Press Releases

Reginald W. Jackson Named ABI President

Contact: John Hartgen
(703) 739-0800
[email protected]

REGINALD W. JACKSON NAMED ABI PRESIDENT

April 19, 2007, Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) announces that Reginald W. Jackson of Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease LLP (Columbus, Ohio) has been named President by the ABI Board of Directors. He succeeds Judge Wesley Steen as ABI President and will serve a one-year term that began at ABI’s 25^th Anniversary Annual Spring Meeting held on April 12-15 in Washington, D.C. Jackson has been an ABI member since 1992 and has served on the 60-member ABI Board of Directors since 2002. He was an At Large Member of the Executive Committee, the Executive Editor of the ABI Journal and a member of the ABI Law Review Advisory Board.

Jacksonis a partner at Vorys, Sater and has practiced for 26 years in the corporate restructuring, workout and bankruptcy areas with an emphasis on representing secured creditors, creditors' committees and debtors in chapter 11 reorganization proceedings and workouts. He is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, having been inducted in 2001. Jackson received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1980 and his B.A. from Cornell University in 1977.

Jackson is also a member of the Columbus Bar Association, where he has served on the Board of Governors and for which he served as the chairman of its Bankruptcy Committee from 1990-92; a former member of the American Bar Association (member, Business Law Section, Business Bankruptcy Committee, Chapter 11 and Executory Contracts Subcommittee); the Ohio State Bar Association, where he serves as District 7 Representative on the Board of Governors and was on the Council of Delegates for 2002-05; and the Ohio State Bar Foundation, for which he served as president in 2001. Jackson has been named one of “America's Top Lawyers” by Black Enterprise Magazine.

The complete list of directors and officers is available at

http://www.abiworld.org/Content/NavigationMenu/AboutABI/BoardofDirectors/Board_of_Directors1.htm

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ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes more than 11,000 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abiworld.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abiworld.org/conferences.html

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Contempt Sanction Against Attorney or Debtor Not Dischargeable Under Section 523(a)(7) According to Latest ABI Poll

Contact: John Hartgen
(703) 739-0800
[email protected]

CONTEMPT SANCTION AGAINST ATTORNEY OR DEBTOR NOT DISCHARGEABLE UNDER §523(a)(7), ACCORDING TO LATEST ABI POLL

April 19, 2007, Alexandria, Va. — A majority of respondents (54 percent) in a recent American Bankruptcy Institute online poll agreed that a contempt sanction against an attorney or debtor is not dischargeable under of §523(a)(7) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Thirty-three percent of respondents “strongly agreed” while 21 percent agreed somewhat that a contempt sanction against an attorney or debtor should not be discharged under §523(a)(7).

Thirty-three percent of respondents thought that a contempt sanction against an attorney or debtor could be discharged under the Code. Eighteen percent of respondents “strongly disagreed” and 15 percent “disagreed somewhat” that a contempt sanction against an attorney or debtor is not dischargeable. Ten percent did not know or had no opinion.

ABI members and the public were welcome to submit their response to the statement: “A contempt sanction against an attorney/debtor is nondischargeable under §523(a)(7).” The ABI Quick Poll was open for voting from April 5 – 12.

ABI’s weekly Quick Poll is posted on ABI’s home page, www.abiworld.org. ABI members and the public are invited to respond to a question on a timely bankruptcy or insolvency issue. Visit http://www.abiworld.net/quickpoll/ to access the results of previous ABI Quick Polls.

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ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes more than 11,000 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abiworld.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abiworld.org/conferences.html.

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2006 Bankruptcies Fall to Lowest Levels Since 1980s

Contact: John Hartgen
(703) 739-0800
[email protected]

2006 BANKRUPTCIES FALL TO LOWEST LEVELS SINCE 1980s

April 17, 2007 Alexandria, Va. —Bankruptcy filings in the United States dropped to their lowest level since 1988 as calendar year 2006 filings plunged following the implementation of the new bankruptcy law in 2005, according to data from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC). One year after the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) was implemented on Oct. 17, 2005, total bankruptcy filings for calendar year 2006 dropped to 617,660, representing the lowest filing total since 613,465 total filings were recorded for the 12-month period ending Dec.31, 1988. The total filings for the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2006, represent a 70.28 percent decrease compared with the record total of 2,078,415 filings for the same period in 2005.

Consumer bankruptcies recorded the sharpest decrease; the 597,965 consumer filings during calendar year 2006 represented a 70.68 percent drop in filings from the record 2,039,214 filings made during the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2005. The 12-month filing total for 2006 was the lowest since the 549,612 filings were recorded for the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 1988.

'The final government statistics merely confirm what all in the bankruptcy world had already experienced: a historic drop-off in 2006 activity almost entirely due to the after-effect of the 2005 law changes,' said ABI Executive Director Samuel J. Gerdano. 'But as the debt burden on the household sector remains high, most expect consumer bankruptcies to bounce back by the end of this year,' he said.

While the number of consumer filings reached their lowest point since 1988, the 2006 calendar year consumer filings revealed a noticeable shift in the type of bankruptcies being filed by consumers. Largely the result of stricter requirements under BAPCPA, the 248,430 chapter 13 cases filed for the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2006, represented 41.55 percent of the overall consumer filing total. The 349,012 consumers who filed for chapter 7 during the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2006, comprised 58.37 percent of the total consumer filings for the 2006 calendar year. The filing pattern was vastly different from 2005, when there were 1,631,011 chapter 7 cases filed, representing 79.98 percent of total bankrupt consumer filings, while only 19.97 percent of consumer cases, representing 407,322 filings, were filed under chapter 13 during the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2005.

The 19,695 business filings during the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2006, were the lowest on record under the current statistics reporting system, which was implemented in 1980. The previous lowest business filing total for a 12-month period was recorded in 2004, with 34,317 business bankruptcies filed. The 2006 filing total also represents 49.78 percent decrease from the 39,201 business bankruptcy filings during the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2005.

The 177,599 total bankruptcies recorded during the 4th calendar quarter of 2006 (Oct.1-Dec. 31, 2006) represent a 73.39 percent drop from the 667,431 filings during the similar period in 2005. Total filings for the month of October registered a 90.23 percent drop from 2005 as 61,592 filings were recorded for the month in 2006 as compared to the 630,497 cases that were filed in October 2005 leading up to the implementation of BAPCPA that year. Despite the drop-off from the previous year, the 2006 4th calendar quarter filing total was the highest of any previous quarter for 2006 and represented a 3.63 percent increase over the 3rd quarter (July 1 – Sept. 30) total of 171,146.

The 172,013 consumer filings in the 4th quarter of 2006 represent a 73.72 percent decrease in comparison to the 654,633 consumer filings for the same quarter of 2005. The consumer filing total for the 4th calendar quarter did, however, represent a 3.58 percent increase from the previous total of 165,862 filings from the 3rd quarter of 2006.

Business filings, which totaled 5,586 for the 4th calendar quarter of 2006, represented a 56.35 percent decrease from the 12,798 filed in the same 3-month period in 2005 (Oct. 1-Dec. 31). Business filings did rise from the previous quarter as the 4th calendar quarter represented a 5.41 percent increase over 5,284 business filings reported during the 3rd quarter of 2006 (July 1- Sept. 30).

The chapter* breakdown of BUSINESS filings for the 3-month period ending Dec.31, 2006, is 3,567 chapter 7s, 1,170 chapter 11s, 74 chapter 12s and 763 chapter 13s.

The chapter breakdown of NONBUSINESS filings for the 3-month period ending Dec. 31, 2006, is 98,824 chapter 7s, 134 chapter 11s and 73,052 chapter 13s.

Districts with the LOWEST PERCENTAGE DECREASE in Total Filings for the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2006 (compared to the identical period in 2005):

Western District of Tennessee: 45.29%
Southern District of Georgia: 46.49%
District of the Northern Mariana Islands: 46.88%
Northern District of Georgia: 51.22%
Middle District of Tennessee: 51.68%

Districts with the HIGHEST PERCENTAGE DECREASE in Total Filings for the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2006 (compared to the identical period in 2005):

Eastern District of Louisiana: 85.14%
Southern District of West Virginia: 84.01%
Eastern District of Oklahoma: 83.75%
Western District of Oklahoma: 81.79%
Northern District of West Virginia: 81.21%

More information will be available at ABI’s Statistics Page, http://www.abiworld.org/statistics.

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ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes more than 11,500 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abiworld.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abiworld.org/conferences.html.

*Definitions from Bankruptcy Overview: Issues, Law and Policy, by the American Bankruptcy Institute

Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code is available to both individual and business debtors. Its purpose is to achieve a fair distribution to creditors of the debtor’s available non-exempt property. Unsecured debts not reaffirmed are discharged, providing a fresh financial start.

Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code is available for both business and consumer debtors. Its purpose is to rehabilitate a business as a going concern or reorganize an individual’s finances through a court-approved reorganization plan.

Chapter 12 of the Bankruptcy Code is designed to give special debt relief to a family farmer with regular income from farming.

Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code is available for an individual with regular income whose debts do not exceed specific amounts; it is typically used to budget some of the debtor’s future earnings under a plan through which unsecured creditors are paid in whole or in part.

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New Officers and Board Members Elected at ABIs 25th Anniversary Annual Spring Meeting

Contact: John Hartgen
703-739-0800
[email protected]

NEW OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS ELECTED AT ABI’S 25^TH ANNIVERSARY ANNUAL SPRING MEETING

April 25, 2007, Alexandria, Va. — The following officers and members of the Board of Directors of the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) were elected to leadership positions at ABI’s 25^th Anniversary Annual Spring Meeting, held April 12 – 15 in Washington, D.C.:

New members of the Executive Committee and new officers include: Reggie Jackson of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP (Columbus, Ohio) becomes President for a one-year term, succeeding Judge Wesley Steen of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of Texas (Houston), who now assumes the position of Immediate-Past President. John W. Ames of Greenebaum, Doll & McDonald PLLC (Louisville, Ky.) was named President-Elect, to become President in April 2008. John Penn of Haynes and Boone LLP (Fort Worth, Texas) succeeds Michael P. Richman of Foley & Lardner LLP (New York) as Chairman of the Board for a one-year term. Geoffrey L. Berman of Development Specialists, Inc. (Los Angeles) was named to a two-year term as Vice President-Publications, succeeding Ames. Josefina Fernandez McEvoy of K&L Gates LLP (Los Angeles) was named Vice President-International, succeeding George Kelakos of Kelakos Advisors LLC (Greenwich, Conn.). Dillon E. Jackson of Foster Pepper PLLC (Seattle) is succeeded as Secretary by Judge Eugene R. Wedoff of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Northern Illinois (Chicago).

Eight new members were elected to the ABI Board of Directors: Chip Bowles of Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC (Louisville, Ky.), Howard Brod Brownstein of NachmanHaysBrownstein Inc. (Narberth, Pa.), Judge Dennis Dow of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Missouri (Kansas City), Bruce Harwood of Sheehan, Phinney, Bass & Green (Manchester, N.H.), Jean Maess of Thomson West (Rochester, N.Y.), Lynn Tavennerof Tavenner & Beran, PLC (Richmond, Va.), Deborah Thorne of Barnes & Thornburg LLP (Chicago) and R. Scott Williamsof Haskell Slaughter Young & Rediker LLC (Birmingham, Ala.).

Directors reappointed for another three-year term are: John W. Ames of Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC (Louisville, Ky.), Peter Antoszyk of Proskauer Rose LLP (Bsoton), Matt Bordwin of Keen Consultants, LLC (Great Neck, N.Y.), Prof. Ralph Brubaker of the University of Illinois College of Law (Champaign, Ill.), Melyssa Barrett of Visa USA Inc. (San Francisco), Francis Conway of Mercer Management Consulting (New York), Reggie Jackson of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP (Columbus, Ohio), Peter Kaufman of Gordian Group LLC (New York), Melissa Knoll of Mesirow Financial Consulting LLC (Chicago), Bruce Nathan of Lowenstein Sandler PC (New York), Nancy Peterman of Greenberg Taurig, LLP (Chicago) and Chester Salomon of Stevens & Lee PC (New York). The ABI Board of Directors has 60 members.

The complete list of directors and officers is available at http://www.abiworld.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About_ABI/Board_of_Directors/Board_of_Directors.htm

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Howard Brod Brownstein Elected to ABIs Board of Directors

Contact: John Hartgen
703-739-0800
[email protected]

HOWARD BROD BROWNSTEIN ELECTED TO ABI’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

April 27, 2007, Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) announces that Howard Brod Brownstein of NachmanHaysBrownstein Inc. (Narberth, Pa.) has been elected to ABI’s Board of Directors. An ABI member since 1996, Brownstein is a frequent speaker at professional and educational programs, such as the ABI Mid-Atlantic Workshop, and a regular contributor to journals and periodicals, including the ABI Journal. Hewill serve a term of three years on the 60-member ABI Board of Directors.

Brownsteinis a principal of NachmanHaysBrownstein where he leads turnaround assignments for clients and shares responsibility for marketing services. Brownstein was managing director of Enprotech Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of ITOCHU (formerly C. Itoh), one of the world’s largest companies. Brownstein has served in several senior executive and board positions, including CEO and COO of The Stone Group, a leading multinational manufacturer serving the passenger rail industry. He is a graduate of Harvard University, where he obtained his J.D. and M.B.A., and of the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained his B.S. and B.A. cum laude from the Wharton School and the College of Arts and Sciences.

The complete list of directors and officers is available at http://www.abiworld.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About_ABI/Board_of_Directors/Board_of_Directors.htm.

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Study Finds Bankruptcy Filing Rate by Older Americans Outpaces the General Population

Contact: John Hartgen
(703) 618-0892
[email protected]

STUDY FINDS BANKRUPTCY FILING RATE BY OLDER AMERICANS OUTPACES THE GENERAL POPULATION

April 26, 2007, Alexandria, Va. — A recent study reveals that bankruptcy filings by older Americans age 55 and over are increasing at a faster rate than the general population. John Golmant and Tom Ulrich, researchers at the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC), conducted their study by comparing chapter 7 and 13 consumer filing data from 1994 and 2002 to examine how age demographics affect bankruptcy filings. The results of the study are summarized in their article titled “Aging and Bankruptcy: The Baby Boomers Meet Up at Bankruptcy Court,” published in the May 2007 issue of the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal.

The study confirms that filing rates for Americans ages 45 and over are increasing larger than any other age category of bankruptcy petitioners. The study found that bankruptcy petitioners over the age of 45 increased from 27 percent of all filers in 1994 to 39 percent in 2002. The fastest growth in chapter 7 filings occurred for petitioners over the age of 55. The study also found a general aging of the debtor population, with the median age for bankruptcy petitioners rising from 37.7 in 1994 to 41.4 by 2002.

In contrast to the trend of increased filing rates experienced by older Americans, the age group with the greatest drop in bankruptcy filing rates was among those age 25 and younger. The filing rate for young people decreased from 11 percent of the overall bankruptcy petitioners in 1994 to 4 percent in 2002.

In conducting their research, Golmant and Ulrich looked to determine the proportion of bankruptcy petitioners that fall within particular age categories and whether these proportions have changed over time. While previous demographic studies primarily relied on survey data to find out more about the filing rates of different age groups, the researchers evaluated actual data from courts and public records available through outside resources.

The study concludes that a number of factors are behind the rising “Baby Boomer” bankruptcy filing rate. Golmant and Ulrich point to the growing amount of mortgage debt carried by older Americans as they tap into their home equity, and rising health care costs as primary reasons behind the growing bankruptcy rate for those 55 years of age and older. Facing reduced income in retirement and escalating health care costs, the researchers said they expect that the increasing bankruptcy filing rates for older Americans will persist into the foreseeable future.

To obtain a copy of “Aging and Bankruptcy: The Baby Boomers Meet Up at Bankruptcy Court,” please contact John Hartgen at 703-739-0800 or via email at [email protected].

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ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes more than 11,000 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abiworld.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abiworld.org/conferences.html.

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Lynn Tavenner Elected to ABIs Board of Directors

Contact: John Hartgen
703-739-0800
[email protected]

LYNN TAVENNER ELECTED TO ABI’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

April 27, 2007, Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) announces that Lynn Tavenner of Tavenner & Beran, PLC (Richmond, Va.) has been elected to ABI’s Board of Directors. An ABI member since 1992, she previously served on ABI's Court Administration Committee and has also served as co-chair of ABI's Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop. Shewill serve a term of three years on the 60-member ABI Board of Directors.

Tavenner is a founding member of Tavenner & Beran PLC where she provides legal representation to all entities in business reorganizations and in all other aspects of bankruptcy and creditors' rights. In addition, she is a panel member of the chapter 7 trustees for the Richmond Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Tavenner is a member of the Virginia and Richmond Bar Associations, and previously served as the chair of the bankruptcy section for the Richmond Bar. She received her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Bridgewater College and her J.D. from Washington & Lee University School of Law.

The complete list of directors and officers is available at http://www.abiworld.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About_ABI/Board_of_Directors/Board_of_Directors.htm.

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Chip Bowles Elected to ABIs Board of Directors

Contact: John Hartgen
703-739-0800
[email protected]

CHIP BOWLES ELECTED TO ABI’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

April 27, 2007, Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) announces that Chip Bowles of Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC (Louisville, Ky) has been elected to ABI’s Board of Directors. An ABI member since 1992, Bowles serves as chair of ABI’s Chapter 11 Fee Study, co-chair of ABI’s Professional Compensation Committee and co-editor of the ABI Journal’s Straight & Narrow (ethics) and Toxins Are Us (environmental law) columns. Hewill serve a term of three years on the 60-member ABI Board of Directors.

Bowles concentrates his practice in the area of distressed asset sales, professional compensation, representation of nonattorney professionals, and debtor and creditor rights. He is a member of the American, Ohio, Kentucky and Louisville Bar Associations. Bowles received his B.A. with high distinction from the University of Kentucky and his J.D. with high distinction from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

The complete list of directors and officers is available at http://www.abiworld.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About_ABI/Board_of_Directors/Board_of_Directors.htm.

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Seven Bankruptcy Judges and Leading Practitioners to Gather at ABIs Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop July 25-28

Contact: John Hartgen
(703) 739-0800
[email protected]

SEVEN BANKRUPTCY JUDGES AND LEADING PRACTITIONERS TO GATHER AT ABI’s SOUTHEAST BANKRUPTCY WORKSHOP JULY 25-28

April 24, 2007, Alexandria, Va. — Seven bankruptcy judges and more than 300 attendees will gather to discuss the latest bankruptcy topics at ABI’s Twelfth Annual Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop. The workshop will be held from July 25-28, 2007, at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, Kiawah Island, S.C., bringing together the region’s top insolvency professionals for four days of intense learning and networking. Attendees also have the opportunity to earn 13.5 hours of CLE credits, including 1.5 hours of ethics.

Program co-chairs for the Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop include James D. Decker of Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin (Atlanta) and Patricia A. Redmond of Stearns, Weaver, Miller, Weissler, Alhadeff & Sitterson, PA (Miami). The judicial chair for the workshop is Bankruptcy Judge Margaret A. Mahoney (Mobile, Ala.).

Highlighting the panel sessions will be the “ABI Presidents Panel: Advocacy in Your Bankruptcy Practice” that will feature former ABI presidents Andrew W. Caine of Pachulski Stang Ziehl Young Jones & Weintraub LLP (Los Angeles), Ford Elsaesser of Elsaesser, Jarzabek, Anderson, Marks, Elliott & McHugh, Chtd. (Sandpoint, Idaho), Robert M. Fishman of Shaw Gussis Fishman Glantz Wolfson & Towbin LLC (Chicago), John D. Penn of Haynes and Boone, LLP (Fort Worth, Texas), Michael P. Richman of Foley & Lardner LLP (New York), Bettina M. Whyte of MBIA Insurance Corporation (Armonk, N.Y.) and Deborah D. Williamson of Cox Smith Matthews Inc. (San Antonio).

Sessions at the Workshop include:

The “Consumer Bankruptcy Developments” plenary session will feature Bankruptcy Judges Laurel Myerson Isicoff (Miami) and A.Thomas Small (Raleigh, N.C.).

Moderator John C. “Kit” Weitnauer of Alston & Bird LLP (Atlanta) and panelists Matthew Doheny of Deutsche Bank Securities (New York), Robert B. Glenn of Glenn Rasmussen Fogarty & Hooker, PA (Tampa) and Bankruptcy Judge Cecelia G. Morris (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) will take part in the “Complex Chapter 11 Developments” session.

“Ethics in the Real World” will feature Lucian T. Pera of Adams & Reese LLP (Memphis) and Bankruptcy Judge Douglas O. Tice, Jr. (Richmond, Va.).

The “Outside of Court/Outside the Box” session will be moderated by Judy D. Thompson of Poyner & Spruill LLP (Charlotte, N.C.) and feature panelists Robert M. Fishman of Shaw Gussis Fishman Glantz Wolfson & Towbin LLC (Chicago), Charles M. Ivey, III of Ivey, McClellan, Gatton & Talcott, LLP (Greensboro, N.C.) and Mindy A. Mora of Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod, LLP (Miami).

“Post-BAPCPA Issues for Attorneys Representing Individual Chapter 11 Debtors: Stays, Cases and Ethical Obligations,” moderated by C.R. “Chip” Bowles Jr. of Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC (Louisville, Ky.), will feature panelists Bankruptcy Judges Stan Bernstein (New York) and David T. Stosberg (Louisville, Ky.) in addition to Felicia S. Turner of the U.S. Trustees Office, Region 21 (Atlanta).

Brett H. Miller of Otterbourg, Steindler, Houston & Rosen, PC (New York) will moderate “Troubled Industries–The Next Wave of Chapter 11s” featuring panelists Ronald F. Greenspan of FTI Consulting, Inc. (Los Angeles), Michael Leo Hall of Burr & Forman LLP (Birmingham, Ala.) and Peter L. Tourtellot of Anderson Bauman Tourtellot Vos & Co. (Greensboro, N.C.).

“Scams and Schemes: Fraud in the Marketplace” will include panelists Leanne Gould of GlassRatner Advisory & Capital Group LLC (Atlanta), Soneet R. Kapila of Kapila & Company (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Harris Bryan Winsberg of Troutman Sanders LLP; (Atlanta).

The “Cap Markets Update: The Lenders' Views” session, moderated by Jesse H. Austin, III of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP (Atlanta) will include panelists Matthew B. Berk of Alvarez & Marsal, LLC (Charlotte, N.C.), William C. Beebe of Silver Point Finance, LLC (Atlanta), Patrick L. Bickers of SunTrust Bank (Atlanta), James Cooper of CIT (Atlanta) and David Gittleman of Cratos Capital (Alpharetta, Ga.).

“Litigation in Bankruptcy Court: 2007 and Beyond” will be moderated by Dion W. Hayes of McGuireWoods LLP (Richmond, Va.) and feature panelists Bankruptcy Judge C. Ray Mullins (Atlanta) and Charles W. Throckmorton of Kozyak, Tropin & Throckmorton, PA (Coral Gables, Fla.).

Bankruptcy Judges Laurel Myerson Isicoff (Miami) and A. Thomas Small (Raleigh, N.C.) will partner again to hold the “Business Bankruptcy Developments” plenary session.

“Effective Pre-Bankruptcy Negotiating and Packaging” will be moderated by James S. Feltman of Mesirow Financial Consulting, LLC (Miami) and feature panelists Mark I. Duedall of Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin (Atlanta), James R. Lackie of Kean, Miller, Hawthorne, D’Armond, et al. (Baton Rouge, La.) and David S. Miller of Macquarie Securities (USA) (Atlanta).

Attendees will also be treated to a performance by the only all-ABI member rock-and-roll band, the “Indubitable Equivalents!”

For more information about the Twelfth Annual Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop, call ABI at (703) 739-0800 or visit http://www.abiworld.org/SE07.

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Judge Dennis Dow Elected to ABIs Board of Directors

JUDGE DENNIS DOW ELECTED TO ABI’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

April 27, 2007, Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) announces that Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Dowof the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Missourihas been elected to ABI’s Board of Directors. An ABI member since 1997, he is a co-chair of ABI's Consumer Bankruptcy Committee and served on the steering committee for ABI’s BAPCPA program last October. Judge Dowwill serve a term of three years on the 60-member ABI Board of Directors.

Prior to taking the bench, Judge Dow was a partner with Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP, where he participated in a broad range of cases representing many different types of clients including individual and corporate debtors in proceedings under chapter 7 and 11, and secured, unsecured and priority creditors and lessors in chapter 7, 11, 12 and 13 cases. He also tried numerous adversary proceedings and contested matters including preference actions, objections to discharge, dischargeability complaints and objections to confirmation of chapter 11 plans. Judge Dow's practice also included representing purchasers of assets from chapter 11 estates. He received his B.A. with honors from the University of Wyoming and his J.D. from Washburn University School of Law, where he was notes editor of the Washburn Law Journal.

The complete list of directors and officers is available at http://www.abiworld.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About_ABI/Board_of_Directors/Board_of_Directors.htm.

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Press Releases

Districts with the LOWEST PERCENTAGE DECREASE in Total Filings for the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2006 (compared to the identical period in 2005):

Districts with the HIGHEST PERCENTAGE DECREASE in Total Filings for the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2006 (compared to the identical period in 2005):

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