Preparing for your Meeting of Creditors

St. CLoud // Chapter 13

When is my first plan payment due?

You’ll need to mail your first payment to the trustee within 30 days of filing Chapter 13. You should receive a letter in the mail describing how to make that payment, but if you don’t get it before your payment is due, please let us know. The address (for mailing payments only) is: 

Office of Trustee Kyle L. Carlson 

2900 Momentum Place 

Chicago, IL 60689-5329 

What do I need to send in before the meeting?

At least two weeks before the meeting we'll need:

  • Copies of all paystubs from the date your bankrutpcy was filed until the present;

  • Copies of all checking and savings statements from the date your bankrutpcy case was filed unil the present;

  • You may get additional requests from your attorney, please start gathering these documents right away.

What should I bring to the meeting?

  • Your drivers license, passport, or other official picture ID

  • Your Social Security card. If you don’t have your Social Security card, you may use a recent W2 or 1099 tax statement, as long as it has your full Social Security Number on it. If you do not have any of these, please call us as soon as possible.

Where is the meeting held?

The Stearns History Museum, at 235 33rd Avenue South, St. Cloud, Minnesota. Parking is available on-site.

 

When should I arrive?

Please arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled time of your hearing. It is very important that you call your bankruptcy attorney if you are running late.

How should I dress?

Dress neat, but no need to dress up. Dress however you'd dress to a meeting at our office.

How long will the meeting take?

The trustee’s attorney schedules up to six cases an hour. Your hearing may take minutes, but plan on at least an hour and a half, as the meetings often are delayed.

How should I answer questions from the trustee’s attorney?

Truthfully. If a question is unclear, your attorney or the trustee’s attorney may ask further questions to clarify.

What will the trustee’s attorney ask?

Here are some of the topics they may ask about:

  1. Your assets (asking you to describe them, or to justify the value you listed on the bankruptcy schedules);

  2. Your income (determining whether you have any additional sources of income, whether you receive bonuses, etc.);

  3. Your expenses (the trustee may ask you for details on certain expenses, or why a larger-than-normal expense is necessary for your household);

  4. They may want to make sure that you understand how your Chapter 13 plan works;

  5. They may need follow-up information and can ask for that at the meeting or afterward.

What are the next steps in my case?

  • The trustee may have follow-up questions or need information after your hearing. That's totally normal.

  • There is a second hearing, the confirmation hearing, but you normally do not have to show up for that.

  • You must complete your second online credit counseling course. This is different than the one your completed before your bankruptcy filing. You can register for the course at this link.