Reading Bankruptcy Resources | Legal Help & Factual Resources

Helpful Information for Bankruptcy Filings in
Reading — Berks County — Pennsylvania

View the Bankruptcy Rules

View the Bankruptcy Code

View the Federal Rules of Evidence

PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records)

If you have previously filed a bankruptcy case in the State of Pennsylvania or any other state, you can search PACER to obtain information about your case and download copies of the documents. There might also be other court documents pertinent to your bankruptcy filing that you will be able to locate on PACER.

Anyone can set up a PACER account. There are charges for files accessed and downloaded. www.pacer.gov

U.S. Bankruptcy Courts:

www.uscourts.gov/bankruptcycourts.html

Pennsylvania Eastern District Bankruptcy Court

Berks County bankruptcy cases will be filed with this bankruptcy court:

The Madison Building
400 Washington Street, Reading, PA 19601
(610) 208-5040       

Counties Served: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuykill

An experienced Reading Bankruptcy Lawyer will know the federal laws governing bankruptcy, but will also be familiar with the Local Bankruptcy Court Rules that are specific to each district, and sometimes specific to individual bankruptcy judges. Contact a Berks County Bankruptcy Attorney for a free initial consultation regarding Chapter 7, Chapter 13, Chapter 11, or Chapter 12.

Reading 341 Meeting Room Location

As soon as a bankruptcy case is filed, a date is set for the Meeting of Creditors, also known as the 341 Meeting. This meeting gives creditors the opportunity to question the debtor (you) about monies owed and property owned. An average 341 Meeting lasts about 3 to 4 minutes. Your Reading Bankruptcy Lawyer will explain the meeting to you and accompany you to the meeting.

The meeting room location is:

833 Chestnut Street, Suite 500
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 597-4411

U.S. Trustee

www.usdoj.gov/ust

Chapter 13 Trustees

When your Chapter 13 bankruptcy case is filed with the Court, a Chapter 13 Trustee will be assigned to your case. The Chapter 13 Trustees for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania are:

William C. Miller
583 Bourse Building 111 So. Independence Mall
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215)627-1377

Frederick Reigle
2901 Saint Lawrence Avenue
Reading, PA 19606
(610) 779-1313 

Credit Counseling Services in the Reading area:

All individuals (not business entities) are required to complete credit counseling before their bankruptcy case can be filed – for all chapters of bankruptcy, including Chapter 7, Chapter 13, Chapter 12, and Chapter 11. After the case is filed, individuals must complete the second half of the course which is called debt management. View the Federal Trade Commission's brochure with consumer information about credit counseling and debtor education.

Credit counseling services must be approved by the bankruptcy court in order to provide these classes. In the Reading area, these providers have been approved:

Penn State Cooperative Extension
601 Westtown Road, Suite 370
West Chester, PA 19380
(610) 696-3500

Penn State Cooperative Extension
20 Paper Mill Road  
Springfield, PA 19064
(610) 690-2655

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Delaware Valley
1608 Walnut Street  10th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(800) 989-2227

Best Credit Service, Inc.
1120 Easton Road, Suite B
Willow Grove, PA 19090
(877) 929-2378

For other approved providers in the Reading area, visit the U.S. Dept. of Justice website.

Credit Reporting Agencies:

Your Reading Bankruptcy Attorney may have you sign an authorization form so your credit report can be downloaded directly or you may be asked to obtain your free annual credit report yourself and submit it with your other bankruptcy documentation.

You are entitled to a free annual credit report from the three nationwide credit reporting companies. Don't be tricked by TV ads, email offers, or website banner ads into paying for your credit report. The only authorized source for your free credit report is AnnualCreditReport.com. Visit the Federal Trade Commission's website for more information about your free annual credit report.

Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
1-800-685-1111
http://www.equifax.com

TransUnion
Consumer Disclosure Center
P.O. Box 390
Springfield, PA 19064-0390
1-800-888-4213
http://www.transunion.com

Experian
National Consumer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 949
Allen, PA 75013-0949
1-800-682-7654
http://www.experian.com

Innovis Consumer Assistance
P.O. Box 1358
Columbus, OH 43216-1358

Tax Returns:

You will be required to file copies of your tax returns for the past 2-3 years; submitting them either to the Trustee or the Bankruptcy Court, depending on local bankruptcy rules.

Federal Tax Returns:

For Information on how to obtain a Tax Return Transcript from the Internal Revenue Service, visit the IRS website or call 1-800-908-9946.

State Tax Returns:

You will need to submit state income tax returns if, during the past 2-3 years, you lived in a state that imposes state and/or local income taxes. (There are 43 states in the United States that have a state income tax.) Contact the state's taxing authority if you need to obtain copies of your tax returns from any of these states.

Vehicle Valuations:

You will need a fair and accurate value for any vehicles you own as of the day of filing your bankruptcy case. You can use online sources, but it is sometimes more accurate to get an estimate from a local used car dealer. Local car dealers have a better idea of what someone would actually pay for a vehicle in their city, which is not always the same as the value in the car buying guides.

Online Vehicle Valuations:

NADA - www.NADA.com
Kelly Blue Book - www.kbb.com
Edmunds - www.Edmunds.com

Local Used Car Dealers (for obtaining vehicle valuations):

A W Golden Chevrolet-Cadillac
801 Lancaster Avenue
Reading, PA 19607
(610) 777-6521

John's Great Cars
28 Shillington Road
Reading, PA 19608
(610) 678-5255

Reid Automotive Sales & Service
125 Morgantown Road
Reading, PA 19611
(610) 374-4203

Appraisals and Valuations for Real Estate (Real Property)

A fair and accurate value for your real property must be listed on your bankruptcy forms (Schedule A). Although some Trustees and Bankruptcy Courts will use the value assigned to your property by your local tax assessor, it is beneficial to have a local expert, such as a Reading real estate agent, give you a valuation on your property.

Some local Reading area realtors include:

Century 21
5371 N 5th Street Highway
Reading, PA 19605
(610) 921-2400

Governor Mifflin Apts
505 Lawrence Avenue
Reading, PA 19609
(610) 777-2820

Antietam Arms Apartments
850 Carsonia Avenue
Reading, PA 19606
(610) 779-4600

Gaffney Real Estate  
806 N 8th Street
Reading, PA 19604
(610) 376-2121

Berks County Bankruptcy Law Firms will review your financial situation, provide you with advice on the bankruptcy process, and show you how you can receive debt relief!

Serving clients throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania, including Bethlehem, Caln, Coatesville, Cocalico, Columbia, Drexel Hill, East Earl, Easton, Elizabethtown, Emmaus, Ephrata, Evergreen Park, Fredericksburg, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Hershey, Lancaster, Lansdale, Lebanon, Levittown, Lewistown, Linglestown, Lionville, Lititz, Milton, Mounty Penn, Mt. Pleasant, New Castle, New Hanover Square, Norristown, Perkasie, Philadelphia, Pottstown, Quakertown, Radnor, Reading, Robeson Crossing, Salisbury Heights, Schuylkill Haven, Springfield, York, areas in the vicinity of Carl Spaatz Field, State College, and other communities in Berks County.

Contact a Reading Bankruptcy Attorney today for a free initial consultation.

Other Legal Bankruptcy Lawyers

If for some unforeseen reason, the Reading Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on this site are unable to assist you, please visit the Reading Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on HG.org; or the Reading Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on GetLegal.com; or the Reading Bankruptcy Lawyers on Justia.com