DeBN Frequently Asked Questions

What is Debtor Electronic Bankruptcy Noticing (DeBN)?

Note:  Only the court is authorized to send notices to the debtor through this DeBN program.  All other parties, such as trustees and creditors, will continue to serve the debtor by mail or in person as required by court rules.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for District of North Dakota offers debtors the opportunity to request receipt of court notices and orders by email, instead of by mail, through a program called "Debtor Electronic Bankruptcy Noticing" or "DeBN."

DeBN provides the following advantages:

•  Faster -You'll receive notices the same day they are filed by the court.

•  Convenient - Access your notices anywhere you have internet access.

•  No more lost paperwork - Storing notices on your computer means never losing a paper copy.

•  Less paper clutter - Helps the environment and reduces paper clutter in your home.

•  It is  FREE!

Pursuant to Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure  9036, (link is external)a party may make a written request for delivery of notices by email, instead of by mail.  Through the DeBN program, only notices and orders that have been issued by the court can be emailed to the debtor.  

Debtors requesting participation in the DeBN program must complete and file a Debtor's Electronic Noticing Request (DeBN)  form with the court where their case is filed.  The debtor can enroll in DeBN at any time during the pendency of his/her case.  A debtor may also request to deactivate his/her account at any time.

Who is the BNC? 

The Bankruptcy Noticing Center (BNC) provides services to the bankruptcy court by sending court issued notices and orders to the parties by either mail or email.

What are Court Notices and Orders?

Court notices and orders refer to the documents issued by the bankruptcy court, which may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Notice of Meeting of Creditors
  • Notice of Incomplete Filing
  • Order Re: Filing Fee Installments or Filing Fee Waiver
  • Notice of Requirement to File Financial Management Course and/or Domestic Support Obligation Certifications
  • Order on Motion for Relief from Stay
  • Order on Plan Modification
  • Order and Notice Dismissing Case
  • Order Discharging Debtor

Who Will Serve Me by Email?

By enrolling in DeBN, a debtor consents ONLY to service of notices and orders issued by the bankruptcy court. The BNC, on the bankruptcy court's behalf, will prepare and send the emails.  No other parties, such as creditors and trustees, are allowed to use the DeBN program to serve debtors by email  -- all other parties will continue to serve documents upon the debtor by mail or in person pursuant to court rules.

How it Works:

A debtor can ONLY chose one option:  either do nothing and receive all court issued notices or orders by mail, or request to receive all Court issued notices or orders thru the DeBN by email, but not both.  However, if you file jointly with your spouse, each of you can receive notices and orders by the DeBN, or only one of you and the other would receive service by mail.

To request service thru the DeBN, a debtor must first file a request form and successfully activate his/her DeBN account. Once the DeBN account has been activated, all future court notices or orders will be emailed to the debtor in the evening on the same day the notice or order is issued by the court in your case as a single PDF attachment.  A separate email will be sent for each court notice or order.

There is no limit to the number of times the debtor may view the PDF attachment, and the debtor is free to print the attachment, save it to his/her computer, or simply retain the email for viewing at any time.

If the PDF attachment exceeds 8 MB, the notice or order will be sent to the debtor by mail instead of email.

How Do I Request DeBN

Signing up for DeBN is easy:

1.   Complete and print the request form: Debtor's Electronic Noticing  Request (DeBN) Form.  Debtors can file a DeBN request form through their attorney electronically, or on their own by mail or over the counter at the clerk's office.

2.   File the completed form with the court.

3.   The court registers your account.

4.   The BNC will activate your account. 

5.   BNC will send you a confirmation email.

6.   You will click on confirmation email and from this point forward, all future notices and orders issued by the court will be delivered to you by email, as long as your name and address in the bankruptcy case match your name and address in your DeBN account and there are no email transmission failures.

Requirements for DeBN Program

Reliable Internet Access:  You will need reliable internet access.

Email Address: Please be aware that the email address you use for your DeBN account will become a part of the official court record. A DeBN account will not be created if the clerk's office determines that the debtor's email address is inappropriate or offensive. 

The BNC will send you confirmation emails and court notices using these addresses:bncedi@noticingcenter.com(link sends e-mail)  or bncrtn@noticingcenter.com(link sends e-mail).  Please add these email addresses to your contacts/safe-sender list to ensure delivery of court notices/orders to your email inbox.

Note:  Do not reply or send emails to the above email addresses.  Those email accounts are used for the sole purpose of sending emails and the inboxes are not monitored.  Contact the clerk's office if you have any questions about the DeBN program.

Your email address will not be shown on the caption of the court's docket and your DeBN request form is not viewable by the public.  However, the BNC Certificate of Mailing that is filed in the case would reflect your email address as the Certificate of Mailing must include the party's name and address where they were served.

If you accidently delete an email, neither the court nor the BNC can resend notices.  In this event, you may contact the court for further direction or your attorney.

Adobe Reader:   Court notices and orders will be sent as PDF documents.  It  is recommended that you use the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader software for viewing these PDF documents.  If you do not have this software, you can download it free of charge here(link is external).  If you are using a mobile device, visit your mobile device's app store for a free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Name and Address Matching: Your DeBN account is created using your name and address exactly as it appears in your bankruptcy case.  As long as your name and address in your bankruptcy case exactly matches your name and address in your DeBN account, all notices and orders that the court issues and sends to the BNC for service upon you will be delivered to you by email.  If you or your attorney files a notice of change of address with the court, then the clerk's office will make the necessary changes to both your bankruptcy case and your DeBN account.  

Email Bounce-Back (Undeliverable Email):  The first time the BNC receives an email bounce-back (undeliverable email), your DeBN account will automatically be disabled, and the notice or order will be resent to you by mail (as long as the bounce-back occurred within 10 days).  Any future court notices and orders will be delivered to you by mail, and you must file an updated request form if you wish to reactivate your DeBN account.

Update email address immediately with the Court by filing an Updated Request Form if You:

•  Change your email address;

•  Change your mailing address;

•  File a new case after enrolling in DeBN (so the court can make sure your name and address in your DeBN                account match your new case); or

•  Wish to deactivate or reactivate your account.

Length of Enrollment in DeBN:  Once the debtor's DeBN account has been activated, the account will continue to remain active, unless: Debtor's account is automatically disabled due to an email transmission failure (email bounce-back);  or Debtor files a request to deactivate the account. A debtor may file this request at any time. 

As long as the debtor's DeBN account is active, all court notices and orders will be emailed to the debtor by the BNC in any current or future bankruptcy or adversary case from any bankruptcy court in which the debtor's name and address in that case match the name and address in the debtor's DeBN account, including cases where the debtor may be listed as a creditor.

Questions:  Please contact the clerk's office at 701-297-7100 or clerks_office@ndb.uscourts.gov(link sends e-mail)  if you have any questions about the DeBN program.  Do not contact the BNC or reply to emails you receive from the BNC as the inboxes are not monitored.