Can I keep my bankruptcy file private? 27 Answers as of September 21, 2011

No. There is nothing to be ashamed of. You have a financial problem and you are dealing with it. Don't buy into that personal failure stigma the banks and charlatan radio advertisers try to sell you.

No. Unfortunately, filing bankruptcy becomes public record.

No. It is a public record.

No. Bankruptcy filings are public records and are accessible to those who know how to search for them.

Bankruptcy is a matter of public record. Anybody can go to the court and check the records. If a family member has access to Pacer (unlikely), they can access the records online. Your family won't know about your bankruptcy, unless they are a creditor, co-signor, preferential transferee or owe an obligation to you, or unless you or a third party tell them or they go to the bankruptcy court and search the records. The newspaper in my jurisdiction publishes business bankruptcies only. There are many businesses that routinely check the bankruptcy record and will send you solicitations for vehicle loans, credit repair and financial management course certificates after filing for bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy records are public documents and available to be viewed by the general public. However, as a practical matter, the folks who are going to find out about it are the entities listed in your mailing matrix (e.g., creditors, ex-spouses owed support, employers, landlords holding large security deposits and co-debtors). If no one in your family is listed there or knows someone listed there, they are not likely to find out about it. I have many clients who have expressed the same concern and none of them have told me that they had any problem with people finding out. Of course, that doesn't mean it couldn't happen under certain circumstances.

Unless they pull your credit they will not know.

Unfortunately bankruptcy filings are public records.

No. Bankruptcy filings are public. They will be on your credit history for 10 years and can be accessed by any member of the public online via Pacer.

The filing of a Bankruptcy is a public record. It will show up on your credit report. However, it is not a published record. I recently did a Bankruptcy for a family member more than 8 years ago and again for another 2 years ago. Nobody in the family knows that. Bankruptcy is extremely common in the last few years . I can almost guarantee that you have friends neighbors and family members that have filed a Bankruptcy and you are not aware. May very famous people have filed. I sympathize with your feelings of " shame". Most of us are raised to keep our promises. Most of us are also raised to believe that we some how can control our own financial destiny. That all we have to do is show up work hard be honest and we will prosper. I submit that is a myth. There is very little in modern economy that we can control. We cannot control when plants shut down, business lay off, jobs move overseas. We cannot control if we get sick or injured. If we are in business we cannot control the decline in consumer spending. When those things happen many people find themselves unable to pay their debts. I days gone by we used to allow creditors to actually divide the body of the debtor. Hence, in Shakespeare's the Merchant of Venice, the money lender had the poor merchants heart as collateral. Then we put people into debtors prison, or indentured them for life. We are a more civilized society today. We as a people collectively, through our government, passed Bankruptcy laws to enable the honest but unfortunate debtor to obtain a fresh start. We recognize that as a society we are all better off allowing people that find themselves unable to pay their debts to start over, unburdened by oppressive debt, So that they and their families are not required to live destitute. As a man It is easy for me to believe that I am a failure if I do not prosper financially. In reality I would be a failure if I do not do my best to provide for and protect my family. If I cannot pay everybody then I am going to do what I need to keep a roof over my family's head , food on their table and clothes on their back. Sometimes it is necessary to punt and gain better field position in order to win the game.

Which family members are going down to the Bankrutptcy Court, getting on the computer in the Clerk's office, and looking you up? Because that is the only way they will ever know you've filed.

Bankruptcy filings on on the public record. However, most persons would not ordinarily find out about a bankruptcy unless you tell them.

They're public records. But the only ones who know about it are those who receive notice, such as creditors. If you live with extended family, there's probably no problem in getting a mailbox and using that as your mailing address. Bankruptcy is not a shameful thing. It shows strength to say you can't keep doing what you've been doing, and it gives you a chance to get back on your feet. It's granted by the Constitution, so there's nothing new about it. These are trying times, and you're absolutely not alone. Good luck.

Public record but must know where to look.

No. But there is no need to hide the filing. No one stamps a red "B" on your forehead. Generally, it doesn't show, so how is the family going to find out? Many federal court actions, including bankruptcy filings, are public and can be accessed from somewhere if someone is really looking. The trick is that some one has to know that they should look, and know where to look. It will appear on your credit report. It will appear on electronic PACER court records. Generally, that's about it. Unless someone actively searches, it usually doesn't show. The court sends out mailings to you, but you can use a separate mailing address for notices. The family may wonder why the creditors are no longer calling, but may assume you settled with them. If they do find out, so what? Bankruptcy is not a venereal disease and should bring no shame. It is a responsible legal option granted by Congress. You have it as a legal right. About one and a half million people file each year. A few Presidents filed. Many celebrities have filed. Smarter people and richer people than you have filed. You have a lot of company. In America, it is not a sin to fail. The ability to fail and bounce back is what made America great. In fact, the refusal to let banks fail led to Japan's economic crisis. The hedge funds in America that were too big to fail led to America's economic crisis. If you feel you deserve a fresh start, that's what bankruptcy is for. It's one of the few decent breaks you can still get in America. Disclaimer: Not legal advice. Not your lawyer. Federal debt relief agent and attorney at law in NJ and NY. Mandatory disclosures available on website.

Bankruptcy is public record, but in most cases nobody will find out unless you tell them about it.

Bankruptcy filings are public record and are therefore accessible to the general public.