Vancouver Trustee Information
1. Who is the Vancouver Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustee?
If you live in Clark, Cowlitz, Pacific, Skamania and Wahkiakum your Chapter 13 Trustee will be David M. Howe. He is the Chapter 13 Trustee for all Vancouver area Chapter 13 matters, his correspondence address is as follows:
David M. Howe
Chapter 13 Trustee
1551 Broadway.
Suite 600
Tacoma, WA 98402
Payment Address for the Seattle Chapter 13 Trustee is as follows:
David M. Howe, Trustee
P.O. Box 120
Memphis, TN 38101-0120
2. Who are the Vancouver Area Chapter Bankruptcy 7 Trustees?
Charles D. Carlson
Vancouver Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee
P.O. Box 5279
Vancouver, WA 98668
E-mail: ccarlson@carlson-thacker.com
Phone: (360) 993-2688
Fax: (360)993-2918
Russell D. Garrett
Vancouver Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee
Jordan Ramis, PC|Attorneys at Law
1499 SE Tech Center Place, Suite 380
Vancouver, WA 98683
Phone: (360) 567-3900
Donald A. Thacker
Vancouver Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee
P.O. Box 5279
Vancouver, WA 98668
E-mail: dthacker@carlson-thacker.com
Phone: (360)993-2688
Fax: (360)993-2918
3. What Should I do if the weather is bad and I have a 341 Hearing?
In the event of bad weather that might cause the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to close or to have a late opening, make sure to start checking the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s for the Western District of Washington website at www.wawb.uscourts.gov.
Scheduled 341 meetings with any Bankruptcy Trustee during a time in which the U.S. Bankruptcy Court is closed will not be held and you will receive notice of a continued date and time in the mail.
Remember that if the U.S. Bankruptcy Court has a late start, all meetings scheduled at the time and after the U.S. Bankruptcy Court has opened will be still be held and you will be required to appear. If appearing is not going to be possible due to the weather conditions in your immediate area, contact your attorney so that he will be able to relay that information to the court to explain your failure to appear.
4. What Do I Need to Bring to My Vancouver Area 341 Bankruptcy Hearing?
After you file for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, you will be required to attend a meeting over which the Chapter 13 Trustee presides. This meeting is called the Section 341 Meeting. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court or the Western District of Washington will set a date for your Section 341 Meeting. You will receive a copy of this notice in the mail.
At the meeting, the Bankruptcy Trustee will ask questions regarding the content of your schedules, assets, debts and other matters. After the Trustee is done, your creditors will have an opportunity to ask you questions regarding the location and condition of your property, hazard insurance coverage and matters related to your financial affairs. Note: Creditors almost never show up at these hearings.
At the Section 341 meeting you are required to provide:
1. Original Proof of Identification
2. Original Proof of FULL Social Security Number
Photocopies will NOT be accepted.
It is critically important that you bring all of the above documents. All Vancouver bankruptcy hearings are held in a federal building so you will not even get in the door without photo identification.
5. How Do I Access My Bankruptcy Case Information for My Vancouver Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?
Your Chapter 13 Bankruptcy case information is maintained at the National Data Center and you can review it at any time without charge. It has been designed for individuals in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. It puts your Chapter 13 case’s information at your fingertips twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. To login to the National Data Center website please visit www.ndc.org.
6. What if I Don’t Speak English Well?
A phone interpreter service is made available free of charge at your section 341 meeting. Vancouver area Debtors who need a language interpreter for this purpose should have their attorney contact the trustee assigned to their case. The same holds true for Vancouver Debtors who need a sign language interpreter. Contact our Vancouver Bankruptcy Law Office and we will be happy to make arrangements for you.
7. Can I make an electronic fund transfer (ACH) payment to the Vancouver Chapter 13 Trustee payment instead of a check?
Wage deduction may not be an option for some debtors. Only in unusual circumstances will either the Vancouver Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustees allow plan payments to be made by debtors directly in place of payroll deductions. Fees may be involved in making payments in this matter, but they would be roughly equal to what you would pay for a cashier’s check or money order. Fees for making payments in this way are not paid to the Chapter 13 Trustees, but to the private company facilitating the payments. For information on how to set this up, please contact our Seattle Bankruptcy Law Office at 360-828-0110.
8. Where is the Vancouver Bankruptcy Court, what does it look like and how do I get there?
500 W. 12th – 2nd Floor
Vancouver, WA 98660
Directions:
Take I-5 south to exit 1C (Vancouver/MillPlain/City Center). Turn right at stop sign at bottom of ramp and merge onto E 15th St. Turn left onto W. Washington St. Turn right onto W. 12th. Go three blocks to Esther. Federal Building is on corner of 12th and Esther.
Parking:
Street parking is available near the federal building. The parking lot adjacent to the building is reserved for building tenants.
9. Where are the other courts in Vancouver?
If you have been sued in Clark County and for whatever reason you feel the need to file a response to the Complaint—if you are our client, please contact us before doing so—, the address for both the Clark County District and Superior Court is below. Both Courts are housed right across the street from the Bankruptcy Court.
1200 Franklin Street
Vancouver, WA 98660
10. What if I Need IRS records for my Vancouver bankruptcy?
Luckily the Vancouver IRS office is on the first floor of the building that houses the Vancouver Bankruptcy Court. If you do need a transcript of your taxes, a visit to this building might be a great place to start, not only with respect to finding the documents that you need, but familiarizing yourself with the building where your eventual 341 hearing will be held. Go on a day when hearings will be held (schedule is on the Bankruptcy Court’s web site) and you will be way ahead of the game. You will sleep well the night before your 341 hearing, knowing that you have nothing to worry about.
