How Do I Find Out If Someone Who Owes Me Money Has Filed Bankruptcy

The Office of the Superintend of Bankruptcy (OSB) maintains an electronic record of each insolvency (bankruptcy or proposal) filed in Canada since 1978. The information consists of, among other things, the name and address of the bankrupt (or debtor), the date of the filing, the date of the bankrupt’s discharge (if the bankrupt has been discharged), the trustee’s name, address, phone number, and if the trustee has completed the administration of the file, the date of the trustee’s discharge. Anyone who wishes to conduct a search of the database may do so at minimum cost of $8. This amount is payable even if there is no record on file matching the name being searched. In order to minimize the charges, be as specific as possible when entering the search criteria. The link to the search may be found at http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/bsf-osb.nsf/eng/h_br01991.html