Within a couple of weeks of the filing of a petition, the clerk of the bankruptcy court notifies creditors listed by the debtor in schedules filed with the petition that a petition has been filed and that the automatic stay is in effect.

     The well advised debtor, or the debtor's lawyer, will typically notify creditors likely to act before they receive notice from the bankruptcy court in order to avoid later proceedings to undo creditor action that violates the stay. For example, a debtor facing non-judicial foreclosure on real property at a sale noticed for 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning will notify the person conducting the sale, and the creditor on whose behalf the sale is conducted, of the prior filing of a bankruptcy petition (e.g. 9:00 a.m. the same morning) and provide the person notified with a conformed copy of the filed petition or with a case number and telephone number of the bankruptcy court.