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Ten Rights of Creditors Following a Customer Bankruptcy

Following a bankruptcy filing, trade creditors can:

  1. Place the account on credit hold
  2. Stop shipments in transit***
  3. Arrange for the return of merchandise in transit***
  4. File a reclamation claim for any shipments received by the bankrupt debtor within a specific time frame prior to the bankruptcy filing date
  5. Refuse to extend credit to the bankrupt debtor
  6. Ask the Court to appoint a Trustee to run and manage the business if the debtor’s management is incompetent, or is involved in some form of theft or fraud
  7. Ask to be made a part of the official unsecured creditor’s committee
  8. Refuse an invitation from the US Trustee to join the official unsecured creditor’s committee
  9. Petition the Court to convert a reorganization bankruptcy into a liquidation
  10. Demand immediate payment against any personal guarantee or inter-corporate guarantee that a pre-petition creditor may have on file. The creditor company can also sue the guarantor if necessary to collect against that guarantee

A creditor's right to stop shipments in transit and to refuse to provide goods to a bankrupt debtor is not clear cut.  For this reason, creditors should consult with an attorney before doing so, especially if their agreement to deliver goods is memorialized in a contract rather than based on purchase order(s) received from a customer.

© 2010 by Michael C. Dennis.  All Rights Reserved.  Michael Dennis is an author and consultant and can be reached by email at mcdennis13@yahoo.com