[John Smith]

Bankruptcy is an option for any individual who cannot pay their debts “as and when they fall due”. The Bankruptcy proceeding has two aims:

To free the individual from the pressures of creditors (people they owe money to) to enable him or her to make a fresh start.
To ensure that all assets (such as property and investments) are distributed fairly among the creditors.

The Courts are officially responsible for making a bankruptcy order against an individual, although this is done at the request of either the individual or one of his/her creditors.

The assets of the bankrupt individual then fall under the control of a Trustee, This will be either the Official Receiver (a civil servant and officer of the Court), or a licensed Insolvency Practitioner. Whoever is appointed becomes responsible for uncovering as much as possible about the debtor’s assets and liabilities and then maximising returns for the creditors from the assets available, within certain guidelines.

Once a bankruptcy order has been made against you your creditors can no longer pursue you for payment. Payment becomes the responsibility of the Trustee.