Bankruptcy Basics

Public Information Series of the Bankruptcy Judges Division
October 17 2005

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 Bankruptcy Basics to account for BAPCPA's changes to the Code. Because most of the changes BAPCPA made to the Bankruptcy Code only apply to cases filed on or after October 17, 2005, the Bankruptcy Judges Division anticipates that there will continue to be a demand for the version of Bankruptcy Basics that describes the pre-BAPCPA bankruptcy process. Links to both versions of Bankruptcy Basics can be found at the U.S. Court's website.

"Bankruptcy Basics," a publication produced by the Bankruptcy Judges Division, is designed: to provide the public with basic information on different aspects of the federal bankruptcy laws, to provide individuals 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.

The following chapters from this series are available in HTML format and are included in our Bankruptcy Information Section:

• The Discharge in Bankruptcy

• Chapter 7 - Liquidation

• Chapter 13 - Individual Debt Adjustment

• Chapter 11 - Reorganization

• Chapter 12 - Family Farmer

• Bankruptcy Terminology

Download the entire Bankruptcy Basics pamphlet (Oct 2005) in PDF format from the US Courts' webpage
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