History of the National Data Center

NDC Founded

NDC was born out of a concept imagined by Jimmy Bone, the Atlanta Chapter 13 Trustee and Rick Yarnall, the Chapter 13 Trustee from Las Vegas. The National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (“NACTT”) took the concept to task and began to consolidate Chapter 13 case information into a national database. This effort was in direct response to requests from national creditors interested in obtaining Chapter 13 case information in cases where they were a party in interest in a more expeditious and secure fashion.

Meetings with Administration

NDC leadership met with Clinton Administration representatives, including Justice and Treasury Department officials, to study the problems and formulate a national policy regarding the collection and dissemination of sensitive bankruptcy information. A comprehensive study resulted which recognized the need to balance access to information by parties in interest with the requirement that privacy of personal information be paramount.

Funding Acquired

Chase Bankruptcy Information Systems (“CBIS”), a wholly owned JP Morgan Chase company, agreed to provide funding and the technical expertise to create the NDC website. Leadership from Bankruptcy Software Specialists (“BSS”) was also instrumental in initiating the technical design and development efforts to deliver the original NDC presence. During this time, the NACTT and the Executive Office of the United States Trustee maintained open dialogue regarding appropriate privacy and security standards to be incorporated into the NDC project.

CBIS had completed the preliminary NDC website. During October and November 2001, a number of national creditors beta tested the website, and were highly enthusiastic about the NDC and anxious to push forward and participate as Subscribers.

NDC Becomes Non-Profit

NDC project evolved from project to company, having been incorporated as a 501(c)(6) non-profit in the state of Delaware. Leslie Vanoni was hired as the Executive Director of the NDC. By March 2002, 53 trustees had agreed to provide data, which was sufficient to open the site. On April 1, 2002, The National Data Center launched www.ndc13.com welcoming Ford Motor Credit Corporation as the first Subscriber to the NDC website.

Brand Refresh

A Significant redesign and backend development effort was completed under the direction and vision of Leslie Vanoni, Executive Director under the leadership of Chapter 13 Trustee of Michael Meyer, the NDC President at that time. The new production environment was established in California and the National Data Center website came into existence. The NDC fully severed ties with CBIS at this time.

Data Sync Implemented

By 2006, nearly all Chapter 13 Trustees provided data on a nightly basis. The National Data Center business model has evolved from an organization based on data consolidation to a data partner providing timely and essential data to debtors, debtor attorneys, and creditors on a national scale.

Website Updated

NDC undertook another major overhaul with the redevelopment of the entire website. An aggressive program has been undertaken to enlist more debtor and debtor attorney usage. The NDC is poised for continued growth and success. We remain committed to the goal of improving the Chapter 13 system for the benefit of all the participants.