Sensitive personal information
Bankruptcy filers should pay careful attention to the new requirements imposed by Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9037. This rule mandates the redaction of sensitive personal information, including Social Security or tax identifications numbers, dates of birth, names of minor children and financial account numbers. The only place on the bankruptcy petition where the Social Security number should be listed in full is the separately-filed Statement of Social Security Number, a confirmation by the debtor. Business tax identification numbers can now be listed on the Statement of Financial Affairs using only the last four digits. The age and gender of dependents is reported on Schedule I of income, but not dates of birth or names of minor children. The most significant change would be for financial account numbers. Bank and other financial accounts listed on Schedule B of personal property can be reported by institution and type of account without listing the account number. The accounts for which a discharge is sought listed on Schedule F of unsecured nonpriority debts would still be reported using their full numbers for the purposes of creditor identification. A qualified bankruptcy practitioner in your jurisdiction can guide bankruptcy filers through these changes as well as any other requirements applicable in their area.
