VCIS Information
It simply could not be easier to access U.S. Bankruptcy Case and Adversary Proceeding Information.
Nearly all bankruptcy courts in the United States have an automated VCIS (Voice Case Information System) telephone line which can be accessed from any where in the country. Use the VCIS to search US bankruptcy cases and adversary proceedings by case number, name, or social security number and retrieve information.
The phone numbers listed on this page were up-to-date at the time of this writing. However, phone numbers do change, so follow the accompanying links to the appropriate web sites for a particular court. Some judicial courts also offer online access to bankruptcy records at their websites.
Locate the phone numbers, both local and toll free, for the VCIS (Voice Case Information System) nearest you. You will also find links to the corresponding U.S. Federal Court District websites.
What is the Voice Case Information System
The Voice Case Information System (VCIS) is a computer-generated synthesized voice device that reads bankruptcy case and adversary proceeding information directly from the court's computer. This device permits you to call the computer from any touch-tone telephone in the United States and obtain case information without the assistance of a deputy clerk.
Information Accessible by VCIS
The following information can be accessed using the Voice Case Information System (VCIS).
- Case Number
- Name(s) of debtor(s) and/or principal parties
- Case filing date
- Case chapter
- Conversion chapter and date of conversion
- Whether filed as business or consumer
- Debtor's attorney's name and contact information
- Judges name
- Trustee's name
- Whether the case has assets
- Disposition method
- Assigned Judge's name
- Discharge and closing dates
- Reopened and/or re-closing dates
- Claim deadline
- 341(a) meeting date, time, and location
- Case status of the case
Depending upon when a specific bankruptcy case was filed, some of the information listed above may not be available through VCIS. Currently you can use VCIS to access information concerning all bankruptcy cases and adversary proceedings filed on or after December 1, 1988. For a number of reasons, information concerning cases filed prior to this date may not be available through VCIS.
Equipment Needed to Access VCIS
All you need in order to access the Voice Case Information System (VCIS), is a standard touch-tone telephone. The information on the case(s) you select will be read to you by a computer generated synthetic voice. A touch-tone telephone is the only equipment you need to access VCIS.
Locate the phone numbers, both local and toll free, for the VCIS (Voice Case Information System) nearest you. You will also find links to the corresponding U.S. Federal Court District websites.
How the VCIS Works
When you contact the Voice Case Information System (VCIS), it searches for cases by participant name and reads you the information available for matching bankruptcy cases and adversary proceedings. BANCAP data is posted to the VCIS data base at the close of each business day. As a result, information will typically appear in VCIS the business day followed its entry in BANCAP. New cases and adversary proceedings will typically be in the VCIS the second business day after initial filing.
VCIS Availability
With the exception of the three hours (generally 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) required to update the VCIS data base each working day, VCIS is available around-the-clock, 365 days per year.
Cost of Accessing the VCIS
The Voice Case Information System (VCIS) is provided free of charge. It costs you nothing to quickly obtain critical bankruptcy case and adversary proceeding information using VCIS.
USING THE VOICE CASE INFORMATION SYSTEM (VCIS)
The Voice Case Information System (VCIS) is very easy to use. To access the VCIS to obtain information concerning any United States bankruptcy case or adversary proceeding filed on or after December 1, 1988, and numerous bankruptcy cases filed prior to that date, please follow the instructions in steps 1 through 4 below.
1. Use a touch-tone telephone to dial the Local or Toll Free VCIS phone number for your Court District. A computer synthesized voice will answer the call, read instructions for obtaining case information, and ask you to enter a name.
2. Enter the name of a case participant by pressing the keys on your telephone that correspond to the letters in the name. Use the 1 key to enter the letters Q and Z. Do not attempt to type in spaces between names, and characters such as apostrophes.
- If you wish to enter the name of an individual, enter the last name followed by the
first name. For example, to enter the name Joe O'Riley, you should press the
following keys: O R I L E Y J O E. - If you wish to enter the name of a company, type the company name, omitting suffixes such as Inc. and Corp. For example, to enter the name Joe's Subs, Inc., you should press the following keys: J O E S S U B S.
3. Press the # key to tell the computer that the name has been entered. VCIS will search the data base for participants with names matching the one entered.
- If the data base contains more than four participants with names matching the one
entered, VCIS will not read the available information for matching cases. In these
instances, you should call your district court.
Locate a US Bankruptcy Court in your federal judicial district.
If the data base contains fewer than four participants with names matching the
one entered, VCIS will tell you the number of matching cases in the data base.
If the number of matching cases equals one, VCIS will read you the information
available for that case.
If the number of matching cases is greater than one but less than 11, VCIS will read you the available information for all matching cases.
- If you wish to hear information for the next matching case, press the 5 key. You may do this while VCIS is reading or after it has read all the available information.
- If you do not wish to hear information for additional matching cases, hang-up. You may do this while VCIS is reading or after it has read all the available information for a case.
If the number of matching cases is 11 or greater, VCIS will tell you that too many cases have been selected and, to allow everyone fair access to the system, will read the available information for the first 10 matching cases only.
- If you wish to hear information for the next matching case, press the 5 key. You may do this while VCIS is reading or after it has read all the available information for a case.
- If you do not wish to hear information for additional matching cases, hang-up. You may do this while VCIS is reading or after it has read all the available information for a case.
- If the case you are interested in is not one of the ten matching cases read, call the clerk's office for assistance.
If the data base contains no participants with names that match the one entered, VCIS will tell you that no cases for that name are on the computer. Call the Clerk's office in your federal judicial district for assistance.
- Locate a US Bankruptcy Court in your federal judicial district.
4. After reading the information available for the matching case or cases, or telling you no cases for that name are on the computer, VCIS will disconnect you. To obtain information concerning additional cases, repeat steps 1 through 3.
For additional information concerning VCIS or to report system problems, contact Systems Manager at (401) 528-4477 ext. 40 or ext. 45.
Locate the phone numbers, both local and toll free, for the VCIS (Voice Case Information System) nearest you. You will also find links to the corresponding U.S. Federal Court District websites.
