Columbia Bankruptcy Resources | Legal Help & Factual Resources
Helpful Information for Bankruptcy Filings in
Columbia — Howard County — Maryland
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 Maryland 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
Maryland Southern District Bankruptcy Court
Howard County bankruptcy cases will be filed with this bankruptcy court:
Garmatz Federal Courthouse
101 West Lombard Street, Suite 8308, Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 962-2688
Counties Served: Columbia, Elkridge, Ellicott City, Jessup, Savage-Guilford
An experienced Columbia 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 Howard County Bankruptcy Attorney for a free initial consultation regarding Chapter 7, Chapter 13, Chapter 11, or Chapter 12.
Columbia 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 Columbia Bankruptcy Lawyer will explain the meeting to you and accompany you to the meeting.
The meeting room location is:
Garmatz Federal Courthouse
101 West Lombard Street,Suite 8308, Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 962-2688
U.S. Trustee
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 Southern District of Maryland are:
Timothy P. Branigan
14502 Greenview Drive, Suite 506 Laurel, MD 20708
(301)483-9118
Ellen W. Cosby
P.O. Box 20016, Baltimore, MD 21284 -0016
(410) 825-5923
Nancy Spencer Grigsby
4201 Mitchellville Road, Suite 401 Bowie, MD 20716
(301)805-4700
Credit Counseling Services in the Columbia 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 Columbia area, these providers have been approved:
Consumer Credit Counseling Service
10431 Twin Rivers Road, Columbia, MD 21044
(202) 905-0443
National Credit Counseling Services
7178 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, MD 21046
(410) 997-0040
For other approved providers in the Columbia area, visit the U.S. Dept. of Justice website.
Credit Reporting Agencies:
Your Columbia 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, MD 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):
Arz Export LLC
7258 Lasting Light Way, Columbia, MD 21045-5125
(410) 312-9996
A & A Motors
10321 Daystar Court, Columbia, MD 21044
(410) 772-8484
Galaxy Pontiac Buick GMC Columbia
8870 Mcgaw Road, Columbia, MD 21045
(410) 309-9700
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 Columbia real estate agent, give you a valuation on your property.
Some local Columbia area realtors include:
Buckingham Realty Inc
5537 Twin Knolls Road Suite 440, Columbia, MD 21045
(410) 730-7653
Colombia Lakeview Real Estate LLC
9801 Broken Land Parkway, Columbia, MD 21046
(410) 290-7024
Creative Real Estate
6237 Ironwood Way, Columbia, MD 21045
(410) 381-1643
B L R Real Estate Appraisal Inc
7065 Long View Road, Columbia, MD 21044
(410) 557-9787
Howard 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 Central Maryland, including Aberdeen, Alexandria, Annapolis, Arlington, Arnold, Aspen Hill, Baltimore, Bowie, Catonsville, Cockeysville, College Park, Columbia, Dublin, Dundalk, Edgewood, Eldersburg, Elkton, Ellicott, Essex, Fallston, Forest Hill, Franklinville, Frederick, Glen Burnie, Green Valley, Hagerstown, Hampstead, Laurel, Lisbon, Middle River, Milford Mill, Mount Airy, Olney, Parkville, Perry Hall, Randallstown, Severna Park, Silver Spring, South Gate, Tannytown, Thurmont, Towson, Walkersville, Washington DC, Westminster, Wheaton, areas in the vicinity of BWI Airport, and other communities in Howard County..
Contact a Columbia Bankruptcy Attorney today for a free initial consultation.
Other Legal Bankruptcy Lawyers
If for some unforeseen reason, the Columbia Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on this site are unable to assist you, please visit the Columbia Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on HG.org; or the Columbia Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on GetLegal.com; or the Columbia Bankruptcy Lawyers on Justia.com