Press Releases

New Database Provides Comprehensive Information on Cross-Border Bankruptcy Proceedings

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-894-5935
             [email protected]

NEW DATABASE PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION ON CROSS-BORDER BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS


 
June 30, 2011, Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute and INSOL International are pleased to announce the launch of the chapter 15 database found at http://globalinsolvency.com/chapter15. The new website contains more than 60 recent chapter 15 cases with the full text of judicial opinions and summaries of the main issues presented, organized by U.S. judicial circuit.  Also included are daily news headlines about the latest developments in chapter 15 cases, commentary and analysis about trends in the law, as well as the full text of the chapter 15 statute and its complete legislative history. 
 
Chapter 15 was established by the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 to allow a representative of a corporate bankruptcy (insolvency) proceeding outside the U.S. to obtain access to the United States courts. The statute allows cooperation between the United States courts and the foreign courts, as well as other authorities of foreign countries involved in cross-border insolvency cases.
 
The site is a unique and valuable resource for cross-border practitioners who need to quickly find chapter 15 material including the Bankruptcy Court, District Court and Court of Appeals levels.  Case materials will be updated regularly by a team of restructuring professionals at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison led by Claudia Tobler. Visit the site today at www.Globalinsolvency.com/chapter15


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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 13,000 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 http://www.abiworld.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abiworld.org/conferences.html.

ABIs Bankruptcy 2011 Views from the Bench Conference in September to Feature 19 Bankruptcy Judges

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-894-5935
             [email protected]

ABI’s “BANKRUPTCY 2011: VIEWS FROM THE BENCH” CONFERENCE IN SEPTEMBER TO FEATURE 19 BANKRUPTCY JUDGES

July 18, 2011, Alexandria, Va. — Nineteen bankruptcy judges and top practitioners from around the country will participate at the American Bankruptcy Institute’s “Bankruptcy 2011: Views from the Bench” program on Sept. 16 at The Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. David R. Kuney of Sidley Austin LLP (Washington, D.C.) is the program chair for the conference. Attendees will have the opportunity to earn 7.0/8.4 hours of CLE/CPE credits, including 1.0/1.2 hours of ethics.
 
Panel sessions at “Views from the Bench” include:
 
·      Sales in Bankruptcy: Is Everything Now a Sale?
·      Intercreditor Issues
·      Avoidance Actions
·      Mid-Market Dilemmas
·      Confirmation: Hot Cases Roundtable
·      Ethics Committee
 
For a full list of session speakers, please visit http://www.abiworld.org/GT11/schedule.html
 
Lunch at the program will provide attendees a unique opportunity take part in one of three smaller break-out sessions with facilitators leading discussions from the earlier sessions, including 'Sales in Bankruptcy: Is Everything Now a Sale?,' 'Intercreditor Issues' and 'Avoidance Actions.' In addition, attendees will receive a complimentary copy of Collier’s 2011 Portable Pamphlet, which includes the full text of the Bankruptcy Code, Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and Federal Rules of Evidence. The book also includes text of additional statutory provisions.
 
For more information on the “Views from the Bench” conference, please be sure to visit http://www.abiworld.org/GT11.

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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 13,000 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

ABI Journal Article Explores Whether the Distressed Industry is Shrinkingor Shifting

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-894-5935
             [email protected]

ABI JOURNAL ARTICLE EXPLORES WHETHER THE DISTRESSED INDUSTRY IS SHRINKING—OR SHIFTING


 
July 28, 2011, Alexandria, Va. — An article in the July/August edition of the ABI Journal finds that the turnaround industry is changing more in focus rather than size. In “Is the Distressed Industry Distressed,” author Kenneth R. Yager II of MorrisAnderson (Chicago) writes that despite rumors that the distressed industry is shrinking, “the overall distressed industry is still growing, albeit heavily fueled by international growth.”
 
The biggest change that Yager identifies since the Bankruptcy Code was implemented in 1978 has been the change in focus from plans of reorganization (POR) to the new era of transactions. “While for decades hardly anyone was interested in buying a broken company, today competitive § 363 sales are common, as are debt sales or trades and asset sales,” according to Yager. Rather than trying to fix companies so that they can be sold, Yager pointed out that turnaround professionals are increasingly facilitating or managing a distressed company through a sale or liquidation transaction or alternatively to maximize value on behalf of a new owner. “This shift is pushing crisis managers to become much more like performance improvement consultants,” Yager wrote.
 
With less of a focus in bankruptcy on PORs, Yager said that the turnaround industry is evolving to become more open to other skill sets. “Turnaround firms have two main options in positioning themselves within the changing field: seek to become larger, or adapt to a particular niche,” Yager wrote. While larger firms continue to grow internationally and focus on large company work, Yager said that smaller firms “need to compete instead on expertise by developing a narrower focus, building a reputation for specific types of services in a small number of key industries.”
 
The shift in focus from PORs to transactions will have a permanent impact on the turnaround industry, according to Yager, by calling for a new level of specialization. “The jack of all trades [bankruptcy practitioner] is becoming a low card in the industry’s deck.”
 
To obtain a copy of “Is the Distressed Industry Distressed,” published in the July/August edition of the ABI Journal, please contact John Hartgen at 703-894-5935 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 nearly 13,000 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.   

ABI Again Partners with NYU for the 37th Annual Lawrence P. King and Charles Seligson Workshop on Sept. 21-22 in New York

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-894-5935
             [email protected]

ABI AGAIN PARTNERS WITH NYU FOR THE 37TH ANNUAL LAWRENCE P. KING AND CHARLES SELIGSON WORKSHOP ON SEPT. 21-22 IN NEW YORK


 
July 20, 2011, Alexandria, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) and the New York University School of Law announce the return of the 37th Annual Lawrence P. King and Charles Seligson Workshop on Bankruptcy and Business Reorganization, to be held Sept. 21-22 at NYU School of Law. This two-day-long workshop includes a Basic Program track designed for entry-level business bankruptcy lawyers, general practitioners and business professionals, as well as an Advanced Program track for experienced business bankruptcy practitioners and financial professionals. Attendees have the opportunity to earn up to 13.5 hours of CLE or CPE credit, including 1 hour of ethics and professionalism.
 
The Basic Program sessions include:
 
·      Basic Concepts: Sources of Law, Structure of Code, Bankruptcy Courts, Legal Ethics Estate Property
·      Operating the Business in Chapter 11; Avoiding Powers
·      Chapter 11 Plans (Covering the chapter 11 plan process, formulating the plan, disclosure statements, plan confirmation and the effects of confirmation)
·      The Current Era of Fraudulent-Transfer Litigation (joint program Basic/Advanced)
 
Click the link below to see the schedule and speakers for the Basic Program sessions.
http://www.abiworld.org/NYU11/basicschedule.html
 
The Advanced Program sessions include:
 
·      Consensual Resolution Part I: The Obstacles
·      Consensual Resolution Part II: The “Solutions” and Whether They Work
·      Section 363 Sales
·      The Current Era of Fraudulent Transfer Litigation (joint program Basic/Advanced)
 
Click the link below to see the schedule and speakers for the Advanced Program sessions.
http://www.abiworld.org/NYU11/advancedschedule.html
 
For more information on the 37th Annual Lawrence P. King and Charles Seligson Workshop on Bankruptcy and Business Reorganization, please visit http://www.abiworld.org/NYU11/index.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 13,000 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.

ABIs Chicago Consumer Bankruptcy Conference to be Held October 11

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-894-5935
             [email protected]

ABI’S CHICAGO CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY CONFERENCE TO BE HELD OCTOBER 11

August 12, 2011, Alexandria, Va. — Chicago-area consumer bankruptcy practitioners will have the opportunity to examine current issues affecting the profession at the American Bankruptcy Institute’s (ABI’s) Foruth Annual Chicago Consumer Bankruptcy Conference on Oct. 11 at the Gleacher Center at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Faculty members include experienced local chapter 7 and 13 consumer attorneys, bankruptcy judges and panel trustees from the Northern District of Illinois and a representative from the Chicago Office of the U.S. Trustee. Attendees have the opportunity to earn 6.25 CLE credits, including 1.25 ethics credits.

Co-chairs for the Chicago Consumer Bankruptcy Conference are Brian L. Shaw of Shaw Gussis Fishman Glantz Wolfson & Towbin LLC (Chicago) and Bankruptcy Judge Eugene R. Wedoff (N.D. Ill.; Chicago).

Panel sessions include:

·      Mortgages in Chapter 13
·      The Rules and Jurisdiction of Bankruptcy Appeals
·      Divorce and Bankruptcy: When Does One Specialist Need Another?
·      Balancing the Practice of Consumer Bankruptcy Law and Running a Business
·      The Ethics of Getting Paid

The conference will also feature a keynote by Prof. Robert M. Lawless of the University of Illinois College of Law. For more information on ABI’s Consumer Bankruptcy Conference, please visit http://www.abiworld.org/Chicago11.

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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 13,000 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.

ABI Quick Poll Respondents Divided over Whether the Supreme Court Got it Right in Stern v. Marshall on Counterclaims

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-894-5935
             [email protected]

ABI QUICK POLL RESPONDENTS DIVIDED OVER WHETHER THE SUPREME COURT GOT IT RIGHT IN STERN V. MARSHALL ON COUNTERCLAIMS

August 4, 2011, Alexandria, Va.— Respondents in ABI’s latest Quick Poll were evenly divided over whether the Supreme Court got it right in Stern v. Marshall by holding that bankruptcy courts lack constitutional authority to issue final decisions on counterclaims grounded in state law. Forty-six percent agreed (30 percent “strongly agreed” and 16 percent “somewhat agreed”) and 46 percent disagreed (38 percent “strongly disagreed” and 8 percent “somewhat disagreed”) that the Supreme Court was correct in ruling in Stern v. Marshall that bankruptcy courts lack constitutional authority to issue final decisions on counterclaims grounded in state law. Five percent did not know or had no opinion on the question.
 
The Supreme Court on June 23 ruled 5-4 against the estate of actress Anna Nicole Smith, saying that a bankruptcy judge's decision giving millions to Smith (then known as Vickie Lynn Marshall) from the estate of oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall was decided incorrectly because those judges do not have the constitutional right to reach outside of bankruptcy cases into a probate case. In an opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court decided that Congress did not have the authority under the Constitution to give bankruptcy judges the power to decide legal claims that are based entirely on state law and that have nothing to do with federal law. The Court explained that federal bankruptcy judges do not have life tenure or the same authority that regular federal judges enjoy, and Congress went too far in giving bankruptcy courts extra jurisdiction.
 
ABI’s 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 over 13,000 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.   

July Consumer Bankruptcy Filings Fall 18 Percent from Last Year

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-894-5935
             [email protected]

JULY CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY FILINGS FALL 18 PERCENT FROM LAST YEAR

August 2, 2011, Alexandria, Va. - July consumer bankruptcies decreased 18 percent nationwide from July 2010, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), relying on data from the National Bankruptcy Research Center (NBKRC). The data showed that the overall consumer filing total for July reached 113,470, down from the 137,698 consumer filings recorded in July 2010. It was the seventh straight month of fewer bankruptcies in 2011 than last year.

'The continued decline in consumer bankruptcies in tandem with a sluggish economy is a reflection of the deleveraging of household debts and tightening of consumer credit over the past year,' said ABI Executive Director Samuel J. Gerdano. 'Should these trends persist, we expect to see fewer consumer bankruptcies in 2011 than were filed in 2010.'

The July 2011 filings also represented a 5 percent decrease from the June 2011 consumer bankruptcy total of 119,768 filings. The percentage of chapter 13 filings for July was 29 percent, a one percent increase from June.

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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 13,000 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.

NBKRC is an online research center that offers subscribers access to up-to-date research and statistics on bankruptcy filings. The database contains complete information dating back to 1995. For more information on NBKRC, please visit http://www.nbkrc.com.

*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. 

 

Total U.S. Bankruptcies in First Half of 2011 Down 8 Percent over First Half of 2010 Second Quarter Consumer Filings Increase 4 Percent from First Quarter

Contact: Carolyn Kanon
             703-739-0800
             [email protected]

TOTAL U.S. BANKRUPTCIES IN FIRST HALF OF 2011 DOWN 8 PERCENT OVER FIRST HALF OF 2010; SECOND QUARTER CONSUMER FILINGS INCREASE 4 PERCENT FROM FIRST QUARTER

 

August 5, 2011 Alexandria, Va. — The total number of U.S. bankruptcies filed during the first six months of 2011 dropped 8 percent over the same six-month period in 2010, according to data released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Total filings reached 745,968 during the first half of calendar year 2011 (January 1-June 30), compared to 810,209 cases filed over the same period in 2010. Total bankruptcy filings increased 4 percent, however, during the second quarter of 2011 (April 1-June 30), which totaled 379,790, from the 366,178 filings in the first quarter of 2011 (January 1-March 31) due to an increase in consumer bankruptcy filings.

'The broad trend of a leveling or even decline in consumer bankruptcies in tandem with a sluggish economy is a reflection of the deleveraging of household debts and tightening of consumer credit over the past year,' said ABI Executive Director Samuel J. Gerdano. 'Should these trends persist, we expect to see fewer consumer bankruptcies in 2011 than were filed in 2010.'

Business filings decreased 15 percent for the six-month period ending June 30, 2011, to 24,680 from the first-half 2010 total of 29,059. Chapter 7 business liquidations also fell by 15 percent, as there were 17,284 in the first half of 2011 compared with the 20,385 business chapter 7 filings during the same period in 2010. Chapter 11 business reorganizations registered the sharpest decrease, as the 5,172 filings during the first half of 2011 represented a 16 percent drop from the 6,152 total chapter 11 business filings during the first half of 2010. Total business filings decreased slightly (1 percent) from 12,376 in the first quarter 2011 to 12,304 in the second quarter 2011.

Filings by individuals or households with consumer debt decreased 8 percent to 721,288 for the six-month period ending June 30, 2011, from the 2010 first-half total of 781,150. Consumers filing for chapter 7 protection decreased 9 percent to 518,097 during the first half of 2011 from 571,417 during the first six months of 2010. Consumer chapter 13 filings dropped as well, decreasing 3 percent as 202,292 consumers filed for chapter 13 in the first half of 2011, down from 208,778 during the first half of 2010. The 367,486 total consumer filings for the second quarter of 2011 showed a 4 percent increase from the 353,802 total consumer filings in the first quarter of 2011.

The 379,790 total filings for the second calendar quarter 2011 (April 1-June 30) represented a 10 percent decrease from the second quarter 2010 filing total of 422,061. Consumer filings also decreased 10 percent from 407,609 recorded in the second quarter of 2010 to 367,486 filings in the second quarter of 2011. Business filings decreased 15 percent from 14,452 in the second quarter of 2010 to 12,304 filings in the second quarter of 2011.

The 1,529,560 total filings for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2011, represented a 3 percent overall decrease from the same period in 2010, which totaled 1,572,597. The bankruptcy filing rate per thousand U.S. residents totaled 4.85 for all chapters during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2011, as 3.44 Americans per thousand filed for chapter 7 while 1.37 per thousand filed for chapter 13 bankruptcy.

Nevada maintained its position as the state with the highest per capita filing rate in the country, with 10.13 residents per thousand filing in all chapters, and also had the highest per capita filing rate for chapter 7 filings at 7.62. The state with the highest per capita filing rate for chapter 13 bankruptcy was Alabama at 3.92 per thousand for the 12-month period ended June 30, 2011.

Non-business filings for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2011, were down to 1,477,426, a 2 percent decrease from the 1,512,989 total non-business filings over the same period in 2010. Business filings for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2011, totaled 52,134, down 13 percent from the 59,608 business bankruptcy petitions filed in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2010.

The 1,083,671 total chapter 7 filings for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2011, represent a 4 percent decrease from the 1,133,320 filings from the same period in 2010. Total chapter 11 filings decreased 11 percent to 12,714 in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2011, from 14,272 during the same period in 2010. Total chapter 13 filings increased 2 percent to 432,333 in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2011, from 424,242 during the same period last year. Chapter 12 filings increased 8 percent from 660 in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2010, to 717 for the same period in 2011.

Chapter breakdowns of BUSINESS filings for the 3-month period ending June 30, 2011: 8,669 chapter 7s; 2,567 chapter 11s; 166 chapter 12s; and 881 chapter 13s.

Chapter breakdown of NON-BUSINESS filings for the 3-month period ending June 30, 2011: 265,759 chapter 7s; 441 chapter 11s; and 101,286 chapter 13s.

Districts with the HIGHEST PERCENTAGE INCREASE in total filings for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2011 (compared to the identical period in 2010):

  1. Southern District of Florida: 15.1%
  2. Central District of California: 13.0%
  3. District of Utah: 12.8%
  4. Southern District of Texas: 4.9%
  5. Western District of Washington: 4.2%

Districts with the HIGHEST PERCENTAGE DECREASE in total filings for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2011 (compared to the identical period in 2010):

  1. District of Northern Mariana Islands: -69.2%
  2. District of Vermont: -18.9%
  3. Southern District of West Virginia: -18.6%
  4. Western District of New York: -16.9%
  5. Northern District of West Virginia: -14.7%

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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 13,000 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 http://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.

 

August Consumer Bankruptcy Filings Fall 11 Percent from Last Year

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-894-5935
             [email protected]

AUGUST CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY FILINGS FALL 11 PERCENT FROM LAST YEAR

September 2, 2011, Alexandria, Va. — August consumer bankruptcies decreased 11 percent nationwide from August 2010, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), relying on data from the National Bankruptcy Research Center (NBKRC). The data showed that the overall consumer filing total for August declined to 113,432, down from the 127,028 consumer filings recorded in August 2010. Each month of 2011 has recorded fewer bankruptcies than last year.
 
“Consumer bankruptcies continue to decline over the past year as households deleverage and consumer credit remains tight,” said ABI Executive Director Samuel J. Gerdano. “As a result, total consumer filings will be lower in 2011 than the 1.5 million consumer cases in 2010.”
 
The August 2011 filings also represented a less than a 1 percent decrease from the July 2011 consumer bankruptcy total of 113,470 filings. The percentage of chapter 13 filings for August was 30 percent, a one percent increase from July.

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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 13,000 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.
 
NBKRC is an online research center that offers subscribers access to up-to-date research and statistics on bankruptcy filings. The database contains complete information dating back to 1995. For more information on NBKRC, please visit http://www.nbkrc.com.
*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.   

ABIs 3rd Annual Mid-Level Professional Development Program to Be Held in New York in October

Contact: John Hartgen
             703-894-5935
             [email protected]

ABI’S 3RD ANNUAL MID-LEVEL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO BE HELD IN NEW YORK IN OCTOBER

August 24, 2011, Alexandria, Va.— The American Bankruptcy Institute will hold its 3rd Annual Mid-Level Professional Development Program on Oct. 28 at the Davis Polk & Wardwell Conference Center in New York. This unique program is geared specifically toward mid-level insolvency and restructuring professionals and includes both technical and career-advancement sessions. Attendees at the program will learn critical skills from a faculty that includes the country’s top judges, attorneys, financial advisors, investment bankers, restructuring professionals and clients. Former Chief Restructuring Officer for the U.S. Treasury James E. Millstein of Millstein & Co. LLC (Washington D.C.) will be the keynote speaker at the program. Space is limited.
 
Advisory board co-chairs for the program are Douglas E. Deutsch of Chadbourne & Parke, LLP (New York), Alan D. Holtz of AlixPartners, LLP (New York) and Damian S. Schaible of Davis Polk & Wardwell, LLP (New York). The judicial chair for the conference is Bankruptcy Judge Shelley C. Chapman (S.D.N.Y.).
 
Sessions for the Mid-Level Professional Development Program include:
 
·      Methods for Achieving Consensual Restructurings in Today’s Environment
·      Career Development (How to Advance within Your Firm and the Profession)
·      Intercreditor Issues
·      How Best to Serve Your Clients
·      Case Study: Tribune
·      Judges' Roundtable: Tips on Practicing before the Bankruptcy Courts
 
All attendees will receive a complimentary copy of Collier’s 2011 Portable Pamphlet, which includes the full text of the Bankruptcy Code, Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and Federal Rules of Evidence. The book also includes text of additional statutory provisions.
 
For more information on the Mid-Level Professional Development Program, visit http://www.abiworld.org/PDP11. Follow the conference live and contribute to the conversation on Twitter by utilizing #MidPDP11.

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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 over 13,000 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.