Bankruptcy Filings Down from 2010 Levels
(posted August 8, 2011) According to statistics released last week by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, bankruptcy petitions filed in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2011 totaled 1,529,560 down 2.7 percent from the 1,572,597 bankruptcy petitions filed in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2010. For the same period, filings in the Middle District of Alabama were down 5.5 percent. For further details regarding the Administrative Office press release, click here. To view charts reflecting the latest Middle District statistics, click here.

E-Orders available August 1, 2011
(posted July 18, 2011) E-Orders is a new ECF feature that allows proposed orders to be uploaded into ECF and tracked electronically. Proposed orders will be accepted under the current e-mail method until September 1, 2011, after which all proposed orders must be submitted via E-Orders. Filers of proposed orders are encouraged to begin using E-Orders as soon as it is activated. A User Guide was created to demonstrate the upload method. Please contact the court for assistance as needed. Please read this personal message from Clerk of Court, J.C. Guerrero regarding E-Orders.

Notice of Ineligibility for Discharge in Ch. 13 Cases
(posted June 22, 2011) In order to forgo unnecessary filings and deadlines in Ch. 13 cases in which the debtor is not eligible for discharge, and thus expedite the closing of such cases following the trustee’s notice of Completion of Plan Payments, a new ECF event has been created, Notice of Ineligibility for Discharge. The new event is located under the Bankruptcy>Notices menu and may only be filed by the debtor or attorney for debtor in Ch. 13 cases. Because the event is a text-only entry, it is not necessary to prepare a PDF document before filing. For more detailed information regarding the new procedure, see page 2 of the latest edition of Court News and Views. To view a flowchart of the procedure, click here.

Elimination of BNC Notice of Meeting of Creditors to Debtors' Attorneys
(posted May 25, 2011) Beginning June 6, 2011, the attorney for the debtor in cases filed in the Middle District of Alabama will no longer receive a paper copy of the Notice of §341 Meeting of Creditors (Form B9) . The Bankruptcy Noticing Center (BNC) will send only one summary email per day containing hyperlinks to one or more notices. For further details, click here.

Bankruptcy Filings Up Slightly in March
(posted May 20, 2011)  U.S. bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2011, rose 2.6 percent when compared to bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2010, according to statistics released recently by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.  Filings in the Middle District of Alabama closely matched national trends over the same period.  For further details regarding the Administrative Office press release, click here.  For the latest Middle District statistics, click here.

Bankruptcy Court Attorney Forums
(posted March 15, 2011): Mark your calendars for the upcoming Middle District of Alabama Bankruptcy Court attorney forums in Montgomery, Dothan, and Opelika. The purpose of these forums is to provide you (our customers) a way to give us feedback, ask us questions, etc. In order to help better prepare, we request attorneys send questions or discussion topics in advance by emailing JC_Guerrero @ almb.uscourts.gov. Scheduled forums will be held:

     Friday, May 6, 2011, 2:00 PM at the U.S. Courthouse in Dothan, AL

Impact of Federal Government Shut Down on the Bankruptcy Court in the Middle District of Alabama
(posted April 8, 2011): For approximately the first two weeks of a general government shut down, we do not anticipate any significant impact on court services in the Middle District due to the judiciary's ability to temporarily fund operations from fee accounts and no year funds. Bottom line: even if the general government shut down starts after today, there will be no change in our court hours and services until further notice.

Growth in Bankruptcy Filings Slows In Calendar Year 2010
(posted February 22, 2011): While total national filings remain at a five year high, the overall rate of growth in 2010 bankruptcy filings was down according to statistics recently released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. To view the full press release, click here. For a detailed look at annual filings in the Middle District of Alabama, visit the Clerk's Office Statistics page or click here.

Transition to PDF/A for Electronic Case Filings
(posted January 18, 2011): PDF/A is a subset of the PDF standard which excludes features that gives rise to security concerns. CM/ECF currently accepts filings in the PDF/A format. Judiciary policy makers are discussing enforcement of PDF/A format for future electronic filings in the federal courts. You can learn more on PDF/A regarding CM/ECF documents here.

Change in Compensation for Legal Services in Chapter 13 Cases
(posted December 21, 2010): Chief Judge Williams and Judge Sawyer signed an order (effective January 1, 2011) increasing the maximum compensation for legal services for Chapter 13 cases filed in the Middle District of Alabama by an attorney for the debtor from $2500.00 to $2750.00. You can view the order by clicking on the Administrative Orders tab under Quick Links on the left side of this web page.

November 15, 2010
CMECF Upgrade to Release 4.0 is COMPLETE and all services are up. Thank you to all our customers for your patience. Reminder - you will be prompted to change your password to comply with new security requirements. For technical support, please call Scooter at 334-954-3848.

November 9, 2010
The US Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Alabama will upgrade the Case Management /Electronic Case Filing system (https://ecf.almb.uscourts.gov) to software release 4.0 this weekend.
  The system will be UNAVAILABLE for electronic filing from Friday 5:00 p.m. to Monday 8:00 a.m.
  A list of features is available here. Please note that all Electronic Filers will be required to change the password during the first login to Release 4.0.

August 17, 2010
According to statistics released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, bankruptcy filings rose 20 percent in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2010. While total filings rose only 2.6% for the same period in the Middle District of Alabama, the state of Alabama ranks 1st in Ch. 13 filings per thousand population and 5th in total filings per thousand. Click here for further details.

August 2, 2010
Administrative Office Seeks Input for Next Generation of CM/ECF Systems.
Click Here for Details

July 6, 2010 (updated July 16, 2010)
CM/ECF computer hardware will be upgraded this weekend July 17-18. Electronic filing will not be available on those dates. If you have questions, please call Scooter at 334-954-3848.

June 30, 2010
Effective July 12, 2010, the Bankruptcy Noticing Center will not mail notices to a Creditor if address is invalid. Read more about it.

June 10, 2010
US Marshals Service expedites screening process for attorneys at the Montgomery Federal Courthouse. Read their memo issued June 8, 2010.

May 14, 2010
Bankruptcy Filings Highest Since 2006

January 14, 2010 HOLIDAY CLOSING
The courthouse will be closed Monday, January 18, 2010 in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's Birthday. The CM/ECF system will be available and electronic documents may be filed or accessed during that time. Additional case information is available by calling the Voice Case Information system at (866)222-8029, press 1 for English or 2 for Spanish, then press 8 for the Middle District of Alabama and follow instructions provided.

November 23, 2009
Important Notice Regarding Time Period Changes Effective December 1, 2009, Including 14-Day Deadlines for Filing Schedules, Statements, Chapter 13 Plans, and Bankruptcy Appellate Briefs

September 11, 2009
Overview of Amendments to Bankruptcy Rules (Effective Dec.1, 2009)

February 25, 2009
Overview of Bankruptcy and Related Filing Procedures

November 19, 2008
Notice Regarding Temporary Exclusion from Means Testing

June 16, 2008
Notice: Surveys on Behalf of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Alabama

May 15, 2008
Revised Judicial Conference Policy on Privacy and Public Access to Electronic Case Files