Published in the paper! So humiliating....

[questionsGA]

One thing that is so great about this forum ... no one is judging you. Life is full of ups and downs ... many of us are struggling now. Once you get through it, time heals.

[debtmonster]

People don't need to read the paper to know I am filing bankruptcy. All of my friends and family know. I have nothing to hide. My business is everyone's business. I don't think it should be so private with people you already know.

There's no harm in them knowing. I know people who went bankrupt. It didn't change me in any way, shape or form with that person.

Bankruptcy is a great business decision. I will be enjoying my bankruptcy and suggest that everyone enjoy theirs. We're very fortunate to have this to even be allowed. I'm sure in some countries there is debtor's prison. Luckily not in the U.S.

[hnhlvr]

A lot of people who look are those sections of the paper are those who have or plan to file for BK and need to feel better about themselves by finding others who are also filing. I admit I'm guilty of that. When it became apparent that my husband and I were going to have to walk from our house, I began looking at foreclosure websites seeing if anyone else I knew had had their house foreclosed on. There were a few other people I knew!

[OhioFiler]

Many people need to know this type of information as it validates their superiority over others. Of course they are delusional or they wouldn't need to rely on others perceived misfortune for such validation.

The world is full of interesting characters.

[mccaverty]

Where I live, there are two filing districts; in one, it gets published in the paper and in the other it doesn't - not sure why. It's still public record, of course, so I suppose someone could find it if they were really looking for it.

[babynurse31]

Are they usually posted in the paper in the city where you file or the city you live in?

I know the "big city" paper where the courthouse is doesn't post them here but am curious if it might possibly be in our local city paper. I hope not as I just don't think it's anyone's business!!

[arkienurse]

Our local paper posts the bk filings on mondays, along with: Marriage license issues, divorces granted, paternity filings, and lawsuits filed. Bks are at the bottom of the little box. Most of the attention goes to the upper ones. It didn't really bother me a whole lot. But then I was totally honest with everyone about our circumstances. My boss still asks me sometimes about it ( I know he is playing the juggling game right now with his cc bills and some loans). And as a result of being open, when one of our local doctors filed a ch 7, I was able to educate some of my coworkers on the facts of bk and set to rest some myths developed about him. They actually thought he was going to get out of his alimony payments by filing.

So there is good and bad, but in the end, your life will be so much less stressful that I would just say yes I did and walk away if they want to be judgmental.

[JRScott]

I personally told all my co workers, most people at church, my family (except my grandma who found out a year later), etc.

As HHM said earlier don't let it bother you. It bothered me a lot at first but then shortly thereafter 3-4 church members told me they'd had similar bankruptcies in the past. As HHM says you most likely know several people that have had bankruptcies, several co workers have also had bankruptcies in the past.

[Flamingo]

Some papers publish BK listings; some don't. Our statewide newspaper has been publishing BK filings for years in the Business section every Monday, right next to the stock market information. Recently they switched to putting it in the Sunday newspaper in the business section. Debtor full names are listed, town of residence, and the total amount of assets and debts. It's public information - posted just like marriage licenses, births, etc. I was previously told one of the reasons it was done to also give public notice that those folks have filed in case any of the reader(s) are owed debts and were not listed in the filing. There are people that read those filings religiously, just like those that read obituaries and comics.

[Brighterdays]

One thing that is so great about this forum ... no one is judging you. Life is full of ups and downs ... many of us are struggling now. Once you get through it, time heals.

So true I think we are all in the same boat and can unite to help each other. I have a whole new perspective on "life after a bankruptcy" ; after reading all the threads on this site. I am not afraid of starting over any more.

And as for if anybody sees my name, well thats life. At least in this economy I am not alone. I think BK filings are going to go up exponentially.

10 years ago BK was thought of as failure, Now I consider it a means to success. As long as we learn our lesson and change our ways.

I know BK can be a painful thing, but remember:
"Pain is just a reminder that we are still alive!!"

[dogbone33]

People are probably calling because they want to know how it works! We didn't intend on telling anyone but everyone knows! I don't care. Most of them are interested in doing it themselves and come to us for answers!

[lookingforward]

Our paper doesn't publish bankruptcies, but it does publish when your car is repossessed, and when the sheriff sale is, including what the car is and how much you owed. When our car was repoed, I know people saw it but they didn't say anything, I made sure to tell my mom in case someone called her and she didn't know, but nobody did.

I get why they post the sheriff sale, but why do they post bankruptcies?

[momxx5]

We have a local "rag" that publishes:

all BK info
foreclosures in great detail
deaths including age, race, and cause
divorces including who initiates, race and age
births, with names, ages and race of parents
all public employees' wages, including school principals


All kinds of info that technically is public record but they want the "shock value" and print it all.
Not to forget, all the DUIs and arrests...again including addresses, ages and race.

At one time they were trying to prove that all children's names, birthdates and addresses were public record if they registered to play a sport thru the city rec dept. Parents all over were having a fit about that one.

I cannot wait for our name to be printed in it.

[willbfree]

This is just terrific news. Maybe like in the Scarlet Letter we should all have a big "D" for debtor branded onto our foreheads. That way society in general can easily identify us. The bk process is hard enough without adding public humiliation to the list.

[OhioFiler]

This is just terrific news. Maybe like in the Scarlet Letter we should all have a big "D" for debtor branded onto our foreheads. That way society in general can easily identify us. The bk process is hard enough without adding public humiliation to the list.

Being humiliated is a choice. You are only humiliated if you want to be so. Hold your head up high.