Beginning March 2, 2015, debtors can voluntarily request to receive court-generated notices and orders by email rather than by U.S. mail. This free program is called Debtor Electronic Bankruptcy Noticing (DeBN). Service requirements for other parties in a bankruptcy case do not change with DeBN.

Debtors can enroll at any time, and the program is available to all debtors with an open bankruptcy case.

DeBN offers debtors a number of advantages:

• Debtors receive court-generated notices and orders (e.g., meeting of creditors notice, objection notices, notices of hearing, orders on motions for relief from stay, discharge orders, etc.) by email the same day they are filed by the court.¹
• Debtors can access emailed court notices and orders from a computer or mobile device that has an Internet connection and a free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• There is no charge and no limit to the number of times emailed court notices and orders can be viewed.

To activate a DeBN account, a debtor must file a Debtor’s Electronic Noticing Request (DeBN) form (available on the court’s website). Debtors represented by attorneys file a DeBN request form through their attorney electronically. Pro se debtors file a DeBN request form by mail or over the counter at the Clerk’s Office where their case is filed. If both debtors in a joint case wish to request enrollment in DeBN, each debtor must file a separate request form. Once a DeBN request has been filed, court staff will open the DeBN account, and the debtor will be sent an email from the Bankruptcy Noticing Center confirming their account activation.

To access the DeBN request form and for additional information, please visit the DeBN web pages on the court’s website at www.alnb.uscourts.gov or by clicking here.

1    All other parties, including creditors, attorneys, and trustees, must serve documents upon debtors according to court rules (by U.S. mail, overnight delivery, or personal delivery).