An official appointed by a bankruptcy court to investigate certain aspects of the debtor's operations and report on its findings. An examiner appointment is made before confirmation of a plan of reorganization upon the request of a party in interest or the US Trustee. An examiner is typically appointed to investigate when the debtor is suspected of fraud or mismanagement and may be appointed only if the debtor's debts exceed five million dollars. An examiner is distinguished from a Chapter 11 trustee, who is appointed to run the debtor's business operations rather than investigate its affairs.