What if Creditors Keep Calling After I’ve Filed Bankruptcy?

When you file bankruptcy, an “automatic stay” goes into effect against all of your creditors. The automatic stay, Section 362(a) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, among other things, prohibits creditors from contacting you to collect a pre-petition debt. In short, no more harassing phone calls from your creditors! This is one of many advantages the law offers to individuals who file Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
All of the creditors listed in your bankruptcy will receive notice within 5 business days when your bankruptcy petition is filed. This notice is sent to every creditor, both electronically and by mail. Generally, most creditors will stop all collection attempts immediately after they receive notice of the bankruptcy.

Should you receive phone calls from any of your creditors after you’ve filed bankruptcy be sure and let the creditor know you filed bankruptcy and provide them with your case number, the filing date and the name and phone number of your attorney. It is important that you document all of the phone calls you receive from the creditor by writing down the date and time you receive the calls and the name of the person you talked to. If a creditor continues calling you after you’ve informed them of your bankruptcy filing, they are in violation of the automatic stay and you should contact your attorney to let them know. Most likely your attorney will call the creditor and give them a courtesy warning to stop making contact with the debtor. At that point, if the creditor continues with their collection efforts by calling or sending you bills, your attorney may choose to file sanctions against the creditor for violating the automatic stay.