Required Credit Counseling:
Before a person can file bankruptcy, he or she must participate in a counseling session through an approved credit counseling service. In addition, once a bankruptcy petition has been filed, debtors must take another counseling course. It is not necessary that the counseling program be located in Pennsylvania; it is only required that the Middle District of Pennsylvania has approved the counseling program.
Free Credit Counseling for Everyone
Finally, an organization has created a web site where the initial counseling class required by the new bankruptcy law is FREE for everyone: www.consumerbankruptcycounseling.info. They will email your certificate to you and to us (if you provide them with our email address: dmcutaia@gmail.com) within 48 hours. However, you can file bankruptcy without the actual certificate, as long as you have taken the class prior to filing. We have 14 days to file the certificate.
NOTE: The above counseling web site does not provide any customer support. If you need assistance with completing the course, check out one of the other approved credit counseling agencies for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, just click here.
The certificate is good for six months, so we encourage debtors to take the course as soon as possible, especially if there is a pending foreclosure or other matters that might require a bankruptcy petition to be filed quickly.
Financial Management Court
AFTER you file bankruptcy you must take a financial management course. We suggest using this website for the course, as it costs only $15.00: www.nationalpersonalfinance.com. Should you fail to take this course after you file, your case will be dismissed without getting a discharge. You have 60 days from the date you file your bankruptcy to take this course.