When a customer declares bankruptcy, it is now possible to access their bankruptcy filings over the Internet. This information is available through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system. Click here to access the main PACER web site, or here to access the registration page.
In brief, PACER is a government-run web site that is a national index for U.S. district, bankruptcy, and appellate courts. A portion of the information from each case is transferred to the central PACER server from local courts each night. The server is then used as a locator index.
Bankruptcy searches can be conducted by name or social security number. Each search result yields the party name, the court where the case is filed, the case number, and the filing date. Users can then click on the case number to access the more detailed records stored at the court having jurisdiction.
The site charges $0.08 per page accessed, with a cap of $2.40 for electronic access to any single document. The charge applies whether or not pages are printed, viewed, or downloaded. Billings are issued on a quarterly basis.
Not all federal courts participate in PACER. Click here for a list of participating courts (which includes about 100 U.S. bankruptcy courts).