The United States Trustee Program (USTP), a component of the U.S. Department of Justice, is responsible for civil enforcement and oversight in bankruptcy cases in 88 of the 94 federal judicial districts. The tables below reproduce the USTP’s reported civil-enforcement activity for fiscal years 2017 through 2023. They are published here verbatim from the source figures; OBP adds no adjustments or interpretation. For our data-handling standards see the methodology page.
Civil enforcement actions, litigation outcomes, and financial impact
| Type of action | Total FY17-23 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 | FY2019 | FY2018 | FY2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Civil Enforcement | ||||||||
| § 707(a) Dismissal for Cause | 6,126 | 553 | 497 | 500 | 658 | 939 | 1,395 | 1,584 |
| § 707(b) Dismissal for Abuse | 7,143 | 616 | 716 | 755 | 1,014 | 1,248 | 1,365 | 1,429 |
| § 727 Denial of Discharge | 5,583 | 917 | 658 | 566 | 693 | 815 | 943 | 991 |
| § 1328(f) Denial of Discharge | 788 | 98 | 75 | 60 | 59 | 105 | 181 | 210 |
| § 1307(c) Dismissal or Conversion | 967 | 227 | 168 | 59 | 84 | 161 | 133 | 135 |
| § 110 Bankruptcy Petition Preparers | 1,022 | 57 | 67 | 70 | 88 | 169 | 252 | 319 |
| § 327 & § 1103 Appointment of Professionals | 3,097 | 380 | 333 | 442 | 434 | 476 | 504 | 528 |
| § 329 Attorney Fee Disgorgement | 2,883 | 377 | 323 | 273 | 591 | 393 | 429 | 497 |
| Other Attorney Misconduct | 485 | 89 | 110 | 27 | 40 | 30 | 84 | 105 |
| Referrals to State Bar | 61 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 8 |
| Creditor Abuse and Debt Relief Agencies | ||||||||
| § 526 Debt Relief Agencies | 251 | 16 | 32 | 23 | 25 | 45 | 63 | 47 |
| Abusive Conduct by Creditors | 414 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 27 | 35 | 138 | 192 |
| Case Administration | ||||||||
| § 1112(b) Conversion or Dismissal | 11,117 | 1,197 | 1,077 | 1,182 | 1,506 | 1,893 | 2,045 | 2,217 |
| § 1125 Disclosure Statements | 2,476 | 140 | 150 | 249 | 355 | 471 | 513 | 598 |
| § 1129 Plan Confirmation | 2,407 | 417 | 344 | 395 | 297 | 303 | 313 | 338 |
| § 1104 Appointment of Trustee or Examiner | 270 | 22 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 50 | 57 | 60 |
| § 330 Professional Fee Requests | 2,026 | 259 | 262 | 313 | 265 | 293 | 292 | 342 |
| § 326 Trustee Fees | 107 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 19 | 51 |
| § 503(c) Key Employee Retention Plans | 262 | 25 | 24 | 30 | 55 | 51 | 43 | 34 |
| DIP Financing/Cash Collateral Agreements | 1,008 | 190 | 117 | 108 | 177 | 144 | 133 | 139 |
| Debtor Identification | ||||||||
| Debtor Identification - Motions/Objections | 57 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 11 |
| Total | 48,550 | 5,612 | 4,999 | 5,109 | 6,418 | 7,647 | 8,930 | 9,835 |
| Type of action | Total FY17-23 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 | FY2019 | FY2018 | FY2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Civil Enforcement | ||||||||
| § 707(a) Dismissal for Cause | 6,945 | 762 | 848 | 922 | 792 | 1,000 | 1,270 | 1,351 |
| § 707(b) Dismissal for Abuse | 55,923 | 6,597 | 6,797 | 7,358 | 7,729 | 8,583 | 9,293 | 9,566 |
| § 727 Denial of Discharge | 9,807 | 1,296 | 1,253 | 1,299 | 1,261 | 1,383 | 1,628 | 1,687 |
| § 1328(f) Denial of Discharge | 777 | 32 | 29 | 18 | 62 | 107 | 256 | 273 |
| § 1307(c) Dismissal or Conversion | 551 | 142 | 134 | 45 | 43 | 60 | 73 | 54 |
| § 110 Bankruptcy Petition Preparers | 2,592 | 229 | 260 | 248 | 341 | 372 | 522 | 620 |
| § 327 & § 1103 Appointment of Professionals | 12,173 | 1,640 | 1,456 | 1,866 | 2,042 | 1,727 | 1,758 | 1,684 |
| § 329 Attorney Fee Disgorgements | 9,371 | 1,472 | 1,515 | 1,425 | 1,321 | 1,093 | 1,277 | 1,268 |
| Other Attorney Misconduct | 1,811 | 408 | 292 | 255 | 146 | 154 | 258 | 298 |
| Creditor Abuse and Debt Relief Agencies | ||||||||
| § 526 Debt Relief Agencies | 1,724 | 88 | 97 | 207 | 214 | 225 | 638 | 255 |
| Abusive Conduct by Creditors | 2,463 | 97 | 252 | 207 | 213 | 241 | 574 | 879 |
| Case Administration | ||||||||
| § 1112(b) Conversion or Dismissal | 12,675 | 1,535 | 1,668 | 1,655 | 1,959 | 1,734 | 1,998 | 2,126 |
| § 1125 Disclosure Statements | 2,147 | 158 | 185 | 256 | 334 | 383 | 428 | 403 |
| § 1129 Plan Confirmation | 2,742 | 514 | 481 | 546 | 284 | 292 | 313 | 312 |
| § 1104 Appointment of Trustee or Examiner | 137 | 17 | 7 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 45 | 25 |
| § 330 Professional Fee Requests | 8,301 | 977 | 1,234 | 1,481 | 1,134 | 891 | 1,169 | 1,415 |
| § 326 Trustee Fees | 816 | 87 | 69 | 103 | 126 | 125 | 125 | 181 |
| § 503(c) Key Employee Retention Plans | 338 | 54 | 22 | 47 | 77 | 50 | 51 | 37 |
| DIP Financing/Cash Collateral Agreements | 1,925 | 316 | 212 | 260 | 334 | 292 | 291 | 220 |
| Debtor Identification* | ||||||||
| Debtor Identification – Problems Identified | 5,076 | 426 | 509 | 538 | 720 | 934 | 904 | 1,045 |
| Total | 138,294 | 16,847 | 17,320 | 18,749 | 19,147 | 19,661 | 22,871 | 23,699 |
* Most informal actions relating to debtor-identification issues are conducted by private trustees.
** The USTP's methodology for tabulating inquiry totals changed beginning in FY 2017 to include all inquiries initiated during the fiscal year; prior years counted one inquiry per case for each enforcement section.
| Type of action | Total FY17-23 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 | FY2019 | FY2018 | FY2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total FY17-23 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | |
| General Civil Enforcement | ||||||||
| § 707(a) Dismissal for Cause | 96.7% | 95.9% | 95.9% | 93.6% | 94.6% | 95.2% | 97.3% | 99.2% |
| § 707(b) Dismissal for Abuse | 98.7% | 98.4% | 98.7% | 99.8% | 98.1% | 99.0% | 98.3% | 99.0% |
| § 727 Denial of Discharge | 98.8% | 99.6% | 98.5% | 98.7% | 99.1% | 99.0% | 98.6% | 98.2% |
| § 1328(f) Denial of Discharge | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| § 1307(c) Dismissal or Conversion | 98.3% | 99.5% | 99.3% | 96.4% | 98.8% | 98.6% | 97.0% | 96.7% |
| § 110 Bankruptcy Petition Preparers | 98.5% | 100.0% | 94.1% | 98.6% | 99.0% | 98.9% | 98.4% | 99.0% |
| § 327 & § 1103 Appointment of Professionals | 89.6% | 88.0% | 86.8% | 89.3% | 86.6% | 91.4% | 90.6% | 93.0% |
| § 329 Attorney Fee Disgorgement | 97.5% | 98.9% | 95.7% | 93.8% | 99.0% | 97.2% | 98.8% | 96.9% |
| Other Attorney Misconduct | 97.7% | 94.9% | 100.0% | 97.1% | 95.7% | 97.2% | 97.2% | 98.8% |
| Creditor Abuse and Debt Relief Agencies | ||||||||
| § 526 Debt Relief Agencies | 99.3% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 90.9% | 100.0% | 96.6% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Abusive Conduct by Creditors | 99.2% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 98.0% |
| Case Administration | ||||||||
| § 1112(b) Conversion or Dismissal | 97.8% | 97.5% | 97.7% | 97.2% | 97.7% | 97.8% | 98.0% | 98.2% |
| § 1125 Disclosure Statements | 97.8% | 95.8% | 95.9% | 97.7% | 98.0% | 97.8% | 98.3% | 98.3% |
| § 1129 Plan Confirmation | 92.7% | 95.0% | 93.5% | 91.4% | 90.2% | 93.7% | 94.0% | 90.6% |
| § 1104 Appointment of Trustee or Examiner | 87.9% | 81.8% | 91.7% | 89.7% | 87.0% | 88.4% | 88.2% | 88.5% |
| § 330 Professional Fee Requests | 92.8% | 94.7% | 91.9% | 94.0% | 90.9% | 92.2% | 92.6% | 93.5% |
| § 326 Trustee Fees | 90.5% | 72.7% | 66.7% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 77.8% | 94.4% | 95.7% |
| § 503(c) Key Employee Retention Plans | 63.0% | 81.8% | 55.0% | 50.0% | 60.0% | 65.1% | 61.3% | 71.9% |
| DIP Financing/Cash Collateral Agreements | 91.2% | 94.9% | 95.4% | 91.6% | 86.2% | 90.9% | 86.6% | 93.2% |
| Debtor Identification | ||||||||
| Debtor Identification - Motions/Objections | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Total | 96.6% | 96.8% | 96.0% | 95.6% | 95.9% | 96.7% | 97.0% | 97.5% |
| Type of action | Total FY17-23 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 | FY2019 | FY2018 | FY2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Civil Enforcement | ||||||||
| § 707(a) Dismissal for Cause | 330,124 | 61,921 | 41,709 | 35,914 | 55,329 | 40,036 | 45,339 | 49,876 |
| § 707(b) Dismissal for Abuse | 996,306 | 106,813 | 97,459 | 150,919 | 148,775 | 150,679 | 156,236 | 185,425 |
| § 727 Denial of Discharge | 5,595,567 | 444,924 | 398,937 | 282,480 | 762,609 | 531,647 | 2,595,532 | 579,438 |
| § 1328(f) Denial of Discharge | 58,963 | 6,027 | 4,335 | 2,185 | 5,642 | 8,181 | 13,468 | 19,125 |
| § 110 Actions - Fines Imposed | 6,778 | 340 | 315 | 232 | 532 | 1,970 | 1,070 | 2,319 |
| § 110 Actions - Fees Recovered | 734 | 64 | 40 | 39 | 66 | 248 | 131 | 146 |
| § 329 Attorney Fee Disgorgement | 15,874 | 1,250 | 1,406 | 2,058 | 6,508 | 1,338 | 1,423 | 1,891 |
| Attorney Sanctions | 1,113 | 170 | 75 | 130 | 22 | 83 | 175 | 458 |
| Creditor Abuse and Debt Relief Agencies | ||||||||
| § 526 Debt Relief Agencies | 2,007 | 242 | 62 | 66 | 233 | 202 | 1,061 | 141 |
| Creditor Claims Reduced or Withdrawn, Sanctions, and Fines | 87,882 | 88 | 678 | 74,653 | 815 | 2,859 | 6,338 | 2,451 |
| Case Administration | ||||||||
| § 330 Professional Fee Requests | 148,904 | 10,678 | 29,666 | 36,882 | 15,957 | 19,742 | 16,695 | 19,284 |
| § 326 Trustee Fees | 27,485 | 343 | 250 | 251 | 1,431 | 401 | 1,234 | 23,575 |
| Debtor Identification | ||||||||
| Debtor Identification - Objection to Discharge | 115 | 0 | 115 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 7,271,849 | 632,859 | 575,047 | 585,809 | 997,919 | 757,385 | 2,838,702 | 884,128 |
(1) Some enforcement activities of U.S. Trustees, even when successful, do not have a directly measurable financial impact; therefore, fewer categories are listed on this table than on the other civil-enforcement tables.
(2) Due to rounding, totals by type of action or fiscal year may vary slightly from the sum of the row or column entries.
Source: United States Trustee Program (U.S. Department of Justice), civil-enforcement activity tables, fiscal years 2017–2023 (USTP Enforcement Activity, with codebook). Figures reproduced as published; “Potential Financial Impact” is reported in thousands of dollars ($1,000s) and reflects amounts sought or recovered, not net collections. Section references are to Title 11 of the United States Code. Primary source: justice.gov/ust. Derived presentation published by the Open Bankruptcy Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 41-5159631), under CC BY-SA 4.0. Spotted an error? Submit a correction.