Federal Bankruptcy Code, Rules, and Forms
The full text of the federal Bankruptcy Code is available at the Law Information Institute Web site maintained by Cornell University Law School. See U.S. Code: Title 11 - Bankruptcy.
The Federal Bankruptcy Rules and Official Bankruptcy Forms are available on the federal courts’ Web site. See United States Bankruptcy Courts for more information.
For Individuals or Businesses with Marijuana Assets or Income
The United States Trustee Program (USTP) has long taken the position that debtors with assets or income derived from marijuana may not proceed through the bankruptcy system. The USTP has communicated that policy informally to the more than 1,100 private trustees who administer bankruptcy cases. The current directive seeks to ensure the uniform application of the bankruptcy laws by making sure that all of the private trustees know about and adhere to this longstanding policy.
For more information, refer to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Consumer Information.
For Bankruptcy Debtors Affected by Natural Disasters
The United States Trustee Program (USTP) has enforcement guidelines it will apply to bankruptcy debtors adversely affected by a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, when appropriate.
For Pro Se Debtors
Information about filing bankruptcy is available on the Web site of the federal bankruptcy courts at United States Bankruptcy Courts.
For Homeowners
Resources may be available if you are in danger of losing your home because you are behind in mortgage payments. Government agencies that provide information and assistance include the Department of Housing and Urban Development (Find a Housing Counselor and Avoiding Foreclosure) and the Federal Trade Commission (Facts for Consumers).
Scam operators target people whose home mortgages are in trouble. For more information, refer to Bankruptcy Foreclosure or Mortgage Rescue Scams, the Homeowners' Concerns section of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Consumer Information, and this FBI and USTP issued Intelligence Assessment [PDF - 126 KB].
You may find more information on various types of financial fraud, including where to report financial fraud, at www.StopFraud.gov, the Web site of the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.