§341 Meeting of the Creditors

The §341 meeting typically lasts 5-10 minutes. It is a small part of your case, but an important one. You want to be honest, but also brief with your answers. Answer ONLY what is asked of you. Debtors can often start rambling about their lives; this does NOT serve the interest of the debtor, the trustee, or other people waiting to have their meeting with the trustee.

This meeting is NOT about the trustee making any decisions regarding your case. Th is meeting is to ascertain if you have told the truth or not. Plain and simple. The trustee is not a judge and cannot dismiss your case.

Please bring your driver's license/government identification with an original social security card (NOT COPIES) to the meeting. Passports will work as identification, but nothing can replace your social security card UNLESS it is an original government document with your social security number and name on it. (Example: an original W-2 form will work).

Also, if the names on your social security card and ID do not match the names on your bankruptcy petition, then you need to let your attorney know this.

You will be asked some important questions at the meeting. Here are a few:

Name, address, phone number
Years of your vehicles (Year/make/model)
Income at work
Whether you have been truthful on all bankruptcy documents
Whether you have repaid loans to friends or family members in the last two years
Whether you have sold, transferred, or given away significant ($500+) assets in the last 2 years

For Chapter 7 debtors, the §341 meeting is the last major step of completing the case. Your attorney will let you know if the trustee makes additional requests for information and has any more questions. Aft er the §341 Meeting, Chapter 13 debtors will get a notice of recommendation from the trustee. It will either say FAVORABLE or UNFAVORABLE. DON'T PANIC if you get an unfavorable notice. Th is does not mean that your case did not get "approved." Most debtors get an UNFAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. It simply means that the trustee might want an amendment or wants to have some more documents regarding your case. Remember, the §341 is a VERY SMALL piece of the bankruptcy puzzle. Calling your attorney in a panic means that you have not read this website and that you are not taking a proactive role in your case; unnecessary calls simply create delays in your case and waste your attorney's time.