The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland has approved for publication and public comment amendments to the Court’s Local Bankruptcy Rules.  Please click here for a summary of the proposed changes, a redline copy of the amendments, and instructions on how to submit comments. Comments on the proposed revised rules should be submitted on or before October 7, 2025.  If adopted, the amended Local Bankruptcy Rules will go into effect on December 1, 2025.

As first announced in May 2025, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO) is implementing multifactor authentication (MFA) nationwide for CM/ECF and PACER users on a rolling basis.  Users with CM/ECF filing access will be required to enroll in MFA.  Several guides are available to assist you, including Enrolling in MFA (by adding an authentication application) and Logging in with MFA (once you have enrolled in MFA).  For additional information, please visit the MFA Tips and Resources webpage on the PACER website.

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland will launch a pilot program instituting paymentless operations in the Court's Greenbelt starting September 1, 2025.  Under the pilot, as of September 1, 2025, cash, money orders, and certified checks will not be accepted in Greenbelt.  Rather, Greenbelt customers will have the option to pay filing and other fees (1) online using a debit card via pay.gov, including at a public terminal located in Greenbelt Intake, (2) by mailing a certified check or money order to the Baltimore Division, or (3) by going to Baltimore Intake during regular business hours to pay with cash, money order or certified check. 

Starting this month, on a rolling basis the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO) will begin implementing multifactor authentication (MFA) for CM/ECF and PACER users.  MFA provides an added layer of security to protect against cyberattacks and other security risks. The AO expects to fully implement MFA for all CM/ECF filing users by the end of 2025. Users with CM/ECF filing access will be required to enroll in MFA. While not required, users with PACER access only will be able to opt in to MFA. For more information, please visit the PACER website.

Adjustments to the dollar amounts in certain provisions of the Bankruptcy Code and one provision of Title 28 of the United States Code will go into effect on April 1, 2025, for cases filed on or after that date. 11 U.S.C. § 104 outlines the adjustments’ timing and calculation, which in 2025 is an increase of 13.2%.  A chart showing the affected sections, including the current and adjusted dollar amounts, can be found here. Seven Official Bankruptcy Forms and two Director’s Forms also contain references to several of the affected dollar amounts. The revised forms, available here, will be effective on April 1, 2025, and will apply to cases filed on or after that date.

Adjustments are also being made to the “no look” fee amounts in Appendix F to the Local Bankruptcy Rules.  In accordance with paragraph 2.C. of Appendix F, the following dollar adjustments will be effective for cases filed on or after April 1, 2025:

• 2.A. Fees -- $5,300 (current $4,675)
• 2.B. Fees -- $6,800 (current $6,000)