Trustee Questions

[xoxoamandajo]

I keep browsing through and see people mentioning the trustee grilling them questions about things a year or so ago. Where does the trustee get the info and what do they ask? Do they have access to all bank statements and want to know what withdrawls was spent on or what you purchased on x date for x amount with x card?

[justbroke]

I can tell you that "grilling" doesn't happen that often. It is probably only in 5% of the Chapter 7 cases. There are standard questions and then the Trustee can dig deeper into those areas if the debtor volunteers information that demands/requires further probing.

They are not going through line by line on your bank account and asking you to explain it.

They are looking for large amounts of money moving in and out to make sure you're not hiding assets/money.

They are looking that you didn't run up credit on the eve of bankruptcy, knowing that you'll never pay.

They are looking to see if the debtor is "deserving" of a Chapter 7 discharge.

They will dig deeper into areas where the debtor may seem unsure or has inconsistent questions.

For 95% of all Chapter 7 341 Meetings... only the standard questions are asked. Since this is so subjective, it will depend on your answers and your financial history prior to the meeting.

[xoxoamandajo]

Do they have access to bank statements? Because I transfer money on a regular basis between my own accounts, one for bills, mortgage, etc. Other issue I worry about is my boyfriend's cards get paid as well and when his student loan check comes he puts the entire thing towards his card which is more than 700. Also, my 90 day window wont be up until mid March. Should I meet with a lawyer before then or wait until 90 days is definitely up?

[justbroke]

Trustees will typically request some number of bank statements. It is usually 3-6 months of statements, but they could go further if they decide to look a little deeper. You should just be prepared to explain anything that the Trustee notices. You can meet with an attorney at any time for advice.

[Tik22687]

When I went to my meeting, the person before me was definitely getting grilled because they had money and several assets they were trying to exempt.

I did not get grilled. I was below the means for my household size. I brought last 6 months of ALL bank statements, including paypal cash app etc per my attorneys request. The trustee didn't ask me for any of it. I didn't even pull it out. I wasted a lot of paper for nothing.

The trustee asked me: how much did I get back on my tax return, how much was my student loan payment, did anything change since I filed, do I have a 2017 ford lease.
The end.

[xoxoamandajo]

Guess I better go ahead and get my consult scheduled with the lawyer so I know what I'm looking at. Because in all honesty, if they ask me about purchases from months ago, I won't have any idea unless I look into.

[justbroke]

They won't be asking about individual purchases. They are looking for large movements of money.

[bcohen]

If you are a below-median filer, it is highly unlikely that the trustee will probe much further than the typical questions and maybe 2 to 6 months of bank statements. They will not ask for credit card statements, or ask about individual purchases. Unless there is reason to believe you are hiding money or other property from the Court, they aren't going to waste too much time pursuing money that doesn't exist.