcy Court Records
The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Act (BAPCPA) was implemented for the United States in October 2005. New York bankruptcy records show that the number of individuals as well as various companies filing for bankruptcy have risen considerably. The recession has hit common people hard and many people are seeking relief from overwhelming bills and collection calls by filing for bankruptcy.
There are two basic types of bankruptcy for individuals. One of them is complete liquidation where all your assets are required to be sold off except for certain exempt property. The second is to file for an alternative way of paying off your debts through payment plans.
Bankruptcy Records
All bankruptcy records are considered to be public records. Chapter 7 filings are recorded by credit bureaus and remain as a part of your credit record for a period of 7 to 10 years. A prospective employer or a business partner has the legal right to find out all about your financial condition by going through your bankruptcy records. However, no employer can terminate you on basis of a bankruptcy record. A Chapter 13 filing, on the other hand, is liable to remain as a part of your records for as long as 7 years.
Reasons for Accessing Bankruptcy Records
There are a number of reasons for accessing bankruptcy records of an individual.
Checking out the financial credibility of a prospective business partner is definitely a wise move. You need to find out whether the individual will be capable of sharing the financial responsibilities or not as well as make sure that he/she will be able to pay off at least a part of the debts incurred in the eventuality of such a situation. The same goes for prospective employers as well. A background check is considered to be complete only if the bankruptcy records are checked as well.
Going through bankruptcy records is an excellent way to amass knowledge about the various reasons people file for bankruptcy as well as the credit ratings of bankrupt individuals. Students of business administration or law can profit effectively by searching through the bankruptcy records for all states of America including New York.
It is also possible to check out your own credit rating if you have filed for bankruptcy earlier. It is a good way to ascertain your own position vis-à-vis credit rating which may also help you to avoid committing the same mistakes again and again. It may also be possible to decide on a profitable course of action once you have gone through your bankruptcy records.
Resources for New York Bankruptcy Court Records
Retrieving records containing bankruptcy filings is convenient and easy. There are several ways to conduct a bankruptcy record search for the state of New York. A few of the prominent sources are listed below.
Bankruptcy Voice Case Information Systems (VCIS)
An ideal way of obtaining information is to call up the bankruptcy court’s automated voice information and search for the relevant record by name, case number and social security number. The automated service will give you the entire information over phone. The VCIS system is free for use and you are not required to pay any fee for checking out bankruptcy records.
District Of New York (Eastern)
Local Phone: 347-394-1799 or 347-394-1790
Toll Free Number: 800-252-2537
District Of New York (Northern)
Toll Free Number: 800-206-1952
District Of New York (Southern)
Local: 212-668-2772
Toll Free Number: 866-232-1268
District Of New York (Western)
Local: 716-551-5311
Toll Free Number: 800-776-9578
Using the PACER System
Public access to the electronic records of New York Bankruptcy courts can be obtained by accessing the PACER system online. You need to log in to http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/ to conduct an online search for relevant bankruptcy records. This electronic system is a service maintained by the administrative division of the United States court. You need to register to obtain bankruptcy information for the State of New York. The PACER service charges a fee of $0.08 per page. This amount is charged on the number of pages accessed even if your search includes a page containing no search results.
New York Bankruptcy Courts
It is also possible to check out the financial credibility of a person by accessing the official website of the New York Bankruptcy Court. The state of new York is served by four bankruptcy courts, one for each regional division. You can get bankruptcy related information by visiting them personally or calling the Clerks of the specific courts.
The Eastern district Bankruptcy court for the state of New York is located at
Conrad B. Duberstein Courthouse
271 Cadman Plaza East, Suite 1595
Brooklyn, NY 11201-1800
Phone (347) 394-1700
Help Desk (347) 394-1700
A divisional office is also located at:
Alfonse M. D'Amato U.S. Courthouse
290 Federal Plaza
Central Islip, NY 11722
Phone #: (631) 712-6200
Help Desk (631) 712-6200
The Western division has its main office at Buffalo and can be visited at:
Olympic Towers
300 Pearl St. Suite 250
Buffalo, NY 14202
Phone: (716) 362-3200
The divisional office is in Rochester at
1220 U.S. Courthouse
100 State Street
Rochester, NY 14614
Phone: (585) 613-4200
There are three office locations for the Southern Division of New York Bankruptcy court. The clerks of the court will tell you how to search for bankruptcy court records.
One Bowling Green
New York, NY 10004-1408
Phone (212) 668-2870
300 Quarropas Street
White Plains, NY 10601
Phone (914) 390-4060
355 Main Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Phone (845) 452-420
The Northern Bankruptcy court of New York has offices in eight locations. The local addresses as well as the directions to the office can be obtained by accessing the official website at http://www.nynd.uscourts.gov/CourtAddress.htm . All the court offices remain open during the business hours Monday through Friday.
New York National Archives
You can also look for bankruptcy case information by accessing the records from the National Archives of New York City. The office is located at 201 Varick Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10014 and serves New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands in addition to the New York. It is also possible to retrieve information by calling up at the toll free number 1-866-840-1752 or 212-401-1620. Send queries by fax: 212-401-1638 or e-mail: newyork.archives@nara.gov. Copies of old court records can be ordered by mail as well. All mail order copies cost $0.75 per page with a minimum charge of $15 for the required copies. Certified copies of the documents are also available for an additional charge of $15 per copy.
Research students have a unique opportunity to go through old bankruptcy records at the National Archives. However, it is important to first find out whether the case has been legally transferred to the archives office at New York or is still considered to be a property of the court. All cases filed before 1970 are usually available from the archive records.
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