Frequently Asked Questions

What's in the Excel version of the database?

The best way to see what is or isn't there is to look at this sample. The sample shows what fields are included and the form of the data in each. It also gives some idea of the state of completion of various fields.

Where do the data come from?

Most of the data in the BRD come ultimately from the court files (by way of PACER) or from Securities Exchange Commission filings. Some come from newspaper accounts, newsletters, company websites, and surveys.

How are the data collected?

Data are collected by or under the direction of the database manager. University of Florida law and work study students assist in the data collection. All work from protocols that specify precisely what to collect. Each piece of data is entered personally or checked by Douglas Irion or Lynn LoPucki.

In some instances, researchers using BRD data collect variables that are not part of the BRD and then contributed them to the BRD. We apply the same quality control standards with respect to such data. Each piece is checked by us before addition to the BRD.

How can I use the database?

You can use the database to improve your understanding of, or to conduct research on, big-case, public company bankruptcy. The Website provides free access to tools that can provide immediate answers to questions about nearly any salient aspect of the more than one thousand cases in the database. Users can obtain a quick overview of the cases, including how they have changed over time. The Docket Searcher supplements that overview by providing access to the docket entries in completed cases. Use it to find a document of interest, to discover when practices began and ended, to conduct empirical research on any aspect of the cases that will appear on the docket, or to find all of a particular type of document. The Cases Table provides more than two hundred fields of regression-ready data that provide the basis for instant research or the basis for data collection on any aspect of the cases that are of interest to the researcher.

How frequently is BRD data updated?

We update the BRD once a month, usually during the first week of the following month. The date of the most recent update is here.