Discovered (by accident) BIL is bankrupt. Do I tell SIL?

[PoppyWoods]

Part of my job is to check the insolvency register. It's a public register, freely accessible to all.

I put in various names, mine, my parents, my sisters and brothers, not expecting to find anything. Anyway to my horror I discovered my BIL was declared bankrupt 3 months ago. It's definitely him as it lists full name, address and dob.

My SIL has never mentioned it. We're fairly close and she's disclosed very personal things to me in the past, so I'm wondering if she even knows. Is it even possible that he could go through the process and her be totally unaware?

My dilemma is, do I tell her or not? What if she doesn't know? What if she does know and she's so mortified she hasn't told anyone? What if she accuses me of snooping and interfering?

I honestly don't know what I do with this information (if anything). Appreciate your thoughts

And it goes without saying that the bankruptcy isn’t necessarily something to be ashamed of (although it is if it was because of gambling debts,) but not telling your family who will remain oblivious most definitely is.

I declared myself bankrupt 3 years ago - I suppose my DP wouldn't have found out, if I hadn't told him as we have no joint assets so it didn't affect him. I remember putting his details on the bankruptcy form for some reason, can't remember why, but as we're not married and have no joint assets they weren't at all interested in him or his earnings.

I didn't have to go to court, I had a half hour conversation with them and it was done. I just searched my own name on that link and I'm not listed, but it's discharged after 12 months so maybe that's why? It's still on my credit file obviously.

I wasn't bothered about people knowing, though I didn't tell my parents, just because I knew they'd worry. I wouldn't say anything OP, it's likely she does know if they have a mortgaged house together. No one will thank you for sharing this.

Honestly I can’t believe the faux outrage and bosom-hefting on this thread.

This. And there are more than a few people who are terribly shocked at OP's turpitude but can't resist repeatedly breaking MN's site rules about personal attacks. @ThisBeTheName, you definitely need to check those rules out before you try to crawl yet further up your strange perception of the moral high ground.

Why ere you searching people?

How very weird. Do you not think it's weird?

Way too much time on your hands

Lemmeim the significant difference is the you were not jointly and severally responsible for the debts of a man that was a partner only. If you are married it is quite different.
If the SIL and BIL rent their home and have no major joint debts it's perfectly possible she doesn't know given his previous "secret gambling debts"

I worked in a bank, it was drilled into us that snooping was a sackable offence.

@DroopyClematis, I'm 100% sure that they didn't tell you that looking people up in public records was a sackable offence.

@Jaguar77

Could you write a sad ballad called " bankruptcy" and sing it with your eyes closed to fake empathy? I bet you can't wait to tell her can you? What kind of wietdo does that on work time why can't you shop the ASOS dale like a normal person

Why do you think this ? Nothing that the OP has said indicates this at all. Maybe you need to reread her posts more carefully.

Her posts indicate to me someone who has checked a public record for a bit of a laugh, not expecting to find anything there. Now she has found something she is in a dilemma about what to do with the information that she probably now wishes she didn't know. I get the impression the last thing she wants to do it speak to SIL about it but feels maybe she has a moral duty to say something in case SIL doesn't know information which could potentially be very damaging for her

Oh I've been there hearts we lost everything, once upon a time.. house, cars... because the husband is a fucking idiot with money, but to have a family member searching public records for shits and giggles and pure nosy bastardness just because they can, then coming informing me would have tipped me over the edge. Where does it stop? Do we all have a look at everyone in the cul-de-sac and go and tell their spouse just in case they don't know 😕 or do we keep our beaks out of other people's finances.

[quote MurielSpriggs]PS What exact link was it? This one doesn't seem to work.
www.insolvencydirect.bis.gov.uk/eiir/[/quote]
It worked when I tried it just now putting a random surname on.

@Darbs76

It’s a sackable offence to do that with the database in our work. I’d keep your nose out

Why do you imagine OP was using a work database? It's right there at the beginning of the thread that this is a publicly available website. It's no different from, say, searching a relative's name on google and finding out something about them that you didn't know before.

Only read the first page but I say no, keep out of it. It'll be one of those situations where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Best off forgetting you've seen it.

@PoppyWoods

I'm not worried about any legal ramifications, there aren't any. Icould literally look up the whole street, it's a publicly accessible register.

Also not worried about how appalled you all are, just genuinely curious as to whether this could happen without her knowledge. Would appreciate anyone in the know to advise

Whilst the register is a public record, most employers have you agree to using their IT equipment within certain boundaries, ie not taking the p!$$ sending personal emails etc. Therefore, if your SIL took badly with you letting her know what you know, and your employer found out, you could be in hot water.

In any event, I’d keep quiet. It is for them to resolve as a couple. They don’t need the extra stress of you knowing, coming into play.

It worked when I tried it just now putting a random surname on.

It's very odd, I get the message in the picture. (Obviously I'm a nice respectable lady, and would definitely not be using to look at neighbours, colleagues, ex-husbands etc.)

@cakewitch

What the actual fuck does it even matter anyway.. butt out. None of your business.

As illustrated by the poster upthread who found herself suddenly homeless at 9 months pregnant, it potentially matters a great deal to OP's SIL.

If i was close i would 100% broach this in a kind caring compassionate "just checking i will never tell another living soul" kind of a way.
He may well have not told her and she should know.

@PoppyWoods

I'm not worried about any legal ramifications, there aren't any. Icould literally look up the whole street, it's a publicly accessible register.

Also not worried about how appalled you all are, just genuinely curious as to whether this could happen without her knowledge. Would appreciate anyone in the know to advise

Your second paragraph is not true, having said in your OP My dilemma is, do I tell her or not? What if she doesn't know? What if she does know and she's so mortified she hasn't told anyone? What if she accuses me of snooping and interfering

Don’t tell her.
If she accuses you of snooping you should admit it and apologise, your grovelling best.

Do better.

@Hopeisnotastrategy

Lots of people missing the point here.

If you looked them up in your own time, used your computer or a public one, eg in the library,, you're probably ok. Morally very dodgy, but in the clear probably re work.

If you did it in works time using work facilities, data bases, etc you are in deep doo doo. You've also demonstrated a massively unprofessional attitude, which will cause problems in your future career.

OP has made it perfectly clear that she didn't use a work database. If she did this in work time, which isn't at all clear, I'm quite sure that she has done no more than what tens of thousands of office workers do every day. Goodness knows, there are plenty of people on MN blatantly posting during working hours. In fact, if OP is WFH the chances are that she didn't even use her employers facilities.

My ex was declared bankrupt and the various utility companies were contacted by the administrators. We basically wouldn't even have had electricity if I hadn't formally agreed to take the bill on myself. Joint endowments etc had to be cashed in. I had to buy him out of the house, it was quite involved. I doubt if your sister is unaware of it but she may be very stressed. I couldn't even get house insurance due to his bankruptcy.

This thread is a perfect demonstration that the majority of the public are as thick as two short planks and know the square root of fuck all about employment law, insolvency, GDPR, or ICO regulations.

@Jemand

I worked in a bank, it was drilled into us that snooping was a sackable offence.

@DroopyClematis, I'm 100% sure that they didn't tell you that looking people up in public records was a sackable offence.

They did where I worked. And 2 people were escorted off the premises and immediately dismissed for doing just that. Bankruptcy aside, OP is so far over the line she'd need a telescope v

For conducting activities in work time that do not fall within her role duties ie snooping on people she knows rather than completing the searches she is supposed to be doing. For showing herself to be untrustworthy and her employer may deem it to be a breach of trust and confidence.

Bollocks, @Catlover77. Speaking as an employer, there is no way on earth that I'm going to sack pr discipline an otherwise good employee for spending a couple of minutes doing personal stuff online. In fact, life is far too short for me to spend my time checking up on that.

Nonsense

That was to @Geamhradh BTW

They did where I worked. And 2 people were escorted off the premises and immediately dismissed for doing just that. didn’t happen.

Unless your employer had a strictly no doing anything private in public work time policy, no employer is going to be checking up on their employees’ searches. The exceptions could be if they were spending all of their time on facebook, mn etc and not doing their job. But there’s no way people were sacked for using a public website during work. There will definitely be more to that one which you’re not privy to.