June 2008 |
Summer 2008 ECF Upgrade
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Wisconsin is planning an upgrade of CM/ECF (to Version 3.2). Most of the changes are behind the scenes, but there are a few new and enhanced features added to assist electronic filers.
The ECF team believes that you will find the new version a step forward in providing a more user friendly E-Filing application. If you ever have questions or concerns about CM/ECF or E-Filing, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are always willing to provide a quick answer or assist you with your e-filing.
|
March 2008 |
IRS Revised Data Standards
The IRS’s National Standards for Allowable Living Expenses and Local Standards for Transportation and Housing and Utilities Expenses have been updated. The revised standards will apply to cases filed on or after March 17, 2008. |
March 2008 |
Updated guide to rules, proceedings and hearings. Guide to Rules pdf ![](images/pdf.gif) |
December 2007 |
More Bankruptcy Form Changes Effective January 1, 2008
Revisions to Official Bankruptcy Forms 22A, 22B, and 22C go into effect January 1, 2008. These forms implement the "means test" provisions of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. The revisions conform to the new IRS standards governing means test calculations which take effect on January 1, 2008. |
November 2007 |
Bankruptcy Form and Rules Changes Effective December 1, 2007
The following rules and forms are changing effective December 1, 2007. Use the links below to view the changes, or for quick reference, see our list of revised forms. The list includes brief descriptions of the change(s) made.
- Bankruptcy Rules: 1014, 3007, 4001, 6006, and 7007.1, and proposed new Rules 6003, 9005.1, and 9037
- Forms: 1, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 16A, 18, 19, 21, 23, and 24. Amendments to the existing Official Forms will be effective on December 1, 2007.
- New Official Forms: 25A, 25B, 25C, and 26, will be effective December 1, 2008.
Attorneys are encouraged to contact their software providers to ensure access to the new forms by the effective date. |
October 2007 |
Website Survey
We're looking for feedback on our website. How well does it work for you? Can you navigate easily? What changes would you make? Please take a moment to respond to our survey.Your time is greatly appreciated. (Survey closed 10/25/07) |
August 2007 |
Information on the CARE program is now on our website's home page. |
December 2006 |
Fee Change Alert- New Fees Effective January 1, 2007
There are a variety of fee changes set to take effect January 1, 2007. Please see the Miscellaneous Fee Schedule for the new fees. |
November 2006 |
New and modified event lists for attorneys and trustees. |
November 2006 |
Beginning December 1, 2006, ALL USERS accessing Pay.gov must use a browser that supports 128 bit encryption. This means anyone paying filing fees on-line through ECF or PACER must meet this specification. Below is a list of supported browser versions.
Minimum browser requirements to support 128 bit encryption:
- Internet Explorer 6.0
- Mozilla Firefox 1.5 or greater
- Mozilla 1.7 or greater
- Netscape 7.x
- Safari 1.2 (for MAC users)
- Not Recommended: Internet Explorer 5.5 or lower
Typically, users can determine their browser version by opening the browser, clicking on Help and then choosing About. Should you experience any difficulties or have questions, please contact the ECF helpdesk at 800-373-8708. |
October 2006 |
General Order No. 2-06 Adoption of Amended Interim Bankruptcy Rule 1007 |
September 2006 |
Remaining portions of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA), pertaining to new statistical reporting requirements, are slated to take effect October 17, 2006. To comply with the law, and meet additional reporting requirements placed on the courts by the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System, the Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Wisconsin plans to convert to an updated version of CM/ECF (Release 3.1) over the weekend of October 14th. The ECF system will be unavailable from noon Saturday October 14th through Sunday October 15th to allow for the conversion and testing of data. Read only access will be available during that time.
PLEASE NOTE: Significant changes have been incorporated into the case opening processes of 3.1 that will not permit the filing of a bankruptcy petition or adversary complaint utilizing your current software release. This advance notice of our conversion date is provided to allow sufficient time for you to contact your respective Bankruptcy Preparation Software provider so that they can provide you with necessary updates for continued successful electronic filing. |
August 2006 |
Keep up with CM/ECF enhancements, they are coming soon. See what will be new for case opening, creditor processing, claims register, e-mail edit notification, electronic claim filing, public access enhancements and more |
March 2006 |
Fee Increase Alert
As a result of the enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 which the President signed into law on February 8, 2006, filing fee increases will take effect for all new cases filed on or after April 9, 2006.
The changes to fees are as follows:
Chapter 7
Increase from $274 to $299
Chapter 13
Increase from $189 to $274
Chapter 11 Conversions
Conversion from Ch 7 decreases from $780 to $755
Conversion from Ch 13 decreases from $850 to $765
|
January 2006 |
Unclaimed Funds are now available for lookup on our site. |
November 2005 |
Information Regarding Attorneys Appearing by Telephone |
September 2005 |
Bankruptcy Reform Legislation
Effective October 17, 2005, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act goes into effect. For more information on the Act, credit counseling, debtor education and more visit our Bankruptcy Reform Information page. Do you have questions about the new legislation or ECF changes? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page. |
August 2005 |
Interim rules and draft forms for the new bankruptcy law |
August 2005 |
Fee Change Alerts
Effective September 20, 2005
Increase in the fee for filing a civil action under 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a) to include:
Adversary Proceedings: increase from $150 to $250
Effective October 17, 2005
Per Section 325 of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (Pub L. 109-8, 2005) the filing fee amounts required by 28 U.S.C. § 1930 change as follows:
Chapter 7
Increase from $209 to $274
Increase Motion to Reopen from $155 to $220
Chapter 11
Increase from $839 to $1,039
Increase Motion to Reopen from $800 to $1,000
Chapter 13
Decrease from $194 to $189
Decrease Motion to reopen from $155 to $150
|
August 2005 |
Information for Filing without an Attorney
If you are filing a new bankruptcy case without an attorney see the pro se web page for information to assist you with filing procedures. Bankruptcy can be complicated. The staff of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Clerk's office provides a variety of services; however they are not permitted to assist with the preparation of the voluntary petition, schedules, or other documents, nor can they provide legal advice. |
July 2005 |
Revisions to Proof of Claim Form (Official Form 10)
Pursuant to the Bankruptcy Reform Act, several of the amendments to the Bankruptcy Code became effective immediately upon enactment. Section 1401 increases the wage priority cap from $4,000 to $10,000 and expands the look-back period from 90 to 180 days. Accordingly, Official Form 10, Proof of Claim, has been changed to reflect the amended amounts and will apply to cases filed on or after April 20, 2005. |
April 2005 |
New ECF User's Manual Now Available
This manual is designed as a guide to assist registered ECF Users in filing documents electronically. Although filing requirements and references to the Bankruptcy Code and/or Rules may be provided for some topics, this manual should not be relied upon exclusively by the user. The actual Bankruptcy Code and/or Rules should still be consulted. |
March 2005 |
The Internet Credit Card Payment of fees has been turned on. All ECF documents requiring a fee need to be paid online. If you have questions, please contact:
Tina in Madison at: (608)-264-5630, or
Monica in Eau Claire at: (715) 839-2993.
Our toll free number is: 800-373-8708
|
March 2005 |
RSS is now available for our What's New page and readyDockets (judgments, orders, and complaints) |
February 2005 |
The PACER Service Center recommends that passwords for all PACER accounts be changed at least every 90 days to prevent the unauthorized use of PACER. All users that have been issued PACER accounts should change the password on a regular basis to protect their account's security.
To change passwords for PACER accounts, including those that are exempt from the fee, go to http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov Click on Account Information, enter your current login and password, then click on Change Account Password, and follow the on screen instructions. |
January 2005 |
The Judicial Conference, at its September 21, 2004 session, amended the language of Section I of the Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule. The amendment increases the PACER Internet access fee from 7 cents per page to 8 cents per page and increases the 30 page fee limit from $2.10 to $2.40. The increases are effective January 1, 2005. |
November 2004 |
The Eastern District of Wisconsin is now live on CM/ECF. Visit their website today for registration and general information. http://www.wieb.uscourts.gov |
November 2004 |
CM/ECF Upgrade
The ECF system has been upgraded from version 2.3 to 2.5. Attorneys should make certain that their petition preparation software has been upgraded to be compatible with version 2.5 of ECF. Highlights of the new version include:
- Creditor record searches are no longer case sensitive.
- Creditor records now sort alphabetically by name
- The time period for the free look has been decreased to 15 days.
|
October 2004 |
New Chapter 12 Information
On Monday, October 25, 2004, the President signed into law Senate bill 2864. This law retroactively extends Chapter 12 of the Bankruptcy Code for 18 months from January 1, 2004 until July 1, 2005. Thus, new Chapter 12 cases can be accepted for filing, and cases that were filed under other chapters can be converted to a Chapter 12. |
October 2004 |
Sign up for e-noticing (for attorneys only)
Whenever a pleading or other paper is filed electronically, the system will automatically generate a "Notice of Electronic Filing" at the time of docketing. If you sign up for e-noticing you will receive service of the "Notice of Electronic Filing" which shall be the equivalent of service of the pleading or other paper by first class mail, postage prepaid. With each e-mail, you are given one free look to view, save and/or print the document. Signing up for e-noticing does not commit you to electronic filing, only to accepting service via e-mail. Call the clerk's office with any questions you may have. NOTE: If you are a current ECF user, this procedure is NOT necessary.
Register Now
Sign up for a PACER account
Signing up is free. A PACER account is required to view docket sheets and case documents. Sign up at: http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov
|
April 2004 |
Amended Dollar Amounts for Chapter 13 Filings
On April 1, 2004, automatic adjustments to various dollar amounts will become effective. These amended dollar amounts affect the eligibility of a debtor to file under Chapter 13. Official Form 10, Proof of Claim, has been changed to reflect the amended amounts and will apply to cases filed on or after April 1, 2004. The specific changes are limited to section 7, Unsecured Priority Claim and are as follows:
- Wages, salaries, commissions - claim limit increased from $4650 to $4925
- Deposits toward purchase, lease, or rental of property or services - claim limit increased from $2100 to $2225
|
December 2003 |
Non-Debtor Spouse
Effective May 1, 2003, Local Rule 1007-1-2 was amended by deleting subsection (d). Non-debtor spouse information should be reported on Form 21 and should include name, social security number, tax id number, mailing address, and all other names used by the non-debtor spouse within six years before filing the petition. |
December 2003 |
CM/ECF System Upgraded
The CM/ECF System has been upgraded to version 2.3 to comply with the new rules on privacy and to make enhancements to the System. Please refer to the revised filing guides and version 2 highlights.
|
November 2003 |
Policy on Privacy (PDF)
Effective December 1, 2003, the new rules on privacy will take effect. This change will require that filers redact their full social security number and use only the last four digits on documents submitted to the court. See also Amendments to Federal Rules (PDF) |
October 2003 |
Changes to the Miscellaneous Fee Schedule
The Judicial Conference approved changes to the Bankruptcy Court Statutory Fees and the Miscellaneous Fee Schedule (issued in accordance with 28 U.S.C. Section 1930(b)) at its September 2003 session. The changes will become effective on November 1, 2003. New fee schedule |
August 2003 |
Chapter 12
The Family Farmer Bankruptcy Relief Act of 2003 (H.R. 2465, S. 1323), signed into law on August 15th, retroactively renews and extends family farmer bankruptcy protection until January 1, 2004. |
May
2003 |
Electronic Orders
All Orders submitted to the Court for signature by a Judge on or
after June 2, 2003 must conform to the Electronic Order
format. This applies to all orders, whether filed
electronically through the ECF system or not. Instructions
and samples of the correct format. |
May 2003 |
PACER
Service Disruption
Through the end of June, all PACER web sites will experience at
least one service disruption during business hours. The
service disruption is necessary to perform critical infrastructure
upgrades to the Judiciary's network. These upgrades will help
maintain service in the future. Each upgrade will take about
an hour.
Thank you. We
apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have
any questions, please contact the PACER Service Center at pacer@psc.uscourts.gov. |
May 2003 |
ECF
Newsletter
We are proud to present the first edition of "The Electric
Briefcase," our ECF training news and tips newsletter. |
May 2003 |
Amendments
to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (effective December 1,
2003)
Bankruptcy Rules amended to implement the Judicial
Conference's policy on privacy and public access to electronic court
files. |
April 2003 |
April
Newsletter |
Mar 2003 |
Virus
Infected Emails Not from CM/ECF |
Mar 2003 |
Electronic
Case Filing Statistics |
Oct 2000 |
Survey
Your opinion counts. |