What's New in ECF

This page documents the changes to CM/ECF. This list will be updated from time to time. Please check back for future updates. This document is provided to our ECF registered users for informational purposes only.

If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk [1].

Date

What's New

April 2013

CM/ECF Version 5.0 / 5.1 Changes:

PACER Links in CM/ECF

Two new menu selections appear under the Utilities menu to allow you to navigate quickly between CM/ECF and PACER. You won’t have to leave your CM/ECF session to access another court in PACER or to use the PACER Case Locator.

Docket Report Enhancements

The Create Appendix option has been modified so you have more flexibility in customizing a docket report. Now you can select only the entries you want and whether you want the PDF document appended to this customized report. Or, if you just want an abbreviated docket report without attached PDF documents, you can select only the entries you need for the task at hand.

Page Counts on Docket Report - The number of pages for documents associated with a docket entry is a new option.

Critical Deadlines and Dates on the Docket Report - Additional dates and deadlines now display on the caption of the docket report. A link to the Claims Register appears whenever a case has claims filed.

Docket Activity Report

The Docket Activity Report has been enhanced to include time filters. The report can be run in time increments, rather than running the report for the entire day. A new clock icon also offers an alternative to typing in the time.

Calendars and 341 Meeting - You can now view All Hearings without the 341Meeting settings included. A 341Meeting selection has been added to the hearing type list.

Query

New query options have been added:

Filed Date range,
Last Entry Date range
Nature of Suit.

Mobile Query – You can now access case information in a mobile friendly format by navigating to the mobile query link from your tablet or mobile device.

Multiple Social Security Numbers

CM/ECF now allows up to five social security numbers and tax identifications numbers for each debtor and joint debtor.

After a social security number is entered a plus icon appears beside the SSN/TaxID/EIN field. If the debtor or joint debtor has another SSN/TaxID/EIN, click the “plus” icon for another field to be displayed for additional number(s). CM/ECF will now format the numbers if you don’t insert hyphens.

Notice of Electronic Filing

In prior releases, when an attorney represented more than one party in a case, the attorney’s email and party information were listed on the Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF) only for the first party. Now the attorney is listed for each party they represent.

Attorney and Party Association

When an attorney or trustee files a pleading, they are prompted to indicate whether they should be linked to the party they represent. In prior releases, the checkbox for the association with the attorney and party was unchecked and if the filer did not check the box, the association was not made. The checkbox for the association with the attorney and party is now checked by default. The message has been updated to reflect the implications of omitting this necessary association.

Cases Report

Split, transferred and reopened dates have been added to the selection screen

Claims Summary Report

A Claims Summary Report option has been added to the Claims Register. This new format gives the viewer a snapshot overview of the claims on the case.

Claims Register View Multiple Documents
You can now view multiple documents from the Claims Register in one PDF file. This is the same functionality as View multiple documents on the Docket Report. This feature will enable you to generate selected PDF claims with any related attachments in one PDF document.

Transfer of Claims Fee

Effective May 1, 2013, all bankruptcy courts nation-wide will charge a new fee of $25 for each transfer of claim filed. The Judicial Conference of the United States approved this fee at its September 2012 session.

Bankruptcy Rule 3001(e) requires the clerk of court to notice a transferred claim, and provides additional notice and hearing requirements if an objection to a claim transfer is made. In considering this fee, the Judicial Conference recognized the impact a claim transfer has on the workload, court time and resources of the bankruptcy courts.
At the time of filing, the fee is assessed upon and is obligated to be paid by the person or entity filing a claim transfer, irrespective of whether the filing is made by or on behalf of the claim transferee or transferor. The fee applies to all claim transfers, whether asserting a full or partial transfer of a claim. Additionally, any filed document that purports to transfer ownership of a claim (such as for example, an amendment to a claim), will be assessed the fee. In the event multiple claim transfers are filed at one time (such as for example, by claims upload or batch filing), the $25 fee will be charged for each individual claim transfer.

Case Conversion

Previously, if a case was converted and re-converted, the Notice of Bankruptcy Case Filing query screen reflected the converted chapter rather than the original chapter. Now the original chapter is saved permanently in a new field. The original chapter will be correct for cases filed and converted after Release 5.

Fee Receipts

The Docket Report will now display a related document hyperlink for payment receipts whose transactions were processed by Pay.gov.

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January 2013

A Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed option is now available in CM/ECF. The feed provides users links to the docket sheet and documents. A standard RSS reader is not provided with CM/ECF, but the software supports the readers included with the standard supported browsers (e.g., Internet Explorer, Firefox). Users can subscribe to a (RSS) feed of activity made to cases.

Access to the RSS feed can be found on the Court Information page under the Utilities menu, Miscellaneous section. Clicking on the Entries made in the last 12 hours - Public Users hyperlink provides the CM/ECF user with a list of all entries made during this time period. In the yellow box at the top of the page is a hyperlink to Subscribe to this feed. PACER users do not incur any fees for viewing data provided by the RSS feed. Docket text is NOT displayed, just the short description of the docket event used. If the user clicks a hyperlink from the list provided (case number/title of case or document number of the entry made), the user will be prompted to login to PACER and PACER fees will be incurred.

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April 2012

Effective April 1, 2012 the PACER fee will be raised from 8 cents per page to 10 cents per page. The document cap will remain the cost of 30 pages. Digital audio will continue to bill at $2.40 per file. Additional information can be found at http://www.pacer.uscourts.gov/ [2]

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February 2012

A new event has been added to the Bankruptcy>Claim Actions Menu: Notice of Mortgage Payment Change (No Proof of Claim Filed) Creditors should use this event to file a notice of mortgage payment change, but no proof of claim has been filed. This entry will display on the docket sheet with a document number. It will not display on the claims register.

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January 2012

Effective Friday, January 27, 2012 the Docket Summary Report will no longer be available under the Reports menu. An alternative report which will provide similar results is the Docket Activity Report. Place a check mark in the box next to “Only cases to which I am linked”.

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November 2011

Bankruptcy Fee Schedule Change [3]

Effective November 1, 2011, the bankruptcy fees have changed.

CM/ECF Version 4.1 / 4.2 Changes:

Password Security Enhancement

Password security has been improved. All CM/ECF passwords must be a minimum of 8 characters, and must include both upper and lower case alphabetic characters and at least one digit or special character [e.g., 0-9,@,#,S,%,&,*,!,+,:].

The first time you login after the court has implemented version 4.2, a message will be displayed asking you to change your password to meet the new standards.

Once your password has been changed, any attempts to login with an invalid password will prevent you from gaining access to the system. After five invalid attempts, you will receive a message instructing you to contact the helpdesk
for assistance.

Claim Form B10

The Proof of Claim entry screen text and formatting have been modified to match the B10 form. Unsecured amounts will not be listed on any new claims entered. The only fields that will accept data and be available for reporting are:
Amount Claimed, Amount Secured, and Amount Priority.

Existing claims will be converted, and unknown and unsecured amounts will appear in those records if they already existed. Additionally, the amount claimed totals are
no longer calculated. Instead, the “Amount claimed” fields constitute the totals of the various amounts claimed.

The “File another claim” hyperlink has been moved to the top of the Proof of Claim receipt for easier access.

Changes to Rule 3002.1 [4]

New Rule 3002.1 requirements, which address certain claims in chapter 13 cases, go into effect on December 1, 2011. To comply with the rule, CM/ECF has been modified to allow a creditor to file three new events.

Creditors must file three new events as supplements to the claim with a Certificate of Service to the Debtor(s), Debtor(s) Attorney and the Trustee. These events can be found under Bankruptcy>Claims Actions:

Notice of Mortgage Payment Change B10, Supplement 1

Notice of Postpetition Mortgage Fees, Expenses and Charges, Supplement 2

Response to Notice of Final Cure Payment

The above events have also been added for Limited Access CM Accounts under Bankruptcy>Creditor Filing.

Additional New Events have been added in support of the new process.

Located on the Bankruptcy>Motions/Applications Menu:

Motion to Determine Mortgage Fees and Expenses

Motion to Determine Final Cure and Mortgage Payment

Located on the Bankruptcy>Notices Menu:

Notice of Final Cure Mortgage Payment

Reports and Queries Enhancements

Cases Report – The Cases Report now provides additional information. This report can be created by attorney name or Bar ID. This report is now limited to a range of 31 days.

A new “View Document” link has been added to the Query menu to allow users to enter a document number in the case currently being viewed and view the document directly. If multiple documents are associated with a document number, the Document Selection Menu appears so the user can select the desired document. The user is limited to entering one document number at a time.

Adversary Case Opening

Attorneys no longer have to add themselves as filers. The filing attorney is automatically associated with the plaintiff.

If the adversary proceeding is not a complaint, a “Counsel for” selection option appears to allow the attorney to indicate which party he/she represents: if the default “Plaintiff” is selected, the filing attorney is automatically associated with the plaintiff; if “ Defendant” is selected, the filer may make the attorney association during docketing.

Filing Fees

Partial Payment by Attorneys

Track Installment Payments Due - For new cases opened after version 4.2, the outstanding filing fee balance can be viewed under Query>Filing Fee.

Privacy of Social Security Numbers

The Judicial Conference Privacy Policy prohibiting the disclosure of an individual’s identifiers will now automatically be placed on any electronic documents (including claims) for cases filed before December 1, 2003 and closed for at least one year. Anyone wishing to view these documents may do so at the public terminals provided in the lobby at each of our court locations.

Email Enhancements and BNC

Email Notification on Certificates of Notice – The BNC Certificate of Notice includes all entities selected as form recipients and all entities who received a Notice of Electronic filing through CM/ECF, along with the date of electronic notification and the entity’s name and email address.

E-Orders

E-orders have additional Order types:

Hearing Held

Hearing Scheduled (DO NOT USE this option unless explicitly requested by the judge).

The Order type Urgent has been replaced by Expedited.

In addition, attachments may now be included in uploading a proposed order.

The Order Query report may be run for a specific case or by date range; additional check boxes allow filtering by order status.

Miscellaneous

Enter key instead of mouse click – For users who wish to use the keyboard rather than the mouse, pressing the Enter key now gives the same result as clicking the button that submits the screen. Pressing the space bar also works if the focus is on the button that submits the screen.

Intradistrict Transfer Cases

Cases transferred will not allow any docketing on the old case number. All docketing will need to be done on the new case number.

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October 2011

Events have been modified to search for the order discharging debtor filed in the case. If the order discharging debtor has been filed, the case status will be changed to awaiting closing. If not, the case status will be changed to awaiting discharge.

Chapter 7 Trustee's Report of No Distribution

Chapter 7 Trustee's Report of No Distribution - Ad Hoc Minimal Funds

Chapter 7 Trustee's Report of No Distribution - Ad Hoc No Funds

Chapter 7 Trustee's Report of No Distribution - dismissed or converted, no funds

Chapter 7 Trustee's Report of No Distribution - dismissed or converted, some funds collected

Chapter 7 Trustee's Report of No Distribution - minimal funds collected under Trustee/US Trustee
menu

Notices have been modified to add, A proof of claim form, as blank with instructions for completion, is available from the Court at the address listed below, or online at:
http://www.uscourts.gov/FormsAndFees/Forms/BankruptcyForms.aspx [5] to the first page of the notice. In addition, the request for BNC to attach a proof of claim form will be removed.

NPD - Notice of Possible Dividend

NPDSRO - Notice of Possible Dividend (Santa Rosa)

B9C - Meeting of Creditors Individual Asset

B9D - Meeting of Creditors Copr.

B9E - Meeting of Creditors Chapter 11 Individual

B9F - Meeting of Creditor Chapter 11 Corp

B9G - Meeting of Creditor Chapter 12 Individual

B9H - Meeting of Creditors Chapter 12 Corp.

B9I - Meeting of Creditors Chapter 13

B9CPRE - Meeting of Creditor Asset Individual PreAct

B9DPRE - Meeting of Creditors 7 Corp. PreAct

B9EPRE - Meeting of Creditors Chapter 11 Individual
PreAct

B9FPRE - Meeting of Creditors Chapter 11 Corp
PreAct

B9GPRE - Meeting of Creditors Chapter 12 Individual
PreAct

B9HPRE - Meeting of Creditors Chapter 12 Corp.
PreAct

Notice has been modified to add, A proof of claim form, as blank with instructions for completion, is available from the Court at the address listed below, or online at:
http://www.uscourts.gov/FormsAndFees/Forms/BankruptcyForms.aspx [5]. Second, the sentence Submit the original and one (1) copy of the completed and signed proof
of claim form provided for you on the back side of this notice to the Bankruptcy Court has been replaced with Submit the original and one (1) copy of the completed and signed proof of claim form to the Bankruptcy Court. Third, the proof of claim form provided on Page 2 and Page 3 have been removed.

LDF - Notice of Order Setting Last Date to
File Claims

Notice has been modified to add, A proof of claim form, as blank with instructions for completion, is available from the Court at the address listed below, or online at:
http://www.uscourts.gov/FormsAndFees/Forms/BankruptcyForms.aspx [5]. In addition, the sentence, To file a claim, use the form provided on the back side of this notice
has been replaced with To file a claim, submit the original and one (1) copy of the completed and signed proof of claim form to the Bankruptcy Court.

NTE - Notice of Extension of Time for Filing of Claims

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July 2011

Event – Notice of Hearing has been modified to prevent attorneys from scheduling a confirmation hearing on Chapter 13 cases.

Event – Status Conference Statement has been modified to require attorney to link to the objection to confirmation plan when docketing this event in a bankruptcy case. This change only applies to the San Jose Division.

Event – Meeting of Creditors Chapter 13 and Amended
Meeting of Creditors Chapter 13 have been modified to prompt trustee to link the confirmation hearing to the Chapter 13 Plan if filed at the time of case opening. This change only applies to the Santa Rosa Division.

Reaffirmation Agreement Cover Sheet – This event has been added to the Creditor Filings menu.

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May 2011

Meeting of creditors continued – has been modified from
Meeting of Creditor Continued on xx/xx/2011 at 9:00 AM at Santa Rosa U.S. Trustee Office. to Meeting of Creditor Continued to xx/xx/2011 at 9:00 AM at Santa Rosa U.S. Trustee Office.

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April 2011

Pay Installment Payment

The method to select the payment has been
changed to a dropdown list. Now users need to select the amount they wish to pay. If the payment amount is not listed, users can select the next highest amount and they will have the option to change the amount at the fee prompt.

Motion for Exemption from Financial Management Course – has been modified to display a prompt for users to enter the reason for exemption. The text entered by the users will be inserted into the docket text.

NEFs of audio docket entry – The subject line on the e-mail for the NEF will now include the word Audio.

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February 2011

Digital Audio Recordings

On February 1st, digital audio recordings of some court proceedings will be accessible on the court's docket through PACER and will be formatted as a MP3 file. In order to listen to an audio file, click the document number to display the PDF, then click the attachment icon (paper clip) to play the audio with the audio player that is available on your PC (such as Windows Media Player). A PACER user is charged $2.40 for each access to a PDF document with an embedded audio file. For more information on the Digital Audio Project and Pacer, click here [6]

NOTE: In some instances, the court may separate a large audio file into multiple parts to reduce download time. Each audio file is then attached to a PDF document; PACER users are charged $2.40 for each document accessed. Each PDF document must be viewed individually; if the documents are opened as single file (using the "View All" option), the audio files will not play, but a PACER user will still be charged $2.40 for the access. Please click here [7] to view a video demonstrating how to access a digital audio recording on the docket.

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August 2010

Motions/Applications menu

A warning message, Are you setting a hearing on the court calendar for this motion? If yes, a notice of hearing must be filed separately, has been added to all motion events.

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June 2010

Notice of Hearing

The event has been modified to prevent users from moving forward if Hearing date has not been entered.

Two new Notice of Related Cases events

The first event, Notice of Related Cases in a Bankruptcy Case, can be Found under Bankruptcy>Notice menu. The second event, Notice of Related Cases in an Adversary Proceeding, can be found under Adversary > Notice menu.

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April 2010

On April 1, 2010, several amended forms became effective. Those forms include the Voluntary Petition (B1), Proof of Claim (B10), and Reaffirmation Documents (B240A). In addition, there are revised dollar amounts in Official Forms 1, 6C, 6E, 7, 10, 22A and 22C, and Director's Forms 200 and 283.

Amended Schedules D,E, and F (under the Miscellaneous Menu) The event has been modified to add the new message: Please include as an attachment to the amended schedule another creditor list and cover sheet with just the names and addresses of the additional creditors.

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March 2010

Associating Attorneys with Pro Se Debtor

Any attorney (who is not currently representing the debtor) electronically filing documents on behalf of a pro se debtor will automatically become associated with the debtor and the attorney's will appear on the case docket as representing the debtor. The CM-ECF system will display the following message and the attorney will not have an option to bypass the association, with the exception of not filing the document.

(The following attorney/party associations do not exist in this case). Once you file this document, you will automatically be associated with the debtor in this case)

Additionally, all subsequent Notice of Electronic Filing for documents filed into the case will indicate that this attorney (who filed on behalf of the debtor) will receive service on behalf of the debtor.

New event available for Limited Access Users

A new event has been added for Limited Access CM Accounts
under Bankruptcy>Creditor Filing>Certificate of Service.

This event should only be used when electronically filed documents require a certificate of service.

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February 2010

Revised Changes to the Issuance of Summons and Notices in an Adversary Proceeding

The Court will begin issuing the "Summons and Notice in an Adversary Proceeding" electronically. Therefore, the event code, "Summons to be Issued" will be removed and no longer available. When an adversary complaint and cover sheet is electronically filed, the clerk's office will prepare and enter the "Summons and Notice in an Adversary Proceeding". This summons/notice will be transmitted by a Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF) to the attorney for the plaintiff for service on the defendants in accordance with F.R.B.P. 7004. NOTE: If the adversary complaint and cover sheet is filed in paper form, the clerk's office shall issue the "Summons and Notice in an Adversary Proceeding" and it will be mailed via the Bankruptcy Noticing Center (BNC) to the plaintiff's attorney or plaintiff, if not represented by an attorney.

In the event an "alias summons" is required, a new event "Request for Alias Summons to be Issued " has been added to the Adversary>Complaint and Summons Menu. The attorney for the plaintiff must use this event to electronically request an alias summons be issued. The clerk's office will issue the alias summons and the registered user will receive the alias summons via the NEF. Requests received in paper form (for non-registered users) will receive the alias summons in the mail via the BNC.

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December 2009

Important Notice Regarding Time Period Changes Effective December 1, 2009

Among the time-computation amendments to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure that will take effect on December 1, 2009, are changes to 12 rules that will result in a reduction by one day (from 15 to 14 days) of the time to take action. The affected rules are Bankruptcy Rules 1007, 1019,1020, 2015, 2015.1, 2016, 3015, 4001, 4002, 6004, 6007, and 8009. Please take note of these changes and particularly of the new 14-day deadline for filing schedules, statements, and other documents under Rule 1007(c); for filing a chapter 13 plan under Rule 3015(b); and for filing appellate briefs under Rule 8009(a).

©2007 United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern California. All Rights Reserved.

Reaffirmation Agreement Cover Sheet, Official Bankruptcy Form B27 [8]

A new event has been added to the Bankruptcy->Miscellaneous Menu: Reaffirmation Agreement Cover Sheet. This event will be required to link to the reaffirmation agreement, reaffirmation agreement (pro se), motion for reaffirmation, and/or document events.

Reaffirmation Agreement. Event has been modified to ask the user if the reaffirmation agreement cover sheet is filed. If it is not, the
Official Form B27, Reaffirmation Agreement Cover Sheet WAS NOT included text will be included in the final docket text. To file this form, use the NEW EVENT: Reaffirmation Agreement Cover Sheet.

The Reaffirmation Agreement Cover Sheet has also been added to the Attachment Types as one of the frequently used attachments.

Reaffirmation Agreement (Pro Se). Event has been modified to ask the user if the reaffirmation agreement cover sheet is filed. If it is not, the Official Form B27, Reaffirmation Agreement Cover Sheet WAS NOT included text will be included in the final docket text. To file this form, use the NEW EVENT: Reaffirmation Agreement Cover Sheet.

Motion for Reaffirmation Agreement. Event has been modified to ask the user if the reaffirmation agreement cover sheet is filed. If it is not, the Official Form B27, Reaffirmation Agreement Cover Sheet WAS NOT included text will be included in the final docket text. To file this form, use the NEW EVENT: Reaffirmation Agreement Cover Sheet.

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September 2009

CM/ECF Version 3.3.2 Changes:

Login Screen. A notice has been added to the CM/ECF Filer or PACER Login screen, reminding electronic filers of their responsibility to eliminate all personal identifiers from a document before submitting it to the court's CM/ECF system.

The text of the message is as follows: IMPORTANT NOTICE OF REDACTION RESPONSIBILITY: All filers must redact: Social Security or taxpayer-identification numbers; dates of birth; Names of minor children; and financial account numbers, in Compliance with Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9037. This requirement applies to all documents, including attachments.

The rule title is a hyperlink to the text of the rule. Below the message a check box appears to affirm that the notice has been read and understood. All external filers must check this box to complete the login process.

Docketing. Version 3.3.2 now displays a Have you redacted? message at the docket text submission screen to remind you to eliminate all personal identifiers from a document before filing it in CM/ECF.

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April 2009

Trustee's NDR replaces the current No Distribution Report and will continue to be produced by CM/ECF as a virtual (text only) entry

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March 2009

New United States Trustee Requirements request more data be collected in compliance with the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BACPCPA) reporting regulations. The data will be collected during case opening. A new event Update EOUST Stats is available for entry after case opening.

A new search feature that provides a pop-up window has been added to allow you to search for specific menus or docket events.

Event searches during docketing.

Claim Filing Enhancement. There are several new enhancements to the Claims filing feature in CM/ECF.

You may customize your creditor search by type i.e. 20 Largest Unsecured Creditors, or select a blank line to search all creditor types.

When amending existing claims, it is now possible to select a creditor ID that does not match that of the original claimant.

Amended claims now display the claim amounts from the claim being amended.

View Multiple Documents for a Single Docket Entry. When viewing a main document with attachments you may now combine and view them in one document. When you select a document from the docket report, and if there are attachments, a list is displayed with "View All" and "Download All" buttons appearing at the bottom of the list.

View All will combine all selected documents into one document and will appear on screen.

Download All will combine all the selected documents into a ZIP file.

View and/or Download all Documents for Multiple Docket Entries. A new Option on the Docket Report allows multiple documents to be viewed or Downloaded.

Create Appendix. A new option on the Docket Report called "Create Appendix" allows you to produce a single PDF file that includes both a complete docket sheet and images of the documents selected. If the Create Appendix option is selected, other options are disabled.

Hyperlinks In this new version of CM/ECF 3.2 allows users to file documents that include hyperlinks to a previously filed document in the same case or nother case, as well as to a document that is being filed in the same submission, such as exhibits to motions. A document can be linked to another document in any federal court database if the court is running the appropriate version of CM/ECF that includes the hyperlink function.

The official transcripts of court proceedings will be included in electronic case dockets. A transcript filed by a transcriber is only available for viewing at the clerk's office for the first 90 days. During the 90-day period, if you wish to receive a copy of the transcript it may be purchased from the transcriber to gain remote access to the transcript through PACER. Attorneys and pro se parties who attended the hearing will have the ability to request redaction of personal identifiers from an electronically filed transcript. Identifiers are Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, names of minor children, dates of birth, and home addresses of individuals, other than the debtor. After the 90-day period, the restrictions will be removed and the transcripts will be available to the public.

The 90 day restriction period begins as soon as the transcript is filed. In order to request that a transcript be redacted, use the new event. "Notice of Intent to Request Transcript Redaction"

After docketing the Notice of Intent to Request Transcript Redaction, a Transcript Redaction Request needs to be filed which includes a list of items to be redacted. The information in the pdf should identify the type of identifier that needs to be redacted. (e.g.,minor's name, birth date, etc.) and page and line number where the information appears in the transcript. The list of information will not be available for public viewing.

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February 2009

A new event has been added to the Bankruptcy -> Miscellaneous Menu: Debtor's Request for Separate Notice. This is to be used if there are joint debtors on a case who wish to have court notices sent to them at two different addresses. Otherwise all court communication on a case will be sent to both debtors at the same address.
Effective February 23, 2009, a new dictionary event was introduced due to the revision of the "Notice to Consumer Debtor(s) under §342(b) of the Bankruptcy Code". The revision to the form occurred in conjunction with implementation of a new Bankruptcy Noticing Center (BNC) program feature that eliminates the mailing of duplicate notices to joint debtors at the same address by sending a single copy of each notice in a jointly-addressed envelope.

Due to this revision, joint debtors will no longer receive separate copies of notices when debtor and joint debtor have the same address. To be exempted from this feature, one of the debtors must file a statement with the court requesting that each debtor receives a separate copy of all notices.

The new event, Debtor's Request for Separate Notice should be used

2007 Archive [9]
2008 Archive [10]

March

Modified Event: The option for attorneys to file a bankruptcy petition for clients who wish to apply for In Forma Pauperis has been added. When opening a new case using BK > Open BK case:
1. On the Case Data Screen, under Fee Status, select, IFP filing fee waived
2. The following message appears as a reminder for attorneys to file the Application for In Forma Pauperis
  You have selected the IFP fee status. No fee is required at this time.
  
  Please submit the application portion of the Official Form B3B, Application for Waiver of the Chapter 7 Filing Fee [11], using the In Forma Pauperis event under the Bankruptcy > Motions/Applications menu.

If you are using case upload, the Fee Status Code must be w if your client is applying for In Forma Pauperis.

May

CM/ECF version 3.0 Features

Case Opening

Voluntary Petition

Users are automatically alerted to complete missing information in required fields.
Type of Debtor is now a radio button while the type of business remains in the check box format.
Debtor and Joint Debtor are both allowable role types and are assigned automatically during case opening. Case upload role types remain unchanged.
A new association, Corporate Parent, may be entered with the debtor information. This is for internal use only and does not appear on the public docket.

Adversary Case Opening

A primary and secondary nature of suit may be designated.
The AP case opening information will appear in the main case.
Miscellaneous Proceedings will be an option for attorneys.
A new association, Corporate Parent, may be entered with the plaintiff or defendant information. This is for internal use only and does not appear on the public docket.

Involuntary Case Opening

An involuntary case opening automatically designates the case type as, "bk" (bankruptcy and for joint petition, "n" (No).
Involuntary Case Opening allows the addition of only one debtor but allows for multiple petitioning creditors.
Attorneys for the petitioning creditors, must check a box indicating this status.

Filing Claims

Uploading Batch Claims

For large creditors, new functionality has been added to upload a batch of claims using XML files. Please contact the court [1] if you are interested in this feature.
When a creditor is added during the file claims process, the name and address data will be entered in a text box. The first line of text containing the creditor's name may not exceed 50 characters. Subsequent lines are limited to 40 characters. The complete address added may be up to five lines.

Claims Register

New Features on the Claims Register

The following claims transfer information for past and current holders are tracked and accessible: transfer type, name and address of original claim holder, name and address of new claim holder, claim number and claim amount.
Amended claims no longer appear with their own unique number. These become a subset of the original claim.
The email notification of the filing (NEF) of the claim is linked to the claims register.
A new link for the Claims Register now appears on the Query Menu.

Docketing

Case Summary Information

Important case information now appears throughout the docketing of the event. This information includes:

Type: bk	Chapter: 13 v	Office: 3 (San Francisco)
Assets: y	Judge: TEC	Case Flag: DebtEd

Two-Part Motions

Connecting language has been added for two part motion docketing. Users must choose between:

"in addition to"
"or in the alternative"
Previously motions are arranged alphabetically in the docket text. Motions now appear in the order they are selected.

Entering Parties

To meet a USPS requirement that the full name of the country be provided on international mail, screens were updated to allow entry of 40 characters for a country.

Reports

Cases Report

The Cases Report will now display subtotals based on the primary, secondary, and tertiary sorts.

Docket Activity Report

This report allows selection of docket entries based on case number and category.

Written Opinions

This is a new report that displays published memoranda/decisions.

Notices of Electronic Filing (NEF)

Quality Control Messages

Emails are automatically generated each time the court corrects any information on the case. This is similar to the corrective entry. These changes are accessible by clicking on the silver bullet next to the corrected docket entry.
NEFs may be regenerated at anytime by clicking on the silver bullet in the docket report.

Payment Screens

Pay.Gov Enhancements

Users who will not immediately pay the filing fee(s) must select the Continue filing button rather than closing or minimizing the window. Similarly, users should neither close nor minimize any other window related to internet payments.

Paying Fees

The event under the Miscellaneous menu, Pay Installment Payment, has been modified to allow the attorney to change the default installment amount.

Case Upload

The Presumption of Abuse (Y, N or U) field must be included in the debtor.txt file.

June

Modified Event: The name of the event, BK> Miscellaneous > Exigent Circumstances was changed to BK > Miscellaneous-> Credit Counseling Waiver.
New Event: Under BK > Motions/Applications > Motion to Extend Time to File Credit Counseling Certificate
Version 3 correction: Under the Utilities menu, the Internet Payments History report was changed to include the name of the debtor. The name of the debtor was originally removed from this report during the version 3.0 conversion. This feature is now added into the report.
Creditor Upload: A patch was added to remove trailing and leading spaces from the creditor matrix. This is in effect when a using the BK > Creditor Maintenance > Upload Creditor Matrix event.

October

New Forms Requirements	Please see the court's policy [12] regarding the submission of the new forms.
CM/ECF Version 3.1 Upgrade	Version 3.1 contains a number of changes to CM/ECF events. Please see the updated event list [13]for a complete list. With the release of CM/ECF version 3.1, the courts are concerned with capturing data regarding contested matters (or possible contested matters) and more detailed statistical data such as the total from the submitted schedules. A number of new events have been provided and several other events have been modified to provide that information.
Motions/Applications Category - New Events	When entering multiple part motions, you must use the control key to select each relief type. Do not rely on entering an additional relief type in the event text box. To capture requests for dismissal in greater detail, there are three new events in addition to the current Motion to Dismiss: Motion to Dismiss Case for Abuse Motion to Dismiss Case for Failure to File Documents under 521(i) Motion to Dismiss Case for Failure to Make Plan Payments Other new motion events which are available with verison 3.1 are: Motion to Extend Time to Appeal Under Rule 8002(c) Motion for Abstention Under Section 305 Motion for Conditional Use of Cash Collateral Motion for Continuation of Utility Service (previously Motion to to Increase Assurance Payment) Motion for Damages for Creditor Misconduct Motion for Intra-district Transfer (for case transfer to another CANB division) Motion for Relief from Co-debtor Stay (to be used in addition to Motion for Relief from Stay) Motion for Sale of Property (previously Motion to Sell) Motion Re: Chapter 11 First Day Motion Setting Property Value Motion to Appoint Examiner Motion to File Amended Proof of Claim Motion to File Claim After Claims Bar Date Motion to Obtain Credit (previously Motion to Borrow) Motion to Remove Professional Motion to Remove Trustee
Motions/Applications Category - Modified Events	Motion to Assume/Reject — modified to require the selection of a radio button describing the reason for the requested action. The docket text will automatically include the reason selected. The choices are: Assume Lease or Executory Contract Reject Lease or Executory Contract Motion for Reaffirmation — The approval request asks the filer to Enter the name of the creditor for this reaffirmation Agreement Motion for Sanction — was modified to require the selection of a radio button describing the reason for the requested sanction. The docket text will automatically include the reason for the selected sanction. The choices are: Sanctions for Violation of the Discharge Injunction Sanctions for Violation of the Automatic Stay Sanctions for Debtors Attorney Misconduct Sanctions of Counsels Liability for Excessive Cost Other Motion to Reconsider was modified to require the selection of a radio button describing the reason for the reconsideration. The choices are: Dismissal of the Case Other Motion to Extend/Limit Exclusivity Period — The event name was changed from Motion to Extend Exclusivity Period and requests the filer to: Select One: Extend or Limit Motions/Applications Category — Event Name Changes Motion for Turnover was changed to Motion for Turnover of Property Motion to Change Venue was changed to Motion to Change Venue/Inter-district Transfer Motion to Sell Free and Clear was changed to Motion to Sell Property Free and Clear Motion to Sell was changed to Motion for Sale of Property Motion to Borrow was changed to Motion to Obtain Credit Motion to Increase Assurance Payment was changed to Motion for Continuation of Utility Services Miscellaneous Category — New Events Nondischargeable Debt Bankruptcy Requests the following information: Enter Total Nondischargeable Debt: Objection to Professional Fees Reaffirmation Agreement (pro se) The request asks the filer to Enter the name of the creditor for this reaffirmation Agreement. Miscellaneous Category - Modified Events All the Schedule Events have been modified to capture the totals that now appear on the new schedule forms: Schedule A, Schedule B, Schedule D, Schedule E, Schedule F, Schedule I, Schedule J, Schedules A- J, Schedules A - H. Amended Schedules (A, B, C, H, I and J - No Fee Required) and Amended Schedules (D, E, and F - Fee Required). These events are also modified to capture the appropriate schedule totals based on schedules designated for as amended. Please enter the new TOTAL for each schedule. Summary of Schedules has been modified to show the current totals for all submitted schedules, Current Monthly Income, Total nondischargeable debt and the computer Total Dischargeable Debt. Only change the total for the schedule you are updating. If the totals are correct, then no change is required. Intent to Cure Default now requests the filer to: Enter Amount of Rent to be Deposited. Plan Category - New Events: These events all include the language: Select the appropriate event(s) to which your event relates: (pick the previously docketed plan) Amended Chapter 11 Small Business Plan Amended Chapter 12 Plan • Amended Chapter 9 Plan Modified Plan (To be used post-confirmation) Plan Category - Modified Events: Amended Chapter 13 Plan has been modified to include the language: Select the appropriate event(s) to which your event relates: (pick the previously docketed plan). Notice Catetory - New Events Notice of Proposed Use, Sale or Lease of Property Bankruptcy. Docket text reads: Notice of Proposed Use, Sale or Lease of Property Outside of the Normal Course of Business. Notice Category - Event Name Changes Notice of Abandonment has been changed to Notice of Abandonment of Property Notice Category - Events Removed from the Menu Notice of Intent Notice of Compromise of Controversy
Auditor's Reports Category - New Events	In conjunction with the Office of the United States Trustee, a new audit program will commence on October 20. Several new events were created on the Trustee and Auditor's Report menus (for auditors only). A case selected for audit will proceed in the normal manner and the discharge will be granted unless an action is taken by the United States Trustee's office. Select for Audit (Trustee's Menu) Amended Auditor's Report (Auditor's only) Auditor's Report (Auditor's only) Supplemental Auditor's Report (Auditor's only)

November/December

New event added for Limited Access Users	Order Upload (from the Bankruptcy menu) — This feature is designed for creditors to submit proposed orders pertaining to reaffirmation agreements only.
Adversary Opening - Event Modification	The prompts were modified. The first question "Is the plaintiff trustee?" was changed to "Is the plaintiff the Chapter 7 or 13 trustee." The second question, "Is the plaintiff the debtor or child support creditor?" was changed to "Is the plaintiff a Chapter 7 or 13 case debtor or child support creditor."
File Claims - Event Modification	Case information (e.g., case status, case number and case names) will now appear during the docketing of new claims.

If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk [1].