A trustee in bankruptcy may avoid certain statutory liens, fraudulent transfers, as well as preferences. The Bankruptcy Code provides that certain transfers made by a debtor within close proximity of bankruptcy are preferential to the recipient and violate the Bankruptcy Code's policy of equal treatment of creditors. The elements of a so-called "preference" or "preferential transfer" are easy for a trustee in bankruptcy to prove. The defenses available to the creditor are limited and the cost to litigate can be high.

The trustee in bankruptcy is a lien creditor and a successor to certain creditors and purchasers. As of the commencement of a bankruptcy case, the trustee or the debtor in possession has the rights and powers of the debtor and may avoid any transfer of property of the debtor or any obligation incurred by the debtor that is voidable by certain creditors and bona fide purchasers. This is known as "avoiding" powers. Such powers may be used to undo a transfer of money or property made during a certain period of time prior to the filing of the bankruptcy petition. Avoiding powers are used to prevent unfair prepetition payments to one creditor at the expense of all other creditors.

Bankruptcy crimes exist to protect the goals of civil bankruptcy, which is a fresh start for consumers, the reorganization of businesses, and the equitable distribution of a debtor's assets amongst creditors. Almost every bankruptcy crime is preceded by a prior civil bankruptcy case. Consequently, courts have had to organize the coordination of several cases arising out of one bankruptcy.

If a trustee or a holder of an unsecured claim objects to the plan, the court cannot approve the plan unless the plan provides that all of the debtor's projected disposable income to be received during the plan will be applied to make payments under the plan. It is significant to understand that an objection by the mentioned parties must be made for the court to consider this requirement.

The treatment of tax debts in bankruptcy proceedings is an attempt to reconcile two conflicting policies. The first policy concerns the government's interest in collecting taxes. The second policy concerns the fresh start that bankruptcy is to give honest debtors. Under the Bankruptcy Code, a debtor's ability to discharge any tax debt is based upon the classification of that particular tax debt.