Ohio Bankruptcy Court Records

Ohio bankruptcy court records can be of immense help when you are looking to strike a business deal and need to run a quick background check of your partner’s or an organization’s credit history.  In Ohio, bankruptcy cases are filed under Chapter 7, 11, 12 and 13 of the bankruptcy laws, a majority of them being filed under Chapter 7 and Chapter 13.

Types of Ohio Bankruptcy Cases

In a case filed under Chapter 7 bankruptcy law, a trustee is assigned the responsibility of gathering the assets of the debtor and then liquidating them to obtain cash. The money is then distributed among the creditors. At times there is no exempt property and therefore it is referred to as a “no-asset” case.  Debtors who are not willing to part with assets that are not detailed in the exemptions list of Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases go for Chapter13 bankruptcy. 

Chapter 13 cases are filed by those debtors who do not wish to part with an asset like a home. This is possible as the law states that the debtor can pay off the loan over a period of time spanning three to five years. The law facilitates the payment of the amount on a biweekly or bimonthly basis and therefore the debtor needs to have a continuous flow of income.

In the United States, claims of mortgage fraud were on the rise during the past year. The total amount involved is difficult to gauge but it is estimated to be in excess of $1 billion, per the report of the FBI mortgage fraud investigations. The state of Ohio is near the top of the list of states. In Ohio, cases of bankruptcy and mortgage fraud are filed at either the Northern District of Ohio, available online by clicking http://www.ohnb.uscourts.gov/, or the Southern District of Ohio, availably by clicking http://www.ohsb.uscourts.gov/. Bankruptcy forms are available over the Internet and therefore may be filed online through http://www.ohnb.uscourts.gov/.

United States Bankruptcy Court Northern District of Ohio

Bankruptcy court records for the Northern District of Ohio can be accessed through PACER or the Public Access to Court Electronic Records http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/. You may also call the Voice Case Information System or the VCIS to acquire bankruptcy records information by dialing (800) 898-6899.

If you want to search for bankruptcy records pertaining to closed cases, access the records stored at the NARA or National Archives and Records Administration. Visit this link http://www.ohnb.uscourts.gov/ and type in the case number in the space provided. However, you need to keep in mind that NARA contains information on cases that were filed before January 1, 2003. Records for cases after that date are maintained by the PACER/ECF system.

Accessing Ohio Bankruptcy Court Records

Each of the Ohio Bankruptcy Courts is equipped with a public terminal. These provide electronic access to specific court details. These terminals can be accessed anytime during the scheduled business hours of the court. The courts remain open on all business days from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Northern District of Ohio terminals and courthouses are located at:

CANTON
Frank T. Bow Federal Building
201 Cleveland Avenue S.W.
Canton, Ohio 44702-1929
Karen Rupert, Deputy Clerk-in-Charge
(330) 458-2120
Fax: (330) 458-2451

TOLEDO
411 U.S. Courthouse and Custom House
1716 Spielbusch Avenue
Toledo, Ohio 43604
David Fickel, Deputy Clerk-in-Charge
(419) 213-5600
Fax: (419) 213-5647

AKRON
John F. Sobering Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse
455 U.S. Courthouse
2 South Main Street
Akron, Ohio 44308
Marie Randolph, Deputy Clerk-in-Charge
(330) 252-6100
Fax: (330) 252-6115

YOUNGSTOWN
Nathaniel R. Jones Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse
10 East Commerce Street
Youngstown, Ohio 44503-1621
Don Hinkson, Deputy Clerk-in-Charge
(330) 742-0900
Fax: (330) 742-0902

CLEVELAND
Howard M. Metzenbaum U.S. Courthouse
201 Superior Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44114-1235
Teresa Underwood, Deputy Clerk-in-Charge
(216) 615-4300
Fax: (216) 615-4363

United States Bankruptcy Court Southern District of Ohio

The Southern District of Ohio Courts has come up with a new service for the people of the state. It is known as Electronic Bankruptcy Noticing or EBN. Information about how the system works can be obtained from http://www.ohsb.uscourts.gov/CaseInformation/EBN.htm. The court also offers bankruptcy information through the VCIS system, the details of which can be gathered from http://www.ohsb.uscourts.gov/CaseInformation/vcis.htm. Information for unclaimed funds under the United States Bankruptcy Court Southern District of Ohio can be accessed from http://www.ohsb.uscourts.gov/CaseInformation/UnclaimedFunds.htm.

The National Archives

The National Archives also facilitate the availability of bankruptcy court information at their Dayton facility.  Here one can access personal as well as corporate bankruptcy case details that were filed in both the Northern and the Southern district bankruptcy courts from the year 1991.

You can access the relevant information online by visiting https://eservices.archives.gov/orderonline/start.swe?SWECmd=GotoView&SWEPostnRowId=1-C27NU&_sn=EX3c6LwiNtE59GoTo0j7ZMfKPwVcDm9Q3M2JqmCBbVk_&SWEView=GPEA+Topic+Sub-topic+View+FFO&SWEHo=eservices.archives.gov&SWETS=1259326671&SWEPostnApplet=GPEA+Topic+Information+List+Applet+FFO .

Uncertified copies of records, of a maximum of 150 pages, can be obtained upon the payment of a fee of $70. Certified copies of the same volume would require you to pay $85. There are additional labor charges applicable as well. You can mail in your request to:

NARA's Great Lakes Region (Dayton)
3150 Springboro Road
Dayton, Ohio 45439-1867

Online requests for copies of bankruptcy cases can be accessed by filling out the form available at http://www.archives.gov/great-lakes/forms/natf-90-dayton.pdf.