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Mailing Matrix Format

1.0    FILING MATRIXES ON DISK

The debtor shall prepare and submit to the Court a mailing matrix on computer disk which complies with the computerized noticing guidelines contained herein. The accuracy and completeness of this creditor listing shall be the total responsibility of the debtor and the debtor's attorney. The Court and parties in interest shall rely upon it for all mailings. The disk label should list the case name, attorney’s name and include the description of the disk contents as ‘Mailing Matrix’. The case number should also be included on the disk label if a number has already been assigned.
 

2.0    WAIVER OF CREDITOR MATRIX DISK REQUIREMENT

  1. Debtors Represented by Attorneys or Assisted by Bankruptcy Petition Preparers.

    If financial constraints and/or the inability to access the equipment necessary to produce a computer disk would cause an undue hardship on the debtor’s attorney or bankruptcy petition preparer assisting the debtor, a scannable creditor matrix must be submitted accompanied by a completed Motion entitled Request for Waiver of Creditor Matrix Disk. Compliance with paragraph 7.0 concerning paper matrixes is required.
     

  2. Pro Se Debtors Debtors not represented by an attorney or assisted by a bankruptcy petition preparer may file a matrix on disk or a paper matrix substantially complying with Paragraph 7.0 below.
     

3.0     ADDRESSES FOR FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES [All Chapters]

Mailing Addresses - Certain federal and state agencies specify particular addresses to which notice of bankruptcy proceedings should be directed. Use of those addresses is mandatory. The Clerk maintains a roster of State and Federal Agencies at the court’s Website.

When listing an indebtedness to a federal or state agency not included on the roster, the debtor and the debtor's attorney shall use such address as will effect proper notice to the agency. The mailing matrix must also comply with the requirements of Local Rule 1007-1 E.

 

4.0     EQUITY SECURITY HOLDERS

In Chapter 11 cases, all equity security holders must be included in the creditor matrix. The requirements stated herein must be followed when including equity security holders on the creditor matrix.

 

5.0     CODEBTORS AND PARTIES TO EXECUTORY CONTRACTS AND UNEXPIRED LEASES

A codebtor is a non-debtor, co-obligor who is liable with the debtor for a debt. The codebtor is not a debtor in the case.

Codebtors and parties to executory contracts and unexpired leases must be included in the creditor matrix. The requirements stated herein must be followed when including these parties on the creditor matrix.

6.0     COMPUTER DISK: MAILING MATRIX OF CREDITORS

  1. General Requirement - The debtor shall provide the Court with a computer-generated disk containing the names and addresses of all creditors and equity security holders. The disk shall be submitted in an envelope marked with the debtor’s last name, case number and the name of the lead attorney assigned to the case.
     
  2. Content - The computer disk shall contain the name and complete mailing address of each entity listed as a creditor, equity security holder, codebtor, or executory contract holder by the debtor.

    (1) If the debtor is a partnership, the name and address of each general and limited partner shall be added to the computer disk.

    (2) If the debtor is a corporation, the name and address of the chief executive officer or other officer who will appear for the debtor shall be added to the computer disk.

    (3) DO NOT include the following entities since they will be retrieved automatically by the computer for noticing:

  • Debtor
  • Joint Debtor (This is a spouse who files a joint case with the debtor at one case number.)
  • Attorney for the Debtor
  • Trustee
  • Attorney for the Trustee
  • United States Trustee
  1. Disk Specifications
     

    (1) Use a 3.5" disk only formatted for use on an IBM or compatible PC.

    (2) One ASCII formatted file per disk and one case per file.

    (3) File must be named with the debtor’s last name (i.e.; johnson.txt, smith.txt, etc.) and may be shortened if necessary.

    (4) Left margin justification required.

    (5) The information must be five (5) lines or less per creditor.

    (6) Each line may contain no more than 40 characters. No leading spaces

    (7) Each creditor must be separated by at least one blank line. A street address or post office box number must be specified on the line above the city, state and zip code. The United States post office’s scanning equipment may not recognize a building name as an address.

Example: jackson.txt

Line 1:     Maria Careless
Line 2:     25 North Aria Blvd.
Line 3:     Grecian, NY 80062
Line 4:
Line 5:     Charles Smith
Line 6:     3 Winston Street
Line 7:     Balmoral, MD 12960
Line 8:
Line 9:       Last Bank of San Diego.
Line 10:     Attn: Collections Dept
Line 11:     12345 E. Main St.
Line 12:     San Diego, CA 92101-1010
Line 13:
Line 14:     Kent Clerk
Line 15:     5414 U.S. Steel Tower
Line 16:     600 Grant Street
Line 17:     Pittsburgh, PA 15219
 

(8) ZIP code must be on the last line. Nine-digit ZIP codes should be typed with a hyphen separating the two groups of digits. Do NOT include account numbers as part of the address. The ‘Attention’ line must be placed above the name/address line. The ZIP code must be at the end of the same line as the city and state in order for the U.S. Postal ZIP code sorting equipment to find it.

(9) Be sure to type the number "1" (one) rather than the lower case letter "l" (L) when using numerics.

  1. Debtor's Obligation to Assure Accuracy - It is the responsibility of the debtor or such other person as the Court may order to ensure that the mailing matrix is complete and correct.

 

Avoiding common mistakes that will cause your matrix to be rejected.  (See table below.)

Any of the following may result in your lists being improperly read by the optical scanner, requiring you to resubmit your creditor list in an acceptable form.

  1. Extra marks on the list - such as letterhead, dates, debtor name, coffee stains, handwritten marks.
  2. Non-standard paper such as onion skin, half-sized paper, or colored (i.e., yellow, blue, etc.) paper.
  3. Misaligned lists.
  4. Unreadable upper case letters. Type in upper and lower case as you would on a letter.
  5. ZIP code placed anywhere other than on the last line. The ZIP code must be the last entry on the last line. Nine-digit ZIP codes should be typed with a hyphen separating the two groups of digits.
  6. ‘Attention’ entered on the wrong line. Do NOT type ‘attention’ lines or account numbers on the last line. If needed, this information must be placed above the name/address line. Account numbers may not exceed 15 characters. (The ZIP code must be at the end of the same line as the city and state in order for the U.S. Postal ZIP code sorting equipment to find it.)
  7. Use of the letter ‘l’ rather than the letter ‘1'. Be sure to type the number "1" (one) rather than the lower case letter "l" (L) when using numerics.

 

CHECK LIST FOR CREDITOR MATRIX DISK

If using a third party software package (i.e.; Best Case Solutions, Specialty, E-Z Filing for Windows, Top Form), an example of how your would create a text file matrix in one of these programs would be:

  • Save the creditors to a disk. Name the file: creditor.txt
     
  • Close your program and open your word processing package.
     
  • Open the creditor.txt file and check the following:

Single column
One blank line between each creditor

  • Last line of each creditor must be in the format City, State (two- letter abbreviation) ZIP (i.e.; Alexandria, VA 22314)
  • No account numbers may be included in creditor information
  • Chose “Save As” function in your word processing software. In earlier versions of WordPerfect, this is known as “Text In/Out.” In most software packages, there will be a box that will indicate the format of the document (i.e.; Word 5.0 format, WordPerfect 5.1). This box is usually directly underneath where you enter the name of the file. The format for all disks should be one of the following (depending upon your software): ASCII DOS Text, Plain DOS Text, Text Only. These are the only formats which will be accepted. When you have selected the correct format, save the file

 

If you are not using third party software, see the Text File Creation module.

 

SAMPLE OF CORRECTLY PREPARED CREDITOR LIST MATRIX

R. U. Alldere, Esq.
2 Rushin Court
San Diego, CA 92189

Maria Careless
25 North Aria Blvd.
Grecian, NY 80062

Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court
5414 US Steel Tower
600 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

First City National Bank of Beaumont
P.O. Box 3391
beaumont, TX 77704

General Nuisance Elimination
P.O. Box 1230
Baltimore, MD 20984

Kelley Appliances
Attn: Parts Division
462 9th Avenue, North
Seattle, WA 98109

 

ERRORS TO AVOID IN PREPARING CREDITOR LISTS

Errors

Examples of the Errors

More Errors

 PAGE TITLES

Do not type a title or other identification in lists.

Debtor:  Allnet Svcs.

Stephen R. Miller III, Debtor
Coal Building
1092 17th Street, NW
Carlsbad, CA 92001
 

TOO LONG

A name/address block must be 3 to 5 lines with no more than 40 characters on each line.
 

ALL UPPER CASE

Use upper and lower case (capitals and small letters) as if you were typing a letter.

MULTI-TRONICS ANIMATIONS
3837 STRONG WAY NORTH
SUITE 10
BALTIMORE, MD 20938
 

ATTENTION LINE

If need an attention line, put it on the second line of the address, not at the end or as the first line.

BOLD TYPE

Do not use boldface or italics.
 

Arctic Expeditions
Incorporated
536 East 48th Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99505

 

Gow Fire Protection, Inc.
459 North 98th Street
Hoquiam, WA 98550
ATTN: Steve Jamison
 

DIGIT ZIP CODE

Separate the two groups of digits with a dash, not a space.
 

PAGE NUMBER

Do not number pages or type anything but creditors on list.
 

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STRAY MARKS

No lines, symbols, letterhead, or other non-address data should appear on creditor list.
 

 

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