Rockford Bankruptcy Resources | Legal Help & Factual Resources

Helpful Information for Bankruptcy Filings in
Rockford — Winnebago County — Illinois

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 Illinois 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

Illinois Northern District Bankruptcy Court

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

Federal Building
211 South Court Street
Rockford, IL 61101  
(815) 987-4350

Counties Served: Boone, Carroll, Cook, Dekalb, Du Page, Grundy, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kendall, Lake, La Salle, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will, Winnebago

An experienced Rockford 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 Winnebago County Bankruptcy Attorney for a free initial consultation regarding Chapter 7, Chapter 13, Chapter 11, or Chapter 12.

Rockford 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 Rockford Bankruptcy Lawyer will explain the meeting to you and accompany you to the meeting.

The meeting room location is:

Federal Building
211 South Court Street
Rockford, IL 61101  
(815) 987-4350

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 Northern District of Illinois are:

Marilyn O. Marshall
224 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 800 Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: (312) 431-1300

Lydia S. Meyer
P.O. Box 14127
Rockford, IL 61105 -4127
E-mail: LM@lsm13trustee.com
Phone: (815) 968-5354

Glenn B. Stearns
4343 Commerce Court, Suite 120 Lisle, IL 60532
Phone: (630) 577-1313

Thomas E. Vaughn
200 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 1300, Chicago, IL 60603 -6398
Phone: (312) 294-5900

Credit Counseling Services in the Rockford 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 Rockford area, these providers have been approved:

Family Credit Management Services
4306 Charles Street
Rockford, IL 61108
(815) 484-1600

Rockford Area Affordable Housing Coalition
205 North Church Street
Rockford, IL 61101
(815) 962-2011

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

Credit Reporting Agencies:

Your Rockford 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
www.equifax.com

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

Experian
National Consumer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 949
Allen, IL 75013-0949
1-800-682-7654
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):

Lou Bachrodt Auto Mall
7070 Chryvl North Boulevard
Rockford, IL 61112
(815) 332-3000

Chrysler Authorized Sales
601 W Jefferson
Rockford, IL 61103
(815) 962-0621

Gary Carlson Motors
1621 Rural
Rockford, IL 61107
(815) 965-5100

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 Rockford real estate agent, give you a valuation on your property.

Some local Rockford area realtors include:

Versailles of Rockford  
5145 E State Street
Rockford, IL 61108
(815) 398-1486

Northern Illinois Construction Management  
421 S Mulford Road
Rockford, IL 61108
(815) 399-8617

Help U Sell Midland Realty
3959 Shorewood Drive
Rockford, IL 61101
(815) 484-2467

Mulford Park Apts
444 Gramercy Drive
Rockford, IL 61107
 (815) 398-8553

Winnebago 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 Northern Illinois, including Algonquin, Aurora, Batavia, Beloit, Belvidere, Campton Hills, Carpentersville, De Kalb, Dixon, Elgin, Flagg, Freeport, Geneva, Harvard, Huntley, Lake in the Hills, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Marengo, North Aurora, Rochelle, Rockford, Rockton, Roscoe, South Beloit, St. Charles, Sugar Grove, Sycamore, West Dundee, Winnebago, and other communities in Winnebago County.

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

Other Legal Bankruptcy Lawyers

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