Your Chapter 13
Meeting With the Trustee, Isabel Balboa

The Chapter13 meeting is usually pretty informal and it will take about 5 or 10 minutes in most cases. Your attorney will be present at the meeting with you. Please make sure to review the Checklist on page 14, and please make sure to bring all of the required documents with you.

Your Chapter 13 Meeting with the Trustee, Isabel Balboa
Just Takes 5-10 Minutes!

Step 1:You will be sworn in by the trustee to tell the truth.
Step 2:You will present your social security card and a valid government approved photo ID.
Step 3:You will be asked to verify your signature on the bankruptcy petition. You will also be asked to verify that you met with an attorney in our office before completing the bankruptcy petition, that you reviewed the petition before you signed it, and that you made sure that all of the information included in your petition was true and correct.
Step 4:Ms. Balboa will ask you some very basic and simple questions. 
Step 5:Ms. Balboa will check to see if you have been making your trustee payments.

If there are any changes or additions that you want to make to your petition, tell your attorney before you go in front of the trustee.  An example of a change would be a new address, new job, adding a new creditor that you might have forgotten, or any other corrections or additions to your original petition. Make sure to also tell us about ALL previous bankruptcies so we can fully prepare you for questions concerning your previous bankruptcies.

Remember that you cannot take on additional debt or sell property without the previous consent of Ms.Balboa or the Bankruptcy Court. Obtaining approval is usually a relatively simple procedure. If you intend to make any major purchases, incur major debt, or sell something of significant value, you must notify Ms.Balboa and the Bankruptcy Court. Make sure to inform our office of any such circumstances, if they occur in the future.  If you are buying or selling a house, or if you buy a car while you are in bankruptcy, you must let us know right away. These transactions normally require Court approval.

Your Chapter 13 Meeting Checklist
What to Bring With you For Your Meeting with Ms. Balboa
Please Make Sure To Bring:

1-A Government Approved Photo ID  (Make sure your ID is valid and not expired)
2-Your Social Security Card
3- Copies of the last 2 years Tax Returns
The trustee will normally want to see your tax returns for the last two years, so please be sure tobring them unless for some reason you were not required to file tax returns.
4- A couple of recent pay stubs
The trustee will normally want to see one or two recent pay stubs. Bring a pay stub that shows what your average weekly or biweekly income is. Don't bring a pay stub that shows too much income because of unusual overtime. Don't bring a pay stub that shows too little income because it does not cover a full pay period.

* If you don’t bring these items with you, you may have to come back again.

If You own Real Estate, please bring:
1-A copy of all of your deeds.
2-A copy of all of your mortgage payoffs, which include the amount of money you still owe on each mortgage.
3-Appraisal or Comparative Market Analysis (to demonstrate the value of your home.)

If you own a house or real estate, the trustee will probably ask you the following questions:
When did you buy the house or real estate?
What was the purchase price?
What is the property worth now? As stated above, you will probably need an appraisal or comparative market analysis to establish the value of the property.
What is the payoff on any mortgages you owe? for each mortgage, you need to bring a recent payoff statement which states what you still owe to pay off that mortgage in full

* If you need help in obtaining a market analysis for your property, let us know IN ADVANCE, and we can refer you to people who can perform a market analysis for a reasonable fee.

If You Own a Car, please bring:
A copy of  the payoff from your finance company.
If you have financed a car, the trustee may ask you to show a payoff statement for each car loan that you have obtained.