Has the Open Bankruptcy Project's methodology been peer reviewed?

The methodology has not undergone formal double-blind academic peer review. The most direct external recognition to date is the docketing of Suggestions 26-BK-3 and 26-BK-5 by the federal Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules, with 26-BK-3 cited in the Committee's April 2026 agenda book. The full methodology is published at 1328f.org/methodology and we welcome replication, critique, and extension by other researchers.

How can academic researchers access Open Bankruptcy Project data?

We share data freely with academic researchers. Our database is queried via SQL (SQLite). We can provide FJC case-level data, district-level aggregate statistics, attorney-level performance metrics based on publicly filed records, and custom queries on request. Contact us to discuss data access.

Does the Open Bankruptcy Project collaborate with academic institutions?

We welcome co-authored research papers, methodology review and critique, extension of our analysis to new statutory provisions, and cross-institutional data sharing. No formal academic collaborations are yet in place.

Do researchers need to pay for OBP datasets?

No. All datasets, code, and documentation are available free of charge under permissive open-source and open-data licenses. There are no academic licensing fees, no embargo periods, and no per-download charges. The project does ask researchers to cite the datasets appropriately so that the work can be tracked and so future users can find the data through paper references. Citation formats are documented on the research page. Pre-prints and final publications are linked from the research page where the project is informed of them.

Can researchers obtain custom data extracts?

Yes. The Open Bankruptcy Project runs custom extracts for academic researchers at no cost when the request aligns with the project's mission and is feasible within the engineering team's bandwidth. Typical custom requests include specific time periods, specific subsets of districts, joins between datasets, or aggregations not provided in the standard download. Requests are queued and responded to in order received. For time-sensitive submissions (grant deadlines, conference papers), note the deadline in the request and the team will prioritize accordingly.

Does OBP provide letters of support for grant applications?

Yes, when there is a documented relationship - past data use, prior collaboration, or a substantive research plan that uses OBP data. Letters can describe the data and tools available, confirm no-cost access, and commit to specific deliverables (custom extracts, technical assistance) within the project's capacity. Letters are typically provided within one to two weeks of request. Contact the research team via the research page with the grant program name, deliverable expectations, and submission deadline.

For Researchers - Open Bankruptcy Project

Q: What is Suggestion 26-BK-3?

Suggestion 26-BK-3 was submitted to the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules in March 2026 and cited in its April 2026 agenda book. Based on our empirical analysis of 8 million cases, it is among the first data-driven suggestions from a non-institutional filer to be docketed by the Advisory Committee. It addresses systemic gaps in Section 1328(f) discharge bar enforcement. A separate suggestion, 26-BK-5, addressing Rule 9037 SSN-exposure remediation in Forms 121 and 309E1, was submitted in April 2026.

We maintain a research database of 8 million federal bankruptcy cases from the FJC Integrated Database (2008-2025), covering all 94 federal judicial districts. Our data includes case outcomes, filing patterns, attorney-level performance metrics, and statutory compliance analysis. We share data freely with academic researchers.

Our Data

The database is structured for research use - clean, normalized, and queryable via SQL. We have invested thousands of hours in data cleaning, cross-referencing, and validation to ensure accuracy at the case level.

Published Methodology

Our screening methodology is published at 1328f.org/methodology. We have not undergone formal double-blind peer review. We welcome replication, critique, and extension.

We believe that open methodology is as important as open data. If you find an error in our approach, we want to know about it.

Key Research Findings

392,412

Repeat filers identified

Debtors with multiple federal bankruptcy filings between 2008 and 2025.

264

Potential 1328(f) violations

Cases where prior filing history would trigger a statutory discharge bar that was not flagged.

27.4%

Prior-filer rate

Among high-volume attorneys, compared to the national baseline - a significant deviation.

Districts analyzed

Significant cross-district variation in compliance patterns across all federal judicial districts.

Data Access

We share data freely with academic researchers. Our database is queried via SQL (SQLite). We can provide:

FJC case-level data (anonymized)
District-level aggregate statistics
Attorney-level performance metrics (publicly filed attorneys of record)
Custom queries on request

There are no fees, no licensing agreements, and no restrictions on publication. We ask only that you cite the Open Bankruptcy Project as a data source and share your findings with us when published.

Collaboration

We welcome:

Co-authored research papers
Methodology review and critique
Extension of our analysis to new statutory provisions
Cross-institutional data sharing

No formal academic collaborations or advisor relationships are yet in place. We are actively interested in establishing them and welcome inquiry.

Suggestion 26-BK-3 (with companion 26-BK-5)

Our empirical findings led to Suggestion 26-BK-3, docketed by the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules in March 2026 and cited in its April 2026 agenda book. This is among the first data-driven suggestions from a non-institutional filer to be docketed by the Advisory Committee.

26-BK-3 addresses systemic gaps in Section 1328(f) discharge bar enforcement, supported by analysis of 8 million federal cases. A companion suggestion, 26-BK-5 (Rule 9037 SSN-exposure remediation in Forms 121 and 309E1), was accepted by the Committee in April 2026. Both are listed on uscourts.gov.

For Researchers