Creating a Creditor Matrix
When you file a voluntary petition under any bankruptcy chapter, you the debtor (or
your attorney, if you use one) must prepare and submit to the Court a mailing list called the
creditor matrix, which is a list of creditors to whom you owe money. This mailing list contains all
of your creditors’ and/or equity security holders’ name(s) and addresses.
This list must be submitted in an electronic format, using a computer and word- processing
software. If you are unable to bring your creditor matrix on electronic media (such as a CD, DVD,
or flash/thumb drive), you will be instructed to prepare your creditor matrix using the Court’s
computers located in the file review area.
Do not include the debtor, joint debtor, U.S. Trustee, Internal Revenue Service, or Franchise Tax
Board on the creditor matrix.
1. The creditor matrix list must be in a single column. Do not list names and address entries in
multiple columns.
2. Each name and address entry may contain a maximum of four lines. Do not use all uppercase
letters. Do not use bold or italic fonts. Do not use special characters; that is, #, &, @, !, %.
3. Each line can be no more than 35 characters in length, including spaces. The second line of each
entry must be either a street address or a P.O. Box. The word P.O. must include periods.
Do not include account numbers.
4. States must be two-letter abbreviations. Examples: CA for California; NY for New York.
5. ZIP codes must appear on the last line, following the city and state. Nine-digit ZIP codes must
contain a dash (not a space) between the first five digits and the remaining four digits: 92101-6991.
6. Each name and address entry must be separated by at least one blank line.
7. Certain federal and state agencies specify particular addresses to which notice of bankruptcy
proceedings should be directed. The Court maintains CSD 1271- roster of State and Federal Agencies,
which is available to the public on the Court Forms page of the Court’s Web site.
8. When listing a debt to the United States for other than taxes, the debtor shall include both
the United States Attorney and the federal agency through which the debtor became indebted. The
name and address of the United States Attorney must include the name of the federal agency in
parentheses.
Example: U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of CA
(For Department of Education)
940 Front Street, Room 5152
San Diego, CA 92101-8800
When completed, save your creditor matrix in a text-format file with a .txt file extension. (This
ensures that the creditor matrix can be uploaded to the Court’s CM/ECF system.) To save the file as
a text file with a .txt file extension when using word-processing software:
1. Click on the File menu option, then select Save As.
2. A drop-down menu appears in your word-processing software. Name the file with your name (as
debtor).
3. From the drop-down list, select the Plain Text (.txt) file type.
4. Click on the Save button to save the document to your computer.
5. Copy the .txt file to your electronic media.
Example of Creditor Matrix Format
Acme Auto Repair
1234 S Street
San Diego, CA 92101
Acme Hair Repair
Attn Herman
1234 S Ave
San Diego, CA 92101