What are Indiana Bankruptcy Records?

Indiana bankruptcy records contain official details of bankruptcy court proceedings filed within the state. Typically, bankruptcy cases are filed by individuals or businesses who can no longer afford to meet their financial obligations. These cases are federal matters, as established under the U.S Bankruptcy Code, Title 11, and as such, are handled by the federal courts rather than state courts. There are two federal bankruptcy courts located in the northern and southern districts of Indiana:

• The United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Indiana
• The United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Indiana

These courts create and maintain records of all filed and disposed bankruptcy cases. Generally, almost anyone may access these records in electronic or physical forms either by direct request to the court or online through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER). However, privately-owned websites such as IndianaCourtRecords.us provide alternative options for retrieving bankruptcy records.

What do Indiana Bankruptcy Records Contain?

Indiana bankruptcy records contain the following information:

• Number of a case
• Status of a case
• Names of all parties to a case
• Income sources and frequency
• The trustee assigned to a case
• Petition type (voluntary or involuntary)
• Creditors’ list
• Court disposition
• Attorney’s phone number
• The chapter under which the petition was filed
• Name of the presiding judge
• Assets and market value of assets
• Date when the case was closed or discharged
• List of the debtor’s properties

Are Bankruptcy Records Public Information?

According to 11 USC 107(a), bankruptcy records are public information in the State of Indiana,. Members of the public may review or copy any bankruptcy record provided it is not exempted from disclosure by law or court order. Usually, the portions of records that are non-disclosable have information on a debtor’s finances including the individual’s bank account numbers, social security number, annual income, and tax information, and personally identifiable information such as contact numbers, dates of birth, and names of children.

Records that are considered public may be accessible from some third-party websites. Such platforms operate independently of state agencies, which might help simplify the search process as  they are not limited by geographic location. In addition, most third party sites offer intuitive tools that inquirers can use to find specific or multiple records. To obtain records, interested parties may need to provide some or more of the following:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the record or person involved. This includes information such as the city, county, or state that person resides in or was accused in.

Third-party sites are independent from government sources, and are not sponsored by these government agencies. Because of this, record availability on third-party sites cannot be guaranteed.

How to Get Indiana Bankruptcy Records

Interested persons may use any of the methods below to obtain Indiana bankruptcy records. Usually, fees are assessed to make copies or print outs, but not for the record inspections. These methods include:

• The Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER): PACER is an online platform provided by the federal courts to assist members of the public in conveniently obtaining case or docket information of federal cases. Registration is mandatory to use this website. Individuals may contact the PACER Service Center at (800) 676–6856 on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to register. Alternatively, registration may be done online. Registered users may access records in the Indiana federal bankruptcy courts: PACER Login (northern district) and PACER Login (southern district), or search a national index for cases. It costs 10 cents/page to print records from PACER and $2.40 for audio files of court hearings. The Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule has information on all fees payable when using PACER. These fees may be waived for researchers and persons who spent up to or less than $30 in a quarter. Also, PACER is free when used to view records in federal courthouses. 
• Using the Multi-Court Voice Case Information (McVCIS) system: The McVIS is a 24/7 free service provided to the public as a means of obtaining case information contained in bankruptcy records. Interested parties may call (866) 222–8029 and follow the voice prompts/instructions to gain the following information:
  • Debtor’s name
  • Debtor’s attorney and phone number
  • Case number
  • Filing date and case filing chapter
  • Assets (if any)
  • If the case was filed voluntarily or not
  • If the case was filed as a business or consumer
  • Conversion chapter and date
  • Trustee
  • Judge’s name
  • Case status
  • Deadline for claim
  • Case discharge and closing dates
  • Time, date, and place of the creditors’ 341 meeting
  • Reopened/re-closing dates
  • Case disposition

In the southern district, case managers or administrators in the office where the case was filed may also be contacted for this information.

• Requesting records from the bankruptcy courts:
• The United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Indiana: The northern district court has four offices located in South Bend, Fort Wayne, Hammond, and Lafayette:

South Bend
401 South Michigan Street
South Bend, IN 46601
Phone: (574) 968–2100

Fort Wayne
1300 South Harrison Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46802–3435z
Phone: (260) 420–5100

Hammond
5400 Federal Plaza
Hammond, IN 46320
Phone: (219) 852–3480

Lafayette
230 North Fourth Street
Lafayette, IN 47901
Phone: (765) 420–6300

Members of the public may view, copy, or print bankruptcy records using public access computers located at the Clerk’s office or request certified copies from the Clerk. The amounts payable for copy or printout requests may be viewed on the Fees Schedule.

• The United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Indiana: The southern district court has four court locations in Evansville, Indianapolis, New Albany, and Terre Haute:

Evansville
352 Federal Building
101 Northwest Martin L. King Boulevard
Evansville, IN 47708
Phone: (812) 434–6470

Indianapolis
116 U.S. Courthouse
46 East Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: (317) 229–3800

New Albany
110 U.S. Courthouse
121 West Spring Street
New Albany, IN 47150
(812) 542–4540

Terre Haute
921 Ohio Street
Terre Haute, IN 47807
(812) 231–1850

Bankruptcy records are accessible at public access computers in the Clerk’s office or by certified copy request to the Clerk. There are no fees assessed to view a record. Copy/printing fees, as well as certification fees, may be obtained from the Fee Schedule.

How do I Find Out if My Bankruptcy Case is Closed in Indiana?

Members of the public may find out if a case has been closed in Indiana through the Multi-Court Voice Case Information (McVCIS) by dialing 1(866) 222–8029. This service provides the closing dates of cases, as well as other case information. Also, the court where the case was filed has this information. In the southern district court, case managers/administrators may be contacted to find out about closed cases. These case administrators may also be found by entering the last two digits of a case number into the search box provided on the homepage of the court website.

Can a Bankruptcy be Expunged in Indiana?

Bankruptcies heard by the bankruptcy courts in Indiana are generally not expungeable under federal law or court order. Records of these cases remain accessible to the public unless protected from disclosure by 11 U.S.C §107 or 11 U.S.C §112.