Consumer Debt

RESTRUCTURING EXPERTS: RECESSION DID NOT IMPROVE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE



The Great Recession taught businesses some valuable lessons, but a recent survey found that restructuring experts do not think companies learned enough about changing their corporate governance practices, the Wall Street Journal reported today. In its 2013 Outlook Survey of restructuring experts, advisory firm AlixPartners said that slightly less than half of the 98 professionals questioned believe corporate governance is better now than it was before the recession. Corporate governance breakdowns have indeed been a major factor in several bankruptcies of the past few years, including the collapse of MF Global Holdings Ltd. and the massive fraud at Peregrine Financial Group Inc. Despite those events, more than two-thirds of the restructuring professionals who think corporate governance is worse said that it was because of liquidity oversight. When asked which sectors might face increases in distressed situations, the restructuring gurus picked industries facing scrutiny in Washington, D.C. Forty-one percent of those surveyed picked health care, up from just 20 percent last year. The restructuring experts also expect an uptick in distressed situations at energy companies, along with aerospace and defense. Read more. (Subscription required.)

PRIVATE EQUITY BRACING FOR BUYOUT-BOOM SHAKEOUT



The private-equity industry, comprised of nearly 4,500 firms with $3 trillion in assets, is bracing for a shakeout that has been brewing since the collapse of credit markets choked off a record leveraged-buyout binge, Bloomberg News reported today. Firms that attracted an unprecedented $702 billion from investors from 2006 to 2008 must replenish their coffers for future deals and avoid a reduction in fee income when the investment periods on those older funds run out, typically after five years. As many as 708 firms face such deadlines through 2015, according to London-based researcher Preqin Ltd. Many firms are suffering from below-average profits on their boom-period funds, and top executives from Carlyle Group LP co-founder David Rubenstein to Blackstone Group LP President Tony James say that future returns will be far more modest than those investors got used to in the past. As investors gravitate to the best-performing managers and cut loose others, 10 to 25 percent of the firms may find themselves without fresh money. Read more.

REPORT: SEC'S REVOLVING DOOR HURTS ITS EFFECTIVENESS



The Project on Government Oversight, a nonprofit watchdog group long critical of the SEC's revolving door, released a study yesterday highlighting a pattern of SEC alumni going to bat for Wall Street firms, the New York Times DealBook blog reported yesterday. The report, similarly skeptical of Wall Street lawyers joining the SEC, cites recent enforcement cases and scuttled money market regulations to underscore its concerns. "Former employees of the Securities and Exchange Commission routinely help corporations try to influence SEC rule-making, counter the agency's investigations of suspected wrongdoing, soften the blow of SEC enforcement actions, block shareholder proposals and win exemptions from federal law," the report says. Read more.

SPECULATIVE BETS PROVE RISKY AS SAVERS CHASE PAYOFF



Regulators across the country are confronting a wave of investor fraud that is saddling retirement savers with steep losses on complex products that until a few years ago were pitched only to the most sophisticated investors, the New York Times reported yesterday. The victims are among the millions of Americans whose mutual funds and stock portfolios plummeted in the wake of the financial crisis, and who started searching for ways to make better returns than those being offered by bank deposits and government bonds with minuscule interest rates. Tens of thousands of them put money into speculative bets promoted by aggressive financial advisers. The investments include private loans to young companies like television production firms and shares in bundles of commercial real estate properties. Those alternative investments have now had time to go sour in big numbers, state and federal securities regulators say, and are making up a majority of complaints and prosecutions. "Since the crisis, we've seen more and more people reaching out into different types of exotic investments that are a big concern to us," said William F. Galvin, the Massachusetts secretary of the commonwealth. Last Wednesday, Galvin's office ordered one of the nation's largest brokerage firms, LPL Financial, to pay $2.5 million for improperly selling the real estate bundles, known as nontraded REITs, or real estate investment trusts, to hundreds of state residents from 2006-09, in some cases overloading clients' accounts with them. Read more.

COMMENTARY: QUIETLY KILLING A CONSUMER WATCHDOG



Having failed to block the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform bill, Senate Republicans are now trying to take away its power by filibuster, and they may well succeed, according to a New York Times editorial today. Under the Dodd-Frank law, most of the CFPB's regulatory powers -- particularly its authority over nonbanks like finance companies, debt collectors, payday lenders and credit agencies -- can be exercised only by a director. Knowing that, Republicans used a filibuster to prevent President Obama's nominee for director, Richard Cordray, from reaching a vote in 2011. Obama then gave Cordray a recess appointment, but a federal appeals court recently ruled in another case that the Senate was not in recess at that time because of the Republicans' tactics. That opinion, if upheld by the Supreme Court, is likely to apply to Cordray as well, which could invalidate the rules the bureau has already enacted. The president has renominated Cordray, but Republicans have made it clear that they will continue to filibuster to block his confirmation. Earlier this month, 43 Senate Republicans wrote a letter to the president vowing to block any nominee until "key structural changes" are made, including a bipartisan commission to run the bureau instead of one director, and congressional control of its appropriations. Other bank regulators, like the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, are not subject to the appropriations process, as a shield against political interference. Congress does, however, control the budgets of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and House Republicans have voted to strip those agencies of money needed to regulate derivatives and curb abuses. Read the full editorial.

ANALYSIS: S&P'S TOXIC AAA RATINGS OF MORTGAGE DEBT HAD FAR-REACHING EFFECTS



Institutions throughout the financial services industry felt the effects of the damages inflicted when S&P allegedly inflated rankings of mortgage debt that contributed to the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression, according to a Bloomberg News analysis yesterday. As a result, the Justice Department sued New York-based S&P and parent McGraw-Hill Cos. last week. The world's leading financial institutions suffered more than $2.1 trillion of writedowns and losses after soaring U.S. mortgage defaults caused the credit crunch. Some of the biggest losers were banks, including Citigroup and Bank of America Corp., which created and purchased collateralized debt obligations. Many of these investments -- created by packaging mortgage-backed bonds, derivatives and other CDOs and dividing them into new securities with varying degrees of risk -- imploded within a year after they were sold, even though they had pristine credit ratings. Smaller financial institutions were also ruined by mortgage-backed debt. Western Federal Corporate Credit Union failed after its executives employed an improperly "aggressive investment strategy" that had no limits on highly rated mortgage bonds, according to a regulatory report on its collapse. Read more.

ABI LIVE WEBINAR: REVISITING RADLAX AND HALL – NEW LEGAL AND PRACTICAL IMPACT OF THE DECISIONS



See why this was the top-rated panel at the ABI Winter Leadership Conference last month! Join the expert panel on Feb. 19 from 12:00-1:15pm EST as they summarize and discuss the legal impact and practical implications of the Supreme Court’s 2012 decisions in Radlax and Hall. Participants include:

• Susan M. Freeman of Lewis and Roca LLP (Phoenix)

• Adam A. Lewis of Morrison & Foerster LLP (San Francisco)

• Prof. Charles J. Tabb of the University of Illinois College of Law (Champaign, Ill.)

• Eric E. Walker of Perkins Coie LLP (Chicago)

Click here to register!

POWER TO VETO BANKRUPTCY SALES AMONG ISSUES TO BE EXAMINED AT ABI'S 31ST ANNUAL SPRING MEETING



The 2013 Annual Spring Meeting, to be held April 18-21, 2013, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., features a roster of the best national speakers, while the depth and scope of topics offer something for everyone. Specifically, four concurrent workshops will cover various “tracks,” including programs for attorneys in commercial cases, a track for restructuring professionals, a track of professional development programming and a track dealing solely with consumer issues. More than 16 hours of CLE/CPE is offered in some states, along with ethics credit totaling 3 hours, making the cost only about $50 per credit. In addition, committee sessions will drill down on other topics to provide you with the most practical and varied CLE/CPE experience ever. Sessions include:

- 17th Annual Great Debates

- Mediation: An Irrational Approach to a Rational Result

- Creditors' Committees and the Role of Indenture Trustees and Related Issues

- Current Issues for Financial Advisors in Bankruptcy Cases

- The Individual Conundrum: Chapter 7, 11 or 13?

- Real Estate Issues in Health Care Restructurings

- Law Firm Bankruptcies

- How to Be a Successful Expert

- The Ethical Compass: Multiple Ethical Schemes Applicable to Financial Advisors

- Chapter 9s, Nonprofits and Other Nontraditional Restructuring Processes

- And much more!

The Spring Meeting will also feature a field hearing of the ABI Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11, a report from the ABI Ethics Task Force, a luncheon panel discussion moderated by Bill Rochelle of Bloomberg News, and a Final Night Gala Dinner featuring a concert by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts!

Enter code "LOVEASM50" at checkout to save $50 on a new registration this week! Click here to register today!

ABI IN-DEPTH

DON'T MISS THE 9TH ANNUAL WHARTON RESTRUCTURING AND DISTRESSED INVESTING CONFERENCE ON FEB. 22!



The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business will be holding the 9th Annual Wharton Restructuring and Distressed Investing Conference on Feb. 22 at the Hyatt at The Bellevue in Philadelphia. The theme of this year's conference is “Health of Nations: Distress, Recovery or Revival?” It will offer a unique opportunity to hear from a distinguished gathering of keynote speakers and panelists in their discussion of the current economic climate and issues of debt, investing, and restructuring across the globe. To register, please click here.

NEW BANKRUPTCY PROFESSIONALS: DON'T MISS THE NUTS AND BOLTS PROGRAM AT ABI'S ANNUAL SPRING MEETING! SPECIAL PRICING IF YOU ARE AN ASM REGISTRANT!



An outstanding faculty of judges and practitioners explains the fundamentals of bankruptcy in a one-day Nuts and Bolts program on April 18 being held in conjunction with ABI's Annual Spring Meeting. Ideal training for junior professionals or those new to this practice area!

The morning session covers concepts all bankruptcy practitioners need to know, and the afternoon session splits into concurrent tracks, focusing on consumer and business issues. The session will include written materials, practice tip sessions with bankruptcy judges, continental breakfast and a reception after the program. Click here to register!

LATEST CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: LEAVITT V. FINNEY (IN RE FINNEY; 9TH CIR.)



Summarized by David Hercher of Miller Nash LLP

The Ninth Circuit ruled that because the chapter 13 debtor received a chapter 7 discharge in a prior case commenced during the four-year period before the current petition date, she was not entitled to a discharge in the current chapter 13 case, even though the first case was commenced under chapter 13 and converted to chapter 7 before discharge.

There are more than 750 appellate opinions summarized on Volo, and summaries typically appear within 24 hours of the ruling. Click here regularly to view the latest case summaries on ABI’s Volo website.

NEW ON ABI’S BANKRUPTCY BLOG EXCHANGE: CASE FOCUSES ON A COMMERCIAL LANDLORD'S CLAIM FOR INDEMNIFICATION



The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A recent post examines the case of In re Mervyn's Holdings, LLC, in which the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware held that a claim arising from an indemnification provision, in a non-residential commercial lease, which was rejected post-petition, was entitled to administrative priority pursuant to § 365(d)(3) of the Bankruptcy Code.

Be sure to check the site several times each day; any time a contributing blog posts a new story, a link to the story will appear on the top. If you have a blog that deals with bankruptcy, or know of a good blog that should be part of the Bankruptcy Exchange, please contact the ABI Web team.

ABI Quick Poll

After Stern, bankruptcy courts do not have the constitutional authority to enter final judgments on fraudulent conveyance claims.

Click here to vote on this week's Quick Poll. Click here to view the results of previous Quick Polls.

INSOL INTERNATIONAL



INSOL International is a worldwide federation of national associations for accountants and lawyers who specialize in turnaround and insolvency. There are currently 37 member associations worldwide with more than 9,000 professionals participating as members of INSOL International. As a member association of INSOL, ABI's members receive a discounted subscription rate. See ABI's enrollment page for details.

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2013

February

- ABI Live Webinar: Revisiting RadLAX and Hall- New Legal and Practical Impact of the Decisions

     February 19, 2013

- VALCON 2013

     February 20-22, 2013 | Las Vegas, Nev.

- 9th Annual Wharton

Restructuring and Distressed Investing Conference

     February 22, 2013 | Philadelphia, Pa.

March

- 37th Annual Alexander L. Paskay Seminar on Bankruptcy Law and Practice

     March 7-9, 2013 | St. Petersburg, Fla.

- Bankruptcy Battleground West

     March 22, 2013 | Los Angeles, Calif.

April

- "Nuts and Bolts" Program at ASM

     April 18, 2013 | National Harbor, Md.

- Annual Spring Meeting

     April 18-21, 2013 | National Harbor, Md.

May

- "Nuts and Bolts" Program at NYCBC

     May 15, 2013 | New York, N.Y.

- New York City Bankruptcy Conference

     May 16, 2013 | New York, N.Y.

- Litigation Skills Symposium

     May 21-24, 2013 | Dallas, Texas

June

- Memphis Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

     June 7, 2013 | Memphis, Tenn.

COMMENTARY: TOO BIG TO FAIL? THEN GET A LIVING WILL



JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon's congressional testimony on trading losses has again stirred debate on the notion of "too-big-to-fail" banks, according to a Bloomberg News commentary yesterday by John C. Dugan, the former Comptroller of the Currency, and T. Timothy Ryan Jr., president and CEO of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s losses were buffered by a strong balance sheet and sufficient capital levels to avoid putting the bank at risk. However, opponents of the Dodd-Frank financial reform's resolution process have used this to resurrect their belief that "too big to fail" has not been eliminated, but instead been codified into law. As former bank regulators who both sat on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. board, Dugan and Ryan disagree that this step has taken place. The FDIC recently proposed a way of reorganizing a large financial institution under Dodd-Frank that would avoid runs by short-term depositors and creditors and prevent messy defaults on swaps and other derivatives. More important, the FDIC's proposal would also avoid taxpayer losses, which Dodd-Frank flatly prohibits. Instead, losses would be borne by shareholders and long-term creditors of the failed holding company. Long-term creditors would swap their debt for equity to recapitalize the company. The process would be functionally identical to a chapter 11 reorganization, according to the commentary, with two critical exceptions: It could be done much faster, and, if necessary, the Treasury Department could provide temporary loans (backed by collateral) to the reorganized company until market funding returns. Read the full commentary.

ANALYSIS: BREAKING UP BIG BANKS HARD TO DO AS MARKET FORCES FAIL



Politicians and regulators have resisted calls from some investors to split up conglomerates that were assembled over two decades by executives such as former Citigroup CEO Sanford "Sandy" Weill and former Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis, Bloomberg News reported yesterday. While these universal banks offered customers everything from checking accounts and insurance to derivatives trading and merger advice, the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent performance of the companies is calling that approach into question. Some investors, tired of unpredictable losses, costly regulation and legal headaches, have abandoned the banks in favor of more focused lenders such as Wells Fargo & Co. and U.S. Bancorp. Bank of America has traded below book value since 2009, while New York-based Citigroup has done so since 2010, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. "It is not clear why a bank needs to do lots of activities in financial services that aren't banking," said Ken Fisher, CEO and founder of Woodside, Calif.-based Fisher Investments, which manages about $44 billion in investments. "The universal bank model is broken," said David Trone, an analyst at JMP Securities LLC. Read more.

CALIFORNIA FORECLOSURE-PREVENTION MEASURE NEARS FINAL PASSAGE



A foreclosure-prevention measure is one step away from final passage in the California Legislature, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday. A two-house conference committee yesterday, on a partisan 4-1 vote, sent identical measures to the floors of the California Assembly and Senate with final votes scheduled for Monday. The bills, S.B. 900 and A.B. 278, are the most controversial elements of a Homeowner Bill of Rights legislative package sponsored by California Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris. The bills aim to protect homeowners in two ways:

• They ban "dual tracking," when mortgage loan servicers allow borrowers to open an application for loan modification to lower their payments while at the same time the foreclosure process continues to move forward. Servicers would be required to provide homeowners with "a single point of contact" so that they will not suffer from bureaucratic runarounds.
  
  
  
• They give owner-occupier, first-mortgage holders a right to sue financial institutions, under limited conditions, if the lenders have willfully, intentionally or recklessly violated the law.

Bankers, the state Chamber of Commerce and the securities industry oppose the bills, saying that they are overly complicated, lack legal clarity and could spur many unnecessary lawsuits. The bills would take effect on Jan. 1 if approved, as expected, by Democratic majorities in both houses. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has not indicated whether he would sign the measures, though sponsors have said they do not expect a veto. Read more.

ANALYSIS: SOME STUDENT LOANS TO BECOME MORE EXPENSIVE DESPITE DEAL



College students are still facing a roughly $20 billion increase in the cost of their federal loans, despite a much-heralded deal by Congress to contain the expense of higher education, according to a Washington Post analysis yesterday. Starting Sunday, students hoping to earn the graduate degrees that have become mandatory for many white-collar jobs will become responsible for paying the interest on their federal loans while they are in school and immediately after they graduate, meaning that they will have to pay an extra $18 billion out of pocket over the next decade. Meanwhile, the government will no longer cover the interest on undergraduate loans during the six months after students finish school. That is expected to cost those borrowers more than $2 billion. Much of the recent debate about the nation's soaring student debt burden has centered on how to prevent the interest rate on new federally subsidized undergraduate loans from doubling to 6.8 percent on Sunday. This week, Senate leaders announced that they had finally reached a compromise on how to pay the estimated $6 billion cost of freezing the rate for one year. Congress is expected to approve the deal by Friday. Read more.

FIRMS RESIST NEW PAY-EQUITY RULES



As the final shareholder votes on executive pay round out this year's proxy season, companies are fighting another rule that could force them to disclose the gap between what they pay their CEOs and their median pay for employees, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. The rule's supporters - a group that includes labor unions, institutional shareholders and left-leaning activists - say that it would force companies to consider rank-and-file workers during boardroom discussions over CEO pay and could put the brakes on executive compensation, which has been rising faster than inflation and the average worker's pay. The so-called internal pay equity provision, passed as part of the July 2010 Dodd-Frank package of financial reforms, is intended to expose the income disparity within public companies and help investors better evaluate the firms. Read more. (Subscription required.)

ABI IN-DEPTH

LATEST CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: LEVESQUE V. SHAPIRO (IN RE LEVESQUE; 9TH CIR.)



Summarized by Emil Khatchatourian of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California

The Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel held that the chapter 7 trustee had standing to appear with respect to the debtors' motion to reopen their chapter 7 case and motion to convert the chapter 7 case to one under chapter 11, and that the bankruptcy court did not abuse its discretion in denying the debtors' motion to convert.

More than 500 appellate opinions are summarized on Volo typically within 24 hours of the ruling. Click here regularly to view the latest case summaries on ABI’s Volo website.

NEW ON ABI’S BANKRUPTCY BLOG EXCHANGE: FSB REPORTS REGULATOR REFORM IS ADVANCING, BUT SLOWLY



The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A recent post looks at a June 19 report by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) on the steps FSB member nations have taken to implement financial reforms designed to improve the stability of the global financial system. The FSB concluded that its member nations have made significant progress in implementing globally agreed upon financial reforms, but large strides are still necessary to protect the global economy against future financial crises.

Be sure to check the site several times each day; any time a contributing blog posts a new story, a link to the story will appear on the top. If you have a blog that deals with bankruptcy, or know of a good blog that should be part of the Bankruptcy Exchange, please contact the ABI Web team.

ABI Quick Poll

The full-payment rule in section 1325's "hanging paragraph" for new car PMSIs should be repealed to level the playing field between car lenders and other partially and fully unsecured creditors.

Click here to vote on this week's Quick Poll. Click here to view the results of previous Quick Polls.

IS YOUR ABI MEMBERSHIP PROFILE CURRENT?



Keeping a current profile will allow you to benefit from one of ABI's most important services - networking. When you update your profile, you are putting your most valuable information in the membership directory. Be sure to include your areas of expertise, firm information, education and join any other committees that are of interest. Click here to update your profile.

INSOL INTERNATIONAL



INSOL International is a worldwide federation of national associations for accountants and lawyers who specialize in turnaround and insolvency. There are currently 37 member associations worldwide with more than 9,000 professionals participating as members of INSOL International. As a member association of INSOL, ABI's members receive a discounted subscription rate. See ABI's enrollment page for details.

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July

- Northeast Bankruptcy Conference and Northeast Consumer Forum

     July 12-15, 2012 | Bretton Woods, N.H.

- Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop

     July 25-28, 2012 | Amelia Island, Fla.

August

- Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop

     August 2-4, 2012 | Cambridge, Md.

September

- Complex Financial Restructuring Program

     September 13-14, 2012 | Las Vegas, Nev.


- Southwest Bankruptcy Conference

     September 13-15, 2012 | Las Vegas, Nev.

- 38th Annual Lawrence P. King and Charles Seligson Workshop on Bankruptcy & Business Reorganization

     September 19-20, 2012 | New York, N.Y.

October

- Nuts & Bolts for Young and New Practitioners - KC

     October 4, 2012 | Kansas City, Mo.

- Midwestern Bankruptcy Institute Program, Midwestern Consumer Forum

     October 5, 2012 | Kansas City, Mo.

- Bankruptcy 2012: Views from the Bench

     October 5, 2012 | Washington, D.C.

- Chicago Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

     October 8, 2012 | Chicago, Ill.

- International Insolvency and Restructuring Symposium

     October 18, 2012 | Rome, Italy

STOCKTON EXPERIENCED YEARS OF UNRAVELING PRIOR TO BANKRUPTCY



Stockton, Calif., recently became the largest city in the country to declare bankruptcy, but evidence of its unraveling has been mounting for years, the New York Times reported today. Housing prices shot up in the early 2000s, when commuters from the San Francisco Bay area bought and built homes in Stockton. After the bubble burst, the median home price plummeted by more than 60 percent in the last five years. In the first half of this year, the city had the highest foreclosure rate of any in the country, according to RealtyTrac. The unemployment rate has hovered around 17 percent for the last few years, nearly double the national average. While Stockton’s bankruptcy troubles can be traced in part to the collapse of the housing market and the subsequent erosion of the city's tax base, for years city leaders also mismanaged and overspent funds, pushing the city into financial peril, analysts and current city officials say. Stockton cannot afford the $417 million it owes for retiree health benefits, city officials say, and this year a bank repossessed city-owned parking garages and a $40 million building the city had bought intended to house an upgraded City Hall. Since 2009, the city has cut 25 percent of its police officers, 30 percent of its Fire Department and over 40 percent of all other city employees. Read more.

CALIFORNIA'S "CHARTER" CITIES ARE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE



The last three large California cities to seek bankruptcy protection are all "charter cities," and now another charter city, Compton, says that it may have to file for bankruptcy by September, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Of California's 482 cities, 121 have their own constitutions, or charters. That gives them more leeway in governing their own affairs, including the freedom to set their own rules about elections, salaries and contracts. But that autonomy may be at the root of some of their fiscal problems, some experts say. Charter cities are exempt from state laws that mandate salary limits for elected officials. These cities also were free during good times to include generous worker pay and staffing agreements in their charters that can be difficult to alter quickly during financial duress. Read more. (Subscription required.)

FORECLOSURE CRISIS HITTING OLDER AMERICANS



A new AARP report says that more than 1.5 million older Americans have already lost their homes, with millions more at risk as the national housing crisis takes its toll on those who are among the worst positioned to weather the storm, the Associated Press reported today. According to AARP:

• Nearly 600,000 people who are 50 years or older are in foreclosure.

• About 625,000 in the same age group are at least three months behind on their mortgages.

• Nearly 3.5 million — 16 percent of older homeowners — are underwater, meaning their home values have gone down and they now owe more than their homes are worth.

AARP said that over the past five years, the proportion of loans held by older Americans that are seriously delinquent jumped by more than 450 percent. Homeowners who are younger than 50 have a higher rate of serious delinquency than their older counterparts. But the rate is increasing at a faster pace for older Americans than for younger ones, according to AARP’s analysis of more than 17 million mortgages. Read more.

Click here to read AARP's press release on the report.

COMMENTARY: THE CFPB’S NEW MORTGAGE DISCLOSURES ARE A BUST



The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) "Mortgage Disclosure Team" just came out with two proposed forms that are supposed to make things easier for borrowers, but lenders, including nonprofit Habitat for Humanity, are concerned that the new forms will impede their ability to enable low-income families to become homeowners, according to a commentary in today's Wall Street Journal. The CFPB is proposing to replace the old mortgage disclosure forms with a new Loan Estimate Form and Closing Disclosure Form. However, any lender, including organizations such as Habitat, is at legal risk if they try to help low-income borrowers who lack the ability to repay their loans. The new rules would also forbid many borrowers from making smaller payments every month, followed by a single, one-time balloon payment to retire the principal at the end, according to the commentary. Read more. (Registration required.).

STUDENT DEBT HITS THE MIDDLE-AGED



Student debt is rising sharply among all age groups, but middle-aged Americans appear to be struggling the most with payments, according to new data released on Tuesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. The delinquency rate—or the percentage of debt on which no payment has been made for 90 days—was 11.9 percent for debt held by borrowers aged 40 to 49 as of March. That compares with a rate of 8.7 percent for borrowers of all ages. Two-thirds of the nation's $900 billion in student debt is held by Americans under 40, the Fed estimates. But borrowers over 40 are having a particularly tough time with student debt for several reasons, consumer and higher-education experts say. Many debtors over 40 are still paying balances incurred years ago from college, while their home values and savings have declined sharply in recent years. An Education Department program that provides loans to parents to fund their kids' education is also among the fastest-growing of the government's education loan programs. Read more. (Subscription required.)

REPORT: PENSION UNDERFUNDING ON THE RISE



The amount by which pensions at S&P 500 companies are underfunded grew from $245 billion to $355 billion between 2010 and 2011, according to a new report from Standard & Poor's, CongressDaily reported today. Additionally the transportation bill Congress passed at the end of June included a pension provision that broadened the timeline used to calculate how much companies should stow away to cover pension obligations. The longer timeline reduces the short-term impact of the recession, freeing up cash for companies to spend (and the government to tax). But the benefits are fleeting: "It appears that Congress was willing to permit future payments to obtain tax receipts now, even though the expected net return would turn negative after five years," according to the report. Read more.

COMMENTARY: KEEPING CREDIT BUREAUS IN CHECK



The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Sept. 30 will start supervising credit reporting agencies, including the big three: Equifax, TransUnion and Experian, according to a commentary in yesterday's Washington Post. For years, consumer advocates have complained that the information collected often includes errors. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the bureaus and any businesses supplying them with data must correct inaccurate information. The bureaus, in turn, are required to put systems in place that allow consumers to dispute information. However, surveys have shown that getting erroneous information removed from credit files can be an exasperating experience. The credit bureau industry claims that most reports are accurate, but one problem with the system, according to the commentary, is that the bureaus rely on information provided to them by companies seeking to collect debts. The CFPB will supervise credit reporting agencies that have more than $7 million in annual receipts. This means that the agency's authority will cover about 30 companies that account for about 94 percent of the market. The three major credit bureaus issue more than 3 billion consumer reports a year and maintain files on more than 200 million Americans, the CFPB said. Read more.

ABI IN-DEPTH

“SUBJECTING BUSINESS PROJECTIONS TO SCRUTINY IN VALUATION DISPUTES” WEBINAR TO BE HELD ON JULY 30!



Reassembling the speakers from the highest-rated panel at the New York City Bankruptcy Conference this year, ABI will be holding a live webinar on July 30 at 11 a.m. ET titled, "Subjecting Business Projections to Scrutiny in Valuation Disputes." Panelists include:

• Moderator David Pauker of Goldin Associates, LLC (New York)
• Martin J. Bienenstock of Proskauer (New York)
• David M. Hillman of Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP (New York)
• Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Gerber (S.D.N.Y.)

The panel will address:

• How much deference should management projections be accorded?
• How do you determine whether projections are unrealistically optimistic or pessimistic?
• What is the relevance of "market consensus?"
• How do management’s incentives impact projections?

The webinar is available to ABI members for $75 and is approved for 1.0 CLE hours in Calif., Ga., Hawaii, Ill., N.Y. (approved jurisdiction policy) S.C. and Texas. CLE approval is pending in Del., Fla., Pa. and Tenn. To register, please click here.

LATEST CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: STUDENSKY V. MORGAN (IN RE MORGAN; 5TH CIR.)



Summarized by Aaron Kaufman of Cox Smith Matthews Inc.

The Fifth Circuit reversed the judgment of the district court and held that where a debtor does not claim a homestead exemption and then sells the homestead post-petition, the debtor has the burden of claiming the exemption in the proceeds within the six months allowed under applicable state law. In this case, because the debtor failed to claim an exemption in his homestead and failed to claim an exemption in the proceeds during the six months following the sale (i.e., while the proceeds were exempt under state law), the debtor lost his right to claim an exemption in the sale proceeds. The trustee's objection should have been sustained. The lower courts' decisions were reversed and remanded.

More than 570 appellate opinions are summarized on Volo typically within 24 hours of the ruling. Click here regularly to view the latest case summaries on ABI’s Volo website.

NEW ON ABI’S BANKRUPTCY BLOG EXCHANGE: LIBOR SCANDAL UNDERMINES BANKERS' CLAIMS OF OVERREGULATION



The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A recent post examines the issues surrounding the Libor scandal and how it is undermining the push by bankers for looser regulations.

Be sure to check the site several times each day; any time a contributing blog posts a new story, a link to the story will appear on the top. If you have a blog that deals with bankruptcy, or know of a good blog that should be part of the Bankruptcy Exchange, please contact the ABI Web team.

ABI Quick Poll

The anti-modification rule for home mortgages in chapter 13 should be repealed, subjecting mortgage debts to bifurcation like any other secured claim.

Click here to vote on this week's Quick Poll. Click here to view the results of previous Quick Polls.

IS YOUR ABI MEMBERSHIP PROFILE CURRENT?



Keeping a current profile will allow you to benefit from one of ABI's most important services - networking. When you update your profile, you are putting your most valuable information in the membership directory. Be sure to include your areas of expertise, firm information, education and join any other committees that are of interest. Click here to update your profile.

INSOL INTERNATIONAL



INSOL International is a worldwide federation of national associations for accountants and lawyers who specialize in turnaround and insolvency. There are currently 37 member associations worldwide with more than 9,000 professionals participating as members of INSOL International. As a member association of INSOL, ABI's members receive a discounted subscription rate. See ABI's enrollment page for details.

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Join our networks to expand yours.

July

- Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop

     July 25-28, 2012 | Amelia Island, Fla.

-Valuation Webinar, July 30 at 11 a.m. ET

August

- Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop

     August 2-4, 2012 | Cambridge, Md.

September

- Complex Financial Restructuring Program

     September 13-14, 2012 | Las Vegas, Nev.


- Southwest Bankruptcy Conference

     September 13-15, 2012 | Las Vegas, Nev.

- 38th Annual Lawrence P. King and Charles Seligson Workshop on Bankruptcy & Business Reorganization

     September 19-20, 2012 | New York, N.Y.

October

- Nuts & Bolts for Young and New Practitioners - KC

     October 4, 2012 | Kansas City, Mo.

- Midwestern Bankruptcy Institute Program, Midwestern Consumer Forum

     October 5, 2012 | Kansas City, Mo.

- Bankruptcy 2012: Views from the Bench

     October 5, 2012 | Washington, D.C.

- Chicago Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

     October 8, 2012 | Chicago, Ill.

- International Insolvency and Restructuring Symposium

     October 18, 2012 | Rome, Italy

November

- Detroit Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

     November 12, 2012 | Detroit, Mich.

ANALYSIS: MORTGAGE INTEREST DEDUCTION UNDER SCRUTINY IN CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET TALKS



As President Obama and Congress try to work out a deal to reduce the budget deficit, scrutiny of the mortgage interest deduction for homeowners will likely be part of the discussion, the New York Times DealBook blog reported today. Limits on a broad array of deductions could emerge in any budget deal. It is likely that caps would target high-income households, and would diminish or end the mortgage tax break for many of those taxpayers. Such a move would be fiercely opposed by the real estate industry, which has played a crucial role in defending the tax break, even as other countries with high homeownership have phased it out. Read more.

SECOND CIRCUIT HEARS FHFA'S MBS LITIGATION



The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit this week will hear arguments over whether the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) will be allowed to follow through with lawsuits filed against 16 banks alleged to have sold Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac $200 billion worth of mortgage-backed securities that did not live up to representations made by the banks, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. The banks argue that FHFA filed the suits too late. FHFA claims that the suits were timely brought. The disagreement largely turns on whether a statute of limitations provision within the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, which created FHFA and vested within it the power to bring suits to recover losses stemming from the mortgage crisis, displaces the statutes of repose in the various securities laws. Read more. (Subscription required.)

EDITORIAL: ELIZABETH WARREN SHOULD GET SEAT ON SENATE BANKING COMMITTEE



Some bankers, their lobbyists and their Republican allies on the Senate Banking Committee are reportedly angling to keep Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren off the Committee, according to a New York Times editorial on Friday. Republicans have opposed Ms. Warren before, notably in their successful fight in 2011 to prevent her from becoming the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency that was her brainchild and is arguably the most important part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who assigns freshman senators to the committees, should not let them get their way again, the editorial argues. As a bankruptcy expert, Harvard law professor and former chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel charged with overseeing the bank bailouts, Warren would join the banking committee as the fight intensifies over the Volcker Rule, a provision of Dodd-Frank she has supported that would curb speculation by banks. Read more.

SCHAPIRO'S DEPARTURE COULD SLOW DODD-FRANK IMPLEMENTATION



Mary Schapiro's departure from the Securities and Exchange Commission will leave the agency's rulemakers evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, which could slow progress on many Dodd-Frank rules that the agency still has to write, National Journal reported today. Schapiro is stepping down from her post as SEC chairman on Dec. 14. President Obama plans to designate current commissioner Elisse Walter as chairman, but the five-member commission will be down to four: Walter and Luis Aguilar, who are both Democrats, and Troy Paredes and Daniel Gallagher, who are Republicans. Experts expect Obama to name a replacement for Schapiro as soon as early 2013, but any pick will need Senate confirmation, which could take months. That means it could be up to a year before the SEC is back up to full strength. Read more.

OPEN PUBLIC HEARING ON CHAPTER 11 REFORM AT ABI'S WINTER LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE



ABI's Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 will hold a public hearing on Friday, Nov. 30, at 11:15 a.m. (MT) during the Winter Leadership Conference in Tucson, Ariz., at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort. Members are encouraged to watch the hearing via a live webstream available at http://commission.abi.org. All materials are part of the Commission's record to be transmitted to Congress following the two-year investigation and report.

JUST RELEASED: BEST OF ABI 2012 FOR CONSUMER AND BUSINESS BANKRUPTCY



New in the ABI Bookstore is the latest in ABI's annual “Best of ABI” series for 2012. Drawn from the most incisive ABI Journal articles and the highest-rated conference sessions of 2012, these volumes gather the hottest topics in consumer and business bankruptcy into two must-have references that belong in every practitioner’s library. Best of ABI 2012: The Year in Consumer Bankruptcy, edited by ABI Resident Scholar Susan E. Hauser (North Carolina Central University School of Law; Durham, N.C.) and ABI Board Member and ABI Journal Executive Editor Alane A. Becket (Becket & Lee LLP; Malvern, Pa.), covers the latest on chapter 13, the foreclosure crisis, tax issues, student loans and much more.

The companion volume, Best of ABI 2012: The Year in Business Bankruptcy, edited by Peter S. Partee, Sr. (Hunton & Williams LLP; New York), includes the latest on such timely topics as intercreditor and confirmation issues, avoidance actions and executory contracts. New this year: Both volumes include summaries of relevant cases drawn from volo.abi.org, as well as commentary from the editors. Available for purchase separately or as a specially-priced bundle, the new Best of ABI books can be ordered today at bookstore.abi.org. (Please log in first to obtain the discounted member price).

ABI IN-DEPTH

LATEST CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: RASO V. FAHEY (IN RE FAHEY; 1ST CIR.)



Summarized by Bodie Colwell of Bernstein Shur

Concluding that the debtor acted in a fiduciary capacity as an ERISA fiduciary, as well as a fiduciary of a technical trust under common law, the BAP reversed the order of the bankruptcy court and remanded for proceedings consistent with the opinion.

There are nearly 700 appellate opinions summarized on Volo, and summaries typically appear within 24 hours of the ruling. Click here regularly to view the latest case summaries on ABI’s Volo website.

NEW ON ABI’S BANKRUPTCY BLOG EXCHANGE: BANKRUPTCY COURT WARNS ON "WARN" ACT



The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A recent post examines a decision by Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn, who recently dismissed a putative class action complaint filed on behalf of former employees of MF Global that alleged that the chapter 11 trustee for MF Global Holdings Ltd. and certain of its subsidiaries and the SIPA trustee for MF Global Inc. failed to provide sufficient notice under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (the “WARN Act”) and the New York version of the WARN Act prior to terminating these employees. In its memorandum opinion and order, the bankruptcy court considered whether the SIPA trustee and chapter 11 trustee were "employers" for purposes of the WARN Act and the NY WARN Act, or "liquidating fiduciaries" who are excepted from the obligation to comply with the advance-notice requirements of these WARN statutes, in which case the actions of the trustees would be protected.

Be sure to check the site several times each day; any time a contributing blog posts a new story, a link to the story will appear on the top. If you have a blog that deals with bankruptcy, or know of a good blog that should be part of the Bankruptcy Exchange, please contact the ABI Web team.

ABI Quick Poll

Despite the "free and clear" language of Sect. 363(f), purchasers of assets in 363 sales may still be liable for injuries to unidentifiable future claimants. (In re Grumman Olson Indus, S.D.N.Y.).

Click here to vote on this week's Quick Poll. Click here to view the results of previous Quick Polls.

LATEST BLOOMBERG LAW VIDEO: RESERVE FUND'S LAWYER: MY CLIENTS WERE "VICTIMS"



John Dellaportas, partner at Duane Morris LLP, talks with Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia about his successful representation of Bruce Bent Sr., Bruce Bent II and their investment advisory firm Reserve Management Co. and Resrv Partners Inc. in a securities fraud lawsuit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Click here to watch.

INSOL INTERNATIONAL



INSOL International is a worldwide federation of national associations for accountants and lawyers who specialize in turnaround and insolvency. There are currently 37 member associations worldwide with more than 9,000 professionals participating as members of INSOL International. As a member association of INSOL, ABI's members receive a discounted subscription rate. See ABI's enrollment page for details.

Have a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn Account?

Join our networks to expand yours.

November

- Winter Leadership Conference

     November 29 - December 1, 2012 | Tucson, Ariz.

December

- Forty-Hour Bankruptcy Mediation Training

     December 4-8, 2012 | New York, N.Y.

2013

January

- Western Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

     January 21, 2013 | Las Vegas, Nev.

- Rocky Mountain Bankruptcy Conference

     January 24-25, 2013 | Denver, Colo.

February

- Caribbean Insolvency Symposium

     February 7-9, 2013 | Miami, Fla.

- Kansas City Advanced Consumer Bankruptcy Practice Institute

     February 17-19, 2013 | Kansas City, Mo.

- VALCON 2013

     February 20-22, 2013 | Las Vegas, Nev.

March

- Bankruptcy Battleground West

     March 22, 2012 | Los Angeles, Calif.

CONGRESS APPROVES STUDENT LOAN INTEREST PLAN

The millions of college students and parents who will borrow money from the federal government for the coming school year can plan on much lower interest rates than originally offered, as the U.S. House overwhelmingly voted 392 to 31 yesterday to approve a Senate plan that would allow interest rates to move with the financial markets, the Washington Post reported today. The plan now goes to President Obama for signature, who has already voiced his support. Undergraduates who take out federal loans for the coming school year can expect an interest rate of 3.86 percent, while the rate for graduate students will be 5.41 percent. The interest rate for PLUS loans, available to graduate students and parents of students, will be 6.41 percent. All of those rates are lower than the current fixed rates of 6.8 percent for Stafford loans and 7.9 percent for PLUS loans. These rates will apply to loans taken out since July 1 and will lock in for the lifetime of the loan. The plan calls for limits on how high the rates can go: 8.25 percent for undergraduates, 9.5 percent for graduate students and 10.5 percent for PLUS loans. Read more.

DETROIT

COMMENTARY: FOR DETROIT'S RETIREES, MICHIGAN'S PENSION PROMISE MUST BE KEPT



If all of Detroit's creditors and claimants are on the hook for a reduction in the $18.5 billion in debt and long-term liabilities they're owed, a fair settlement cannot be reached without accounting for the damage done in the process, to the city and to its people, according to an editorial today in the Detroit Free Press. Among the city's claimants, retirees are the most vulnerable, according to the editorial. Their payouts are meager -- an average of $30,000 a year for police and fire, $19,000 for other city employees -- but absolutely crucial to their survival. And even though the pension systems' elected leadership mismanaged funds, made poor investments and overstated the funds' health, to place the burden of the consequences of those missteps on recipients is a nightmare. If you're getting only about $1,600 a month -- now subject to state income tax -- even a small adjustment can be devastating. Many pensioners would have to turn to public assistance, lose their independence, or worse. The editorial insists that Detroit face up to its decades of financial mismanagement, support the idea that residents and services should be prioritized over the city's debts and liabilities, and accept that bankruptcy is the vehicle for that restructuring. A financially solvent Detroit bought at the expense of retirees' welfare and safety is an equation that doesn't balance. Read the full editorial.

Looking for court documents or the state statutes referenced in the Detroit bankruptcy case? The latest news stories and analysis? Audio and video of experts examining the issues of the case? ABI has all those items and more on ABI's Detroit Bankruptcy Resources webpage. As new developments break and filings are registered with the court throughout the proceeding, ABI's Detroit webpage will keep you up-to-date on the proceeding. Make sure to bookmark and regularly visit http://news.abi.org/detroit.

BLOOMBERG'S LATEST "BILL ON BANKRUPTCY" VIDEO: DETROIT COULD MEAN LITTLE FOR CREDITORS



How Detroit is dramatically different from any other municipal bankruptcy is the first topic of discussion on the video with Bloomberg Law's Lee Pacchia and Bloomberg News bankruptcy columnist Bill Rochelle. To watch the video, please click here.

ANALYSIS: EMINENT DOMAIN BATTLE PITS HOMEOWNER AGAINST HOSPITAL

Robert and Patricia Castillo, a California couple who have already had their monthly mortgage payments cut by almost 60 percent, want the city of Richmond to reduce their debt further by using its powers of eminent domain. But that could be bad for hospitals in Missouri, according to a Bloomberg News analysis today. The Castillos owe $436,500 on two loans on a three-bedroom home that's now worth about $125,000. The hospitals are members of a mutual insurer that's among investors in the Pimco High Yield Fund, which owns a slice of the bonds backed by loans including the Castillos'. Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin said "it's our community that's at stake here," and the eminent domain plan is needed to help her city stem its foreclosure crisis. At least a dozen cities still dealing with the fallout of the housing bust are studying proposals to confiscate home loans and write them down to help homeowners escape oversized debt burdens. Pacific Investment Management Co., which is known as Pimco and manages the world's largest bond fund, is among mortgage-securities investors organizing a coalition to take legal action to oppose the push. The program is advocated by Steven Gluckstern's Mortgage Resolution Partners LLC, which would provide services and arrange for private investment funds that would profit by buying the loans for less than property values and then reworking them. Read more.

BANKS FIND S&P TO BE MORE FAVORABLE IN ITS BOND RATINGS



Five years after inflated credit ratings helped touch off the financial crisis, the nation's largest ratings agency, Standard & Poor's, is winning business again by offering more favorable ratings, the New York Times DealBook blog reported today. S&P has been giving higher grades than its big rivals to certain mortgage-backed securities just as Wall Street is eagerly trying to revive the market for these investments, according to an analysis conducted for the New York Times by Commercial Mortgage Alert, which collects data on the industry. S&P's chase for business is notable because it is fighting a government lawsuit accusing it of similar action that occurred before the financial crisis. As the company battles those accusations, industry participants say that it has once again been moving to capture business by offering Wall Street underwriters higher ratings than other agencies will offer. Banks have shown a new willingness to hire S&P to rate their bonds and have tripled its market share in the first half of 2013. Its biggest rivals have been much less likely to give higher ratings. Read more.

SEC POISED TO ACT ON CEO PAY



A rule requiring public companies to disclose how much their chief executives are paid compared to average workers will be issued "in the near future," according to the chairwoman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), The Hill reported yesterday. "I hope that it is completed in the next month or two," Mary Jo White said at a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Tuesday. The rule was ordered under the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010, but has yet to be issued by the SEC. Democrats and union leaders who back the rule say it would help workers negotiate their salaries and expose patterns of income inequality. Business groups have opposed the requirement as overly burdensome, and worry that it could end up hurting companies by diverting money and resources to calculating the total benefits, overtime and other pay measures for all workers. Read more.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT - abiLIVE WEBINAR DISCUSSING § 1111(b) ELECTION, PLAN FEASIBILITY AND CRAMDOWN ISSUES RECORDING IS NOW AVAILABLE!



If you were not able to attend ABI's recent abiLIVE webinar examining § 1111(b), a recording of the program is now available for downloading! Utilizing a case study, ABI's panel of experts explored the issues surrounding a lender's decision on whether or not to make an election under § 1111(b), plan feasibility and voting. The abiLIVE panel also walked attendees through the necessary mathematical analyses used to examine these issues. The 90-minute recording is available for the special price of $75 and can be purchased here.

abiLIVE WEBINAR ON AUGUST 20: HOW WILL THE NEW U.S. TRUSTEE FEE GUIDELINES IMPACT YOU?



The new U.S. Trustee Fee Guidelines will affect all attorneys and firms who work on larger chapter 11 cases filed on or after Nov. 1. ABI's Ethics & Professional Compensation Committee will present a panel of experts, including Clifford J. White, the director of the U.S. Trustee Program, to discuss some of the ways the new guidelines could change day-to-day operations in firms, issues relating to the new market rate benchmarks, and how these changes might alter insolvency practice. Register today to hear government, attorney and academic perspectives speak on this important and timely topic.

ABI GOLF TOUR UNDERWAY; NEXT STOP IS THE MID-ATLANTIC BANKRUPTCY WORKSHOP NEXT WEEK



The 5th stop for the ABI Golf Tour is the Hershey Country Club, in conjunction with next week's Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop. Final scoring to win the Great American Cup — sponsored by Great American Group — is based on your top three scores at seven scheduled ABI events, so play as many as you can before the tour wraps up at the Winter Leadership Conference in December. See the Tour page for details and course descriptions. The ABI Golf Tour combines networking with fun competition, as golfers "play their own ball." Including your handicap means everyone has an equal chance to compete for the glory of being crowned ABI's top golfer of 2013! A 22-handicapper won the tour event last week at Amelia Island, Fla.! There's no charge to register or participate in the Tour.

ABI IN-DEPTH

ASSOCIATES: ABI'S NUTS & BOLTS ONLINE PROGRAMS HELP YOU HONE YOUR SKILLS WHILE SAVING ON CLE!



Associates looking to sharpen their bankruptcy knowledge should take advantage of ABI's special offer of combining general, business or consumer Nuts & Bolts online programs. Each program features an outstanding faculty of judges and practitioners explaining the fundamentals of bankruptcy, offering procedures and strategies tailored for both consumer and business attorneys. Click here to get the CLE you need at a great low price!

NEW CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: THE WHITE FAMILY COMPANIES INC. V. SLONE (IN RE DAYTON TITLE AGENCY INC.; 6TH CIR.)



Summarized by Thomas DeCarlo

The Sixth Circuit ruled that funds constitute property of the debtor at the time of transfer for purposes of avoiding a fraudulent transfer. Provisional credit by the bank for a check deposited by the debtor to hold in trust for a third party amounted to a loan to the debtor when deposited check bounced. As the third party never actually conveyed any money to the debtor, there was nothing for the debtor to hold in trust.

There are more than 900 appellate opinions summarized on Volo, and summaries typically appear within 24 hours of the ruling. Click here regularly to view the latest case summaries on ABI’s Volo website.

NEW ON ABI’S BANKRUPTCY BLOG EXCHANGE: MERCHANTS SCORE A WIN IN SWIPE FEE WAR

The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A recent blog post examines a federal judge's ruling that overturned the Federal Reserve's rule on debit card swipe fee caps, effectively stating that the central bank had set the caps too high.

Be sure to check the site several times each day; any time a contributing blog posts a new story, a link to the story will appear on the top. If you have a blog that deals with bankruptcy, or know of a good blog that should be part of the Bankruptcy Exchange, please contact the ABI Web team.

ABI Quick Poll

A class of claims should not be considered impaired for purposes of § 1129(a)(10) if the impairment results from the plan proponents' exercise of discretion (i.e., artificial impairment) and not driven by economic need. (In re Village at Camp Bowie I LP).

Click here to vote on this week's Quick Poll. Click here to view the results of previous Quick Polls.

INSOL INTERNATIONAL



INSOL International is a worldwide federation of national associations for accountants and lawyers who specialize in turnaround and insolvency. There are currently 43 member associations worldwide with more than 9,000 professionals participating as members of INSOL International. As a member association of INSOL, ABI's members receive a discounted subscription rate. See ABI's enrollment page for details.

Have a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn Account?

Join our networks to expand yours.

2013

August

- Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop

    August 8-10, 2013 | Hershey, Pa.

- abiLIVE Webinar: How Will the New U.S. Trustee Fee Guidelines Impact You?

     August 20, 2013

- Southwest Bankruptcy Conference

    August 22-24, 2013 | Incline Village, Nev.

September

- ABI Endowment Golf & Tennis Outing

    Sept. 10, 2013 | Maplewood, N.J.

- ABI Endowment Baseball Game

    Sept. 12, 2013 | Baltimore, Md.

- Lawrence P. King and Charles Seligson Workshop on Bankruptcy & Business Reorganization

    Sept. 18-19, 2013 | New York

- abiLIVE Webinar: Complex Requirements and Ethical Duties of Representing Consumer Debtors

     Sept. 24, 2013

- Bankruptcy 2013: Views from the Bench

    Sept. 27, 2013 | Washington, D.C.

October

- Midwestern Bankruptcy Institute Program and Midwestern Consumer Forum

    Oct. 4, 2013 | Kansas City, Mo.

- Professional Development Program

    Oct. 11, 2013 | New York, N.Y.

- Chicago Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

    Oct. 14, 2013 | Chicago, Ill.

- International Insolvency & Restructuring Symposium

    Oct. 25, 2013 | Berlin, Germany

November

- Complex Financial Restructuring Program

   Nov. 7, 2013 | Philadelphia, Pa.

- Corporate Restructuring Competition

   Nov. 7-8, 2013 | Philadelphia, Pa.

- Austin Advanced Consumer Bankruptcy Practice Institute

   Nov. 10-12, 2013 | Austin, Texas

- Detroit Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

   Nov. 11, 2013 | Detroit, Mich.

December

- Winter Leadership Conference

    Dec. 5-7, 2013 | Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.

- ABI/St. John’s Bankruptcy Mediation Training

    Dec. 8-12, 2013 | New York

STATE BANKRUPTCY DEBATE RETURNS



Nearly two years after a "fierce" debate that "fizzled as quickly as it started," University of Pennsylvania law professor David Skeel is arguing that the idea of giving states a way to file for bankruptcy remains relevant and necessary, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. In addition to corporations and consumers, the Bankruptcy Code allows municipalities to seek chapter 9 protection. But there is currently no chapter set aside for states that find themselves teetering on the brink of insolvency, nor have states needed one. Yet with major budget deficits, underfunded pensions and declining tax revenues, some say that states should have a legal framework within which to restructure. Skeel advocated the idea of state bankruptcy in The Weekly Standard, as well as in the pages of the Wall Street Journal between November 2010 and January 2011, and the view picked up steam once Newt Gingrich and Jeb Bush added their voices. "Creditors of states have a great deal [of difficulty] collecting from the state," Skeel said recently in resurrecting the idea of state bankruptcy. "It's really hard to get a state to pay you because of sovereign immunity." Read more. (Subscription required.)

REGULATOR FACES ANOTHER LAWSUIT OVER DODD-FRANK



The Obama administration's new rules for Wall Street suffered another setback this week as the financial industry leveled a lawsuit challenging a crucial piece of the regulatory overhaul, the New York Times DealBook blog reported on Friday. The CME Group, a giant Chicago exchange, sued its regulator last Thursday over a new rule that aims to shed light on the murky derivatives trading industry. The regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, drafted the rule in January under guidance from the Dodd-Frank Act. The case is part of the financial industry's broader legal assault on Dodd-Frank. As regulators hash out the final details of some 400 rules, Wall Street has shifted the fight from backroom lobbying to the courtroom. The trading commission has already been sued twice over Dodd-Frank rules, and Wall Street plans to turn up the heat on the Obama administration next year with a bevy of other legal challenges. Read more.

ANALYSIS: CHILD'S EDUCATION, PARENTS' CRUSHING LOANS



There are record numbers of student borrowers in financial distress, but millions of parents who have taken out loans to pay for their children's college education make up a less-visible generation in debt, the New York Times reported yesterday. For the most part, these parents did well enough through midlife to take on sizable loans, but some have since fallen on tough times because of the recession, health problems, job loss or lives that took a sudden hard turn. In the first three months of this year, the number of student loan borrowers aged 60 and older was 2.2 million, a figure that has tripled since 2005. That makes them the fastest-growing age group for college debt. All told, those borrowers owe $43 billion, up from $8 billion seven years ago, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Read more.

TWO MILLION COULD LOSE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS UNLESS CONGRESS EXTENDS PROGRAM



More than 2 million Americans stand to lose their jobless benefits unless Congress reauthorizes federal emergency unemployment help before the end of the year, the Washington Post reported today. The people in danger of having their unemployment checks cut off are among those who have benefited least from the slowly improving job market: Americans who have been out of work longer than six months. These workers have exhausted their state unemployment insurance, leaving them reliant on the federal program. In addition to those at risk of abruptly losing their benefits in December, 1 million people would have their checks curtailed by April if the program is not renewed, according to lawmakers and advocates pushing for an extension. Read more.

ANALYSIS: DEEP DISCOUNTS ON FORECLOSED HOMES DISAPPEARING



A market analysis by Zillow found that the average national discount on a foreclosure in September has fallen to only about 8 percent below market value, the Washington Post reported today. That is a significant change from the 24 percent average markdown reported in 2009 during the depths of the housing bust, and another signal that the country's housing market is inching toward recovery. "There’s no such thing as a fire sale on a foreclosure right now," said Marc Joseph, a real estate agent in Fort Myers, Fla. "We’re getting back to that point where if something good hits the markets, we’re getting multiple offers again." According to Zillow, the deepest discounts can be found on foreclosures in the Pittsburgh area, at 27 percent. Cleveland, Cincinnati and Baltimore have average markdowns on foreclosures topping 20 percent. But in many hard-hit markets, particularly ones where home prices fell sharply and investors and buyers have swooped in to buy up foreclosures, discounts have all but vanished. Zillow found that in Las Vegas and Phoenix, there is "no discernible difference" between foreclosure and non-foreclosure sales. Read more.

OPEN PUBLIC HEARING ON CHAPTER 11 REFORM AT ABI'S WINTER LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE



ABI's Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 will hold a public hearing on Friday, Nov. 30, at 11:15 a.m. (MT) during the Winter Leadership Conference in Tucson, Ariz., at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort. Members are welcome to provide testimony on their suggestions for ways to improve the operation of chapter 11. The hearing is the fifth in a series of public field hearings. Statements and video from all the recent hearings can be found at the Commission website at http://commission.abi.org.

Interested members should contact Sam Gerdano at sgerdano@abiworld.org for more details about in-person testimony. Those interested may also file written statements of any length for consideration by the Commission. All materials will be part of the Commission's record to be transmitted to Congress following the two-year investigation and report. Please consider this great opportunity to become part of the legal reform of the Bankruptcy Code.

The next public hearing will be Thursday, Nov. 15, at the CFA Annual Convention in Phoenix. For future Commission hearings, please click here: http://commission.abi.org/.

ABI IN-DEPTH

LATEST CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: OVERSTREET V. JOINT FACILITIES MANAGEMENT, LLC (IN RE CRESCENT RESOURCE LLC; 5TH CIR.)



Summarized by Eric Lockridge of Kean Miller LLP

The Fifth Circuit ruled that an untimely Rule 59(e) motion to alter or amend a district court's judgment affirming a bankruptcy court's dismissal order does not extend the 30-day deadline to file a notice of appeal of the district court's judgment.

There are nearly 700 appellate opinions summarized on Volo, and summaries typically appear within 24 hours of the ruling. Click here regularly to view the latest case summaries on ABI’s Volo website.

NEW ON ABI’S BANKRUPTCY BLOG EXCHANGE: DEWEY LEBOEUF AVOIDS LITIGATION MORASS OF MOST LAW FIRM BANKRUPTCY CASES



The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A recent post examines how the settlement in the Dewey LeBoeuf case has helped the firm avoid the failures that typically produce lengthy and litigious bankruptcy cases. For more on issues related to large firm bankruptcies, listen to a recent ABI podcast here.

Be sure to check the site several times each day; any time a contributing blog posts a new story, a link to the story will appear on the top. If you have a blog that deals with bankruptcy, or know of a good blog that should be part of the Bankruptcy Exchange, please contact the ABI Web team.

ABI Quick Poll

Despite the "free and clear" language of Sect. 363(f), purchasers of assets in 363 sales may still be liable for injuries to unidentifiable future claimants. (In re Grumman Olson Indus, S.D.N.Y.).

Click here to vote on this week's Quick Poll. Click here to view the results of previous Quick Polls.

HAVE YOU TUNED IN TO BLOOMBERG LAW'S VIDEO PODCASTS?



Bloomberg Law's video podcasts feature top experts speaking about current bankruptcy topics. The podcasts are available via Bloomberg Law's YouTube channel so that you can access the programs from your computer or device of your choice! Click here to view the Bloomberg Law video podcasts.

INSOL INTERNATIONAL



INSOL International is a worldwide federation of national associations for accountants and lawyers who specialize in turnaround and insolvency. There are currently 37 member associations worldwide with more than 9,000 professionals participating as members of INSOL International. As a member association of INSOL, ABI's members receive a discounted subscription rate. See ABI's enrollment page for details.

Have a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn Account?

Join our networks to expand yours.

November

- Winter Leadership Conference

     November 29 - December 1, 2012 | Tucson, Ariz.

December

- Forty-Hour Bankruptcy Mediation Training

     December 4-8, 2012 | New York, N.Y.

2013

January

- Western Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

     January 21, 2013 | Las Vegas, Nev.

- Rocky Mountain Bankruptcy Conference

     January 24-25, 2013 | Denver, Colo.

February

- Caribbean Insolvency Symposium

     February 7-9, 2013 | Miami, Fla.

- Kansas City Advanced Consumer Bankruptcy Practice Institute

     February 17-19, 2013 | Kansas City, Mo.

- VALCON 2013

     February 20-22, 2013 | Las Vegas, Nev.

U.S. MORTGAGE, CREDIT CARD DELINQUENCY RATES DECLINE



TransUnion Corp. reported today that the delinquency rates for mortgages and credit cards declined during the second quarter, and the firm predicts mortgage-delinquency rates will maintain their downward trajectory for the remainder of 2012, according to Dow Jones Newswires. The national mortgage delinquency rate--or the rate of borrowers at least 60 days past due--dropped for the second consecutive quarter, to 5.49 percent from the 5.78 percent mortgage delinquency rate in the first quarter. Between the first and second quarters of 2012, all but five states experienced decreases in their mortgage-delinquency rates, and 76 percent of metropolitan areas saw improvement in their mortgage-delinquency rates during the second quarter. Meanwhile, the national credit card delinquency rate--or the ratio of borrowers at least 90 days past due--dropped to 0.63 percent in the second quarter from 0.73 percent in the previous quarter. The credit card delinquency rate is at its lowest level since reaching 0.6 percent a year earlier. Read more.

COMMENTARY: THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD LOOK TO MASS MORTGAGE REFINANCING



With principal writedown no longer an option, the government needs to find a new way to facilitate mass mortgage refinancings, according to a commentary in today's New York Times by Prof. Joseph E. Stiglitz of Columbia University and Mark Zandi of Moody's Analytics. Refinancing at the current low rates would allow homeowners to significantly reduce their monthly payments, and a mass refinancing program would work like a potent tax cut. Refinancing would also significantly reduce the chance of default for underwater homeowners, according to the commentary. With fewer losses from past loans burdening their balance sheets, lenders could make more new loans, and communities plagued by mass foreclosures might see relief from blight. Read the full commentary.

DURBIN SEES VISA ACCORD THWARTING PUSH TO CAP CREDIT CARD FEES



Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.)'s office told retailers that their efforts to have Congress rein in credit card swipe fees would be imperiled if they support a $6.6 billion antitrust settlement with Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc., Bloomberg News reported yesterday. "This is going to foreclose the prospect of good legislation for the foreseeable future," Dan Swanson, senior judiciary counsel for Durbin, said in a conference call with the Food Marketing Institute. Durbin, the Senate Majority Whip, won the inclusion of limits on debit-card swipe fees, or interchange, in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act. That trimmed annual revenue for the biggest U.S. banks by about $8 billion and benefited retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. Credit-card swipe fees are higher and generate about $40 billion a year for lenders such as JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. The Food Marketing Institute, a trade group whose members include Target, Sears Holdings Corp. and Wal-Mart, does not have a position on the settlement. Visa, MasterCard and banks agreed last month to resolve the seven-year-old case, one of the largest class actions in history. The deal, which requires the approval of U.S. District Judge John Gleeson in Brooklyn, N.Y., may be nullified if enough merchants refuse to join the proposed class action. Read more.

MUNICIPAL BOND RULE MIRED IN LEGISLATIVE LIMBO



A provision of the Dodd-Frank Act that would require municipal bond advisers to put the interests of taxpayers first has been bogged down in a rule-making quagmire in Washington, D.C., the New York Times reported today. As part of the wide-ranging regulatory changes that followed the financial crisis of 2008, the Dodd-Frank Act included a provision that would make municipal advisers "fiduciaries," meaning they must put local residents’ interests ahead of their own. Making advisers fiduciaries would be “the first time in the history of the securities laws that issuers of the securities have been protected,” said Robert W. Doty, president of AGFS, a consulting firm in Sacramento. He is a registered municipal adviser and favors the fiduciary mandate. But before that provision can take effect, the law calls for the Securities and Exchange Commission to define "municipal adviser." The SEC proposed a definition 20 months ago, but it was swiftly beaten back by the banking, brokerage and engineering industries, among others. Opponents argued that the SEC was overreaching and that they were already regulated and should not be given a new mandate. Additionally, Rep. Robert J. Dold (R-Ill.) introduced a bill last year that would eliminate the measure. Read more.

ANALYSIS: HARD TIMES SPREAD FOR CITIES



Fiscal woes that have caused high-profile bankruptcies in California are surfacing across the country as municipalities struggle with uneven growth and escalating health and pension costs following the worst recession since the 1930s, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Budget crunches already have prompted Michigan lawmakers to authorize emergency fiscal managers, and led the mayor of Scranton, Pa., to temporarily cut the pay of all city workers to the minimum wage. In a majority of the nation's 19,000 municipalities—urban and rural, big and small—stagnant property tax revenues, diminish aid from states and rising costs are forcing less dramatic but still difficult steps. Moody's Investors Service recently said that while municipal bankruptcies are likely to remain rare, it warned of a "a small but growing trend in fiscally troubled cities unwilling to pay their debt obligations." Read more. (Subscription required.)

ABI MEMBERS WELCOME TO ATTEND ACB'S FREE HALF-DAY "BANKRUPTCY: BACK TO THE FUTURE" PROGRAM IN SEPTEMBER



The American College of Bankruptcy invites you to attend a free half-day program on Sept. 28 in Chicago for a discussion of many of the challenging topics facing current bankruptcy and reorganization professionals. Topics to be addressed include recent decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, important work of the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules, and developments in the field of bankruptcy ethics. The nation’s leading judges, academics and bankruptcy professionals are among the speakers for the program. While there is no cost to attend, seating is limited, so early reservation is suggested. For more information and to register, please click here.

ABI IN-DEPTH

LATEST CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: FIRST PREMIER CAPITAL LLC V. REPUBLIC BANK OF CHICAGO (IN RE EQUIPMENT ACQUISITION RESOURCES; 7TH CIR.)



Summarized by Allen Guon of Shaw Gussis Fishman Glantz Wolfson & Towbin LLC

Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's ruling, which affirmed the bankruptcy court's ruling, that the granting of the settlement motion was not an abuse of discretion.

There are 600 appellate opinions summarized on Volo typically within 24 hours of the ruling. Click here regularly to view the latest case summaries on ABI’s Volo website.

NEW ON ABI’S BANKRUPTCY BLOG EXCHANGE: FIFTH CIRCUIT HOLDS STATE AGENCY PROCEEDINGS EXEMPT FROM AUTOMATIC STAY



The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A recent post examines the Fifth Circuit’s ruling on June 18 in Halo Wireless, Inc. v. Alenco Communications, Inc., et al., affirming a bankruptcy court order that various state public utility commission proceedings initiated against Halo could proceed despite Halo’s subsequent chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Be sure to check the site several times each day; any time a contributing blog posts a new story, a link to the story will appear on the top. If you have a blog that deals with bankruptcy, or know of a good blog that should be part of the Bankruptcy Exchange, please contact the ABI Web team.

ABI Quick Poll

The Twombly/Iqbal rule for pleading ‘plausible’ claims has been applied too stringently in dismissing avoidance actions for failure to state a claim.

Click here to vote on this week's Quick Poll. Click here to view the results of previous Quick Polls.

HAVE YOU TUNED IN TO BLOOMBERG LAW'S VIDEO PODCASTS?



Bloomberg Law's video podcasts feature top experts speaking about current bankruptcy topics. The podcasts are available via Bloomberg Law's YouTube channel so that you can access the programs from your computer or device of your choice! Click here to view the Bloomberg Law video podcasts.

INSOL INTERNATIONAL



INSOL International is a worldwide federation of national associations for accountants and lawyers who specialize in turnaround and insolvency. There are currently 37 member associations worldwide with more than 9,000 professionals participating as members of INSOL International. As a member association of INSOL, ABI's members receive a discounted subscription rate. See ABI's enrollment page for details.

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September

- 7th Annual Golf and Tennis Outing

     September 11, 2012 | Maplewood, N.J.

- Complex Financial Restructuring Program

     September 13-14, 2012 | Las Vegas, Nev.

- Southwest Bankruptcy Conference

     September 13-15, 2012 | Las Vegas, Nev.

- 38th Annual Lawrence P. King and Charles Seligson Workshop on Bankruptcy & Business Reorganization

     September 19-20, 2012 | New York, N.Y.

- American College of Bankruptcy's "Bankruptcy: Back to the Future" Program

     September 28, 2012 | Chicago, Ill.

October

- Nuts & Bolts for Young and New Practitioners - KC

     October 4, 2012 | Kansas City, Mo.

- Midwestern Bankruptcy Institute Program, Midwestern Consumer Forum

     October 5, 2012 | Kansas City, Mo.

- Bankruptcy 2012: Views from the Bench

     October 5, 2012 | Washington, D.C.

- Chicago Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

     October 8, 2012 | Chicago, Ill.

- "Trending Issues: Examiners and Select Plan Confirmation Issues" Webinar

     October 15, 2012

- International Insolvency and Restructuring Symposium

     October 18, 2012 | Rome, Italy

November

- U.S./Mexico Restructuring Symposium

     November 7, 2012 | Mexico City, Mexico

- Professional Development Program

     November 9, 2012 | New York, N.Y.

- Detroit Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

     November 12, 2012 | Detroit, Mich.

U.S. MORTGAGE DELINQUENCY RATE APPROACHING PRE-RECESSION LEVEL

Five years after the end of the U.S. recession, the number of Americans who are behind on their mortgages and the backlog of homes in the foreclosure process are finally approaching pre-recession levels, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The U.S. mortgage delinquency rate -- loans that are a payment or more behind but not yet in foreclosure -- fell to 6.39 percent of loans in the fourth quarter of 2013, down from 7.09 percent a year ago and the lowest rate since the early months of the recession in the first quarter of 2008, according to a report released today by the Mortgage Bankers Association. The backlog of foreclosure inventory also fell to its lowest level since 2008, while the number of loans on which lenders initiated foreclosure was the lowest since 2006, just as the housing bubble was starting to burst. Western markets like California and Arizona were among the hardest hit by the real estate bust, but they now have foreclosure inventories that rank among the bottom handful of states. Read more. (Subscription required.)

U.S. CREDIT CARD LATE PAYMENTS UP IN 4Q FROM 3Q

Many Americans took on more credit card debt and failed to make timely payments in the final quarter of 2013, when consumers typically crank up spending on holiday shopping, the Associated Press reported yesterday. While late payments crept up over last quarter, the national late-payment rate remained close to its lowest level in six years, credit reporting agency TransUnion reported on Tuesday. The rate of credit card payments at least 90 days overdue was 1.48 percent in the October-December quarter. That's up from 1.36 percent in the previous three-month period, but down from 1.61 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, the firm said. Average card debt per borrower rose 1.7 percent from the third quarter to an average of $5,325. It slipped 1 percent from a year earlier. Read more.

SURVEY: CLOSE TO HALF OF AMERICANS HAVE MORE CREDIT CARD DEBT THAN SAVINGS

A recent survey by Bankrate.com found that only 51 percent of Americans have enough cash in their emergency accounts to clear themselves of credit card debt, CBSNews.com reported yesterday. According to the survey, nearly 30 percent of Americans reported having more credit card debt than emergency savings -- the highest percentage in the past four years. Meanwhile, some 17 percent reported they had neither emergency savings nor credit card debt. The overall personal savings rate has fallen even as Americans have increased their spending. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. personal savings rate fell to 4.2 percent in November of last year. That is near the recent low mark of just under 3 percent, which came at the end of 2007. Read more.

FEDERAL RESERVE PUTS RATE INCREASE ON THE RADAR

Conversation at the Federal Reserve's most recent policy meeting turned to something that hasn't been a serious topic for years: the possibility of interest-rate increases in the near future, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The Fed has held short-term interest rates at close to zero since December 2008, near the height of the financial crisis, and Chairwoman Janet Yellen shows no appetite for raising them soon. Investors generally don't see Fed rate increases until well into 2015, a view also held by many officials. Still, a "few" Fed officials argued at a Jan. 28-29 policy meeting that increases might be needed soon to prevent the economy from overheating, according to minutes of the meeting released yesterday. The Fed cut its monthly bond purchases by $10 billion to $65 billion at the January meeting, and officials agreed to stay on a path of winding down the program by year-end, barring an unexpected slowdown in the economy. The program, launched at the end of 2012, is aimed at lowering long-term interest rates in hopes of spurring more spending, hiring and investment. Read more. (Subscription required.)

LOOKING TO SEE WHAT IS IN STORE FOR ABI'S 32ND ANNUAL SPRING MEETING? WATCH HERE

Register today!

ABI MEMBERS INVITED TO ATTEND TOMORROW'S WHARTON RESTRUCTURING AND DISTRESSED INVESTING CONFERENCE

ABI members are invited to attend the 10th Annual Wharton Restructuring and Distressed Investing Conference, taking place tomorrow at the Union League of Philadelphia. The theme for this year's conference is "Then & Now: Lessons of the Market Cycle," and the program will offer a unique opportunity to hear from a distinguished gathering of keynote speakers and panelists in their discussion of the current economic climate and issues of debt, investing, and restructuring across the globe. To see the keynote speakers for the conference and to register, please click here.

DUBERSTEIN GALA AWARDS DINNER ON MARCH 3 TO PAY TRIBUTE TO BANKRUPTCY JUDGE BURTON LIFLAND AND CHIEF BANKRUPTCY CLERK JOSEPH HURLEY

The Gala Awards Dinner at this year's 22nd Annual Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition on March 3 will feature a special tribute to Bankruptcy Judge Burton J. Lifland of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York and Joseph P. Hurley, Chief Bankruptcy Clerk (retired) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York. To purchase tickets for the gala or to find out more information, please visit http://www.dubersteingala.com.

JUST ONE WEEK REMAINING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ABI BOOKSTORE CLEARANCE SALE!

To make room for new books in 2014, ABI is having a special Bookstore clearance sale. Now, when you buy either Best of ABI 2013: The Year in Business Bankruptcy or The Year in Consumer Bankruptcy, you can choose a free book from a select list of ABI publications. You'll be able to make your selection when you click "Buy Now" on either edition of the Best of ABI 2013. To purchase the Best of ABI 2013: The Year in Business Bankruptcy, please click here.

But the offer ends at the end of February, so act now to claim your free book! Make your selection when you click "Buy Now" on either edition of the Best of ABI 2013. To purchase the Best of ABI 2013: The Year in Consumer Bankruptcy, please click here.

MARCH 4 IS THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR ABI'S SIXTH ANNUAL LAW STUDENT WRITING COMPETITION!

Law school students are invited to submit a paper between now and March 4, 2014 for ABI's Sixth Annual Bankruptcy Law Student Writing Competition. ABI will extend a complimentary one-year membership to all students who participate in this year's competition. Eligible submissions should focus on current issues regarding bankruptcy jurisdiction, bankruptcy litigation, or evidence issues in bankruptcy cases or proceedings. The first-place winner, sponsored by Invotex Group, Inc., will receive a cash prize of $2,000 and publication of his or her paper in the ABI Journal. The second-place winner, sponsored by Jenner & Block LLP, will receive a cash prize of $1,250 and publication of his or her paper in an ABI committee newsletter. The third-place winner, sponsored by Thompson & Knight LLP, will receive a cash prize of $750 plus publication of his or her paper in an ABI committee newsletter. For competition participation and submission guidelines, please visit http://papers.abi.org.

NEW ABILIVE WEBINAR ON MARCH 20 EXAMINES HOW TO DRAFT LOAN WORKOUT AGREEMENTS

The next abiLIVE webinar will take place on March 20 from 1-2:30 p.m. ET and will examine how to draft loan workout agreements. Learn the purpose and legal underpinnings of the various component parts of frequently used workout documents such as forbearance agreements, intercreditor agreements and restructuring/override agreements. The panel will focus on real-world examples of good and bad provisions of workout documents and will provide drafting tips. Group discounts available! Click here to register.

ABI IN-DEPTH

NEW CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: MITCHELL V. WEINMAN, ET AL. (IN RE MITCHELL; 10TH CIR.)

Summarized by Benjamin Ellison of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington

The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the debtors' objections that the underlying settlement conceding involuntary bankruptcy was void under FRCP 60(b)(4) because requirements for involuntary bankruptcy under 11 U.S.C. §303(b)(1) were not jurisdictional. The corporate debtor's objections on this basis were specifically denied because the pro se individual debtor lacked standing to assert claims on the corporation's behalf.

There are more than 1,200 appellate opinions summarized on Volo, and summaries typically appear within 24 hours of the ruling. Click here regularly to view the latest case summaries on ABI's Volo website.

NEW ON ABI'S BANKRUPTCY BLOG EXCHANGE: COURT OPINION SUPPORTS CREDIT BID CAP

A recent blog post takes a look at a recent opinion by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of the Delaware in In re Fisker Automotive Holdings Inc., 2014 WL 210593 (Bankr. D. Del. 01/17/2014), in which the court limited the credit bid of Fisker's secured creditor, Hybrid Tech Holdings, Inc., to $25 million, the amount it had paid to purchase the secured claim.

Be sure to check the site several times each day; any time a contributing blog posts a new story, a link to the story will appear on the top. If you have a blog that deals with bankruptcy, or know of a good blog that should be part of the Bankruptcy Exchange, please contact the ABI Web team.

ABI Quick Poll

The Bankruptcy Code permits a debtor to artificially impair a class for cramdown purposes.

Click here to vote on this week's Quick Poll. Click here to view the results of previous Quick Polls.

INSOL INTERNATIONAL

INSOL International is a worldwide federation of national associations for accountants and lawyers who specialize in turnaround and insolvency. There are currently 43 member associations worldwide with more than 9,000 professionals participating as members of INSOL International. As a member association of INSOL, ABI's members receive a discounted subscription rate. See ABI's enrollment page for details.

Have a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn Account?

Join our networks to expand yours.

2014

February
- VALCON14
    Feb. 26-28, 2014 | Las Vegas, Nev.

March
- Bankruptcy Battleground West
    March 11, 2014 | Los Angeles, Calif.
- Alexander L. Paskay Memorial
Bankruptcy Seminar
    March 13-15, 2014 | Tampa, Fla.
- abiLIVE Webinar: How to Draft Loan Workout Agreements
    March 20, 2014

April
- Annual Spring Meeting
    April 24-27, 2014 | Washington, D.C.

May
- Credit & Bankruptcy Symposium
    May 1-2, 2014 | Uncasville, Conn.
- New York City Bankruptcy Conference
    May 15, 2014 | New York, N.Y.
- Litigation Skills Symposium
    May 20-23, 2014 | Dallas, Texas

June
- Central States Bankruptcy Workshop
    June 12-15, 2014 | Lake Geneva, Wis.

July
- Northeast Bankruptcy Conference
    July 17-20, 2014 | Stowe, Vt.

August
- Fourth Hawai'i Bankruptcy Workshop
    Aug. 13-16, 2014 | Maui, Hawai'i

SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN DISCUSSES THE "STUDENT LOAN BORROWER BILL OF RIGHTS" ON LATEST ABI PODCAST

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Assistant Majority Leader for the Senate and sponsor of S. 1803, the "Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights," joined ABI Resident Scholar Prof. Charles Tabb for a discussion on key issues surrounding student debt. In addition to an overview and insight into his legislation, Durbin provides his thoughts on the risks to the U.S. if action is not taken to address the student debt crisis. Click here to listen to the podcast.

AMIDST CONTINUED CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY SLOWDOWN, EXPERTS WEIGH FUTURE TRENDS

Corporate bankruptcy activity has declined to an unprecedented and record-breaking low--despite pundit predictions, according to an analysis in Friday's ABL Advisor. BankruptcyData.com's research reveals that current corporate bankruptcy activity, or the unprecedented lack thereof, just up-ended historical chapter 11 benchmarks and pundit expectations as there were zero public filings in the entire month of January 2014. In fact, up until the chapter 11 filing on Feb. 2 of Tuscany International Drilling, the last public company to seek chapter 11 protection (OCZ Technology Group) was in early December -- making this 60-day stretch a quite a dry spell, according to bankruptcy experts. "We were expecting a lot of action on the restructuring and insolvency front, but what we got were fewer chapter 11 filings, especially among middle-market companies," says Jeffrey Testa, a partner at Newark, N.J.-based McCarter & English. Prof. Edward Altman of the NYU Stern School of Business adds, "Yes, it is unusual that chapter 11 public company filings are zero for a full month; usually the median month is about 4-5." Testa details how this unprecedented and unexpected decline came to be: "For every reason there should have been filings, there were factors that minimized them: Lenders have practiced forbearance rather than taking the collateral, and in their eyes, a marginally performing loan can be acceptable for the time being if revenues are covering operations. Filing for protection is seen as expensive, which eliminates the smaller filings and creates a trend toward out-of-court resolution. There's also a growing realization that not every restructuring results in the emergence of a successful, reorganized and ultimately profitable entity." Altman added that he expects "filings to pick up, however, in 2014, especially if liquidity dries up some" due to an escalation of problems in developing countries. Read more.

ANALYSIS: NEW REGULATIONS LEAVE BUYOUT BUSINESS OUT ON THEIR OWN

As banking rules are redrawn, the Volcker rule is forcing financial institutions to shed their buyout businesses, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. The rule -- part of the Dodd-Frank law --aims to limit the risks big banks can take with their own capital. Under the rule, approved by five federal financial-regulatory agencies last year, banks have to sharply reduce their stakes in their private-equity units, or shed them altogether, by 2015. Banks piled into the buyout business during the boom years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, taking part in some of the era's biggest corporate takeovers. JPMorgan Chase & Co. is currently in the process of spinning off One Equity Partners, a private-equity arm. The bank had been the firm's only investor, but won't put money into a new fund that One Equity Partners is raising, and it is exploring a sale of its stake in the buyout shop's existing investments. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to keep its private-equity businesses, but is reducing the amount of capital it holds in existing funds. To comply with a Volcker requirement that funds' names don't evoke those of their parent banks, it is replacing the moniker "GS Capital" with "Broad Street" on new funds. Read more. (Subscription required.)

COMMENTARY: GARLOCK CASE SENDS WARNING TO TORT BAR IN ASBESTOS BANKRUPTCIES

Garlock Sealing Technologies, which is trying to emerge from bankruptcy after a deluge of asbestos claims, took a courageous risk in taking on the tort bar in court, and it now plans to use the information it found in discovery as the basis for a racketeering, fraud and conspiracy suit against four national asbestos plaintiffs' firms, according to an editorial in Saturday's Wall Street Journal. Garlock, a gasket-maker, was forced into bankruptcy in 2010 by a flood of asbestos claims. Plaintiffs' lawyers were insisting that Garlock set aside $1.3 billion for victims of the deadly asbestos-related disease mesothelioma. Last month, Bankruptcy Judge George Hodges instead accepted Garlock's liability estimate of $125 million and roasted the plaintiffs' bar for its dishonesty. Most companies pushed into asbestos bankruptcies have set up trusts to pay claims. Garlock said that it had evidence that plaintiffs were filing claims with trusts in which they blamed non-Garlock products for their diseases, even as they accused Garlock in court. The judge allowed discovery in 15 cases Garlock had already settled, and as the judge wrote, "Garlock demonstrated that exposure evidence was withheld in each and every one of them." Read the full editorial. (Subscription required.)

ANALYSIS: ROLLING THE DICE ON MUNICIPAL BANKRUPTCIES

Moody's Investors Service said in a report last week that the amount of money that bond investors get back in municipal bankruptcies varies widely -- even among creditors who own debt with similar characteristics, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. The report is timely given the situation in Puerto Rico, which has about $70 billion in outstanding debt that is widely owned among U.S. investors. The commonwealth has been downgraded to junk recently by two major rating firms: Moody's Investors Service on Friday and Standard & Poor's Ratings Services earlier last week. Puerto Rico, which has been faced with a struggling economy in recent years, is not eligible for chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy, but it is unclear how bond investors would fare if the island could not pay back its debt. Island officials say that they are working to improve the commonwealth's finances and have assured investors that they will get their money back. Moody's analysts noted that in the bankruptcy case of Jefferson County, Ala., which was weighed down by more than $3 billion in sewer debt, investors who owned sewer bonds got back 54.1 percent of their money. However, J.P. Morgan Chase ended up with a recovery closer to 30 percent. (Moody's did not include in its calculations a fine that J.P. Morgan paid related to a bribery investigation connected to the county's sewer bonds.) Other creditors got as much as 80 percent, Moody's said. Read more. (Subscription required.)

PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ENDS SATURDAY FOR PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE FEDERAL RULES OF BANKRUPTCY PROCEDURE

The Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules has proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and Official Forms, and requested that the proposals be circulated to the bench, bar, and public for comment. On August 15, 2013, the public comment period opened for the proposed amendments to Bankruptcy Rules 2002, 3002, 3007, 3012, 3015, 4003, 5005, 5009, 7001, 9006, and 9009 and Official Forms 17A, 17B, 17C, 22A-1, 22A-1Supp, 22A-2, 22B, 22C-1, 22C-2, 101, 101A, 101B, 104, 105, 106Sum, 106A/B, 106C, 106D, 106E/F, 106G, 106H, 106Dec, 107, 112, 113, 119, 121, 318, 423 and 427. The public comment period closes on February 15, 2014. For more information, please click here.

To access the online comment site for the proposed amendments, please click here.

DUBERSTEIN GALA AWARDS DINNER ON MARCH 3 TO PAY TRIBUTE TO BANKRUPTCY JUDGE BURTON LIFLAND AND CHIEF BANKRUPTCY CLERK JOSEPH HURLEY

The Gala Awards Dinner at this year's 22nd Annual Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition on March 3 will feature a special tribute to Bankruptcy Judge Burton J. Lifland of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York and Joseph P. Hurley, Chief Bankruptcy Clerk (retired) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York. To purchase tickets for the gala or to find out more information, please visit http://www.dubersteingala.com.

PURCHASE EITHER THE CONSUMER OR BUSINESS EDITION OF THE BEST OF ABI 2013 AND RECEIVE A FREE ADDITIONAL TITLE!

To make room for new books in 2014, ABI is having a special Bookstore clearance sale. Now, when you buy either Best of ABI 2013: The Year in Business Bankruptcy or The Year in Consumer Bankruptcy, you can choose a free book from a select list of ABI publications. You'll be able to make your selection when you click "Buy Now" on either edition of the Best of ABI 2013. To purchase the Best of ABI 2013: The Year in Business Bankruptcy, please click here.

Make your selection when you click "Buy Now" on either edition of the Best of ABI 2013. To purchase the Best of ABI 2013: The Year in Consumer Bankruptcy, please click here.

ABI'S SIXTH ANNUAL LAW STUDENT WRITING COMPETITION DEADLINE APPROACHING

Law school students are invited to submit a paper between now and March 4, 2014 for ABI's Sixth Annual Bankruptcy Law Student Writing Competition. ABI will extend a complimentary one-year membership to all students who participate in this year's competition. Eligible submissions should focus on current issues regarding bankruptcy jurisdiction, bankruptcy litigation, or evidence issues in bankruptcy cases or proceedings. The first-place winner, sponsored by Invotex Group, Inc., will receive a cash prize of $2,000 and publication of his or her paper in the ABI Journal. The second-place winner, sponsored by Jenner & Block LLP, will receive a cash prize of $1,250 and publication of his or her paper in an ABI committee newsletter. The third-place winner, sponsored by Thompson & Knight LLP, will receive a cash prize of $750 plus publication of his or her paper in an ABI committee newsletter. For competition participation and submission guidelines, please visit http://papers.abi.org.

LOOKING FOR A REPLAY OF THE "BACK TO BASICS" WEBINARS? CHECK OUT ABI'S CLE SITE!

The final installment of ABI's "Back to Basics" live webinar series, hosted by the Young and New Members Committee, was held last week, and you now have the opportunity to access the programs at your convenience! The three webinars in the series, an examination of financial statements and operating reports, using financial documents as evidence and issues surrounding bankruptcy and hedge funds, are now posted to ABI's e-Learning website. Let a trusted CLE provider help get your associates up to speed.

LOOKING TO SEE WHAT IS IN STORE FOR ABI'S 32ND ANNUAL SPRING MEETING? WATCH HERE!

Register today!

ABI IN-DEPTH

NEW CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: JONES V. MULLEN (IN RE JONES; 9TH CIR.)

Summarized by Kevin M. Baum of St. John's University School of Law

The Ninth Circuit BAP affirmed the bankruptcy court's order approving the chapter 7 trustee's sale of real property transferred to the debtor post-petition upon the death of the grantor under a beneficiary deed under Arizona Law, which had been executed and recorded pre-petition. Particularly, the BAP held that the debtor's contingent interest in the real property under the beneficiary deed was property of the estate under 11 U.S.C. § 541(a)(1).

There are more than 1,200 appellate opinions summarized on Volo, and summaries typically appear within 24 hours of the ruling. Click here regularly to view the latest case summaries on ABI’s Volo website.

NEW ON ABI’S BANKRUPTCY BLOG EXCHANGE: ATTACKING LBO PAYOUTS AS STATE LAW FRAUDULENT TRANSFERS

The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks more than 80 bankruptcy-related blogs. A recent post examines the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York's recent decision in Weisfelner v. Fund 1 (In Re Lyondell Chemical Co.), 2014 WL 118036 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Jan. 14, 2014). The court held that the safe-harbor provision of 11 U.S.C. § 546(e) did not bar unsecured creditors from seeking, under state fraudulent-transfer law, to recover payouts made to former shareholders of a company acquired in a leveraged buyout.

Be sure to check the site several times each day; any time a contributing blog posts a new story, a link to the story will appear on the top. If you have a blog that deals with bankruptcy, or know of a good blog that should be part of the Bankruptcy Exchange, please contact the ABI Web team.

ABI Quick Poll

The Bankruptcy Code permits a debtor to artificially impair a class for cramdown purposes.

Click here to vote on this week's Quick Poll. Click here to view the results of previous Quick Polls.

INSOL INTERNATIONAL

INSOL International is a worldwide federation of national associations for accountants and lawyers who specialize in turnaround and insolvency. There are currently 43 member associations worldwide with more than 9,000 professionals participating as members of INSOL International. As a member association of INSOL, ABI's members receive a discounted subscription rate. See ABI's enrollment page for details.

Have a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn Account?

Join our networks to expand yours.

2014

February
- VALCON14
    Feb. 26-28, 2014 | Las Vegas, Nev.

March
- Bankruptcy Battleground West
    March 11, 2014 | Los Angeles, Calif.
- Alexander L. Paskay Memorial
Bankruptcy Seminar
    March 13-15, 2014 | Tampa, Fla.

April
- Annual Spring Meeting
    April 24-27, 2014 | Washington, D.C.

May
- Credit & Bankruptcy Symposium
    May 1-2, 2014 | Uncasville, Conn.
- New York City Bankruptcy Conference
    May 15, 2014 | New York, N.Y.
- Litigation Skills Symposium
    May 20-23, 2014 | Dallas, Texas

June
- Central States Bankruptcy Workshop
    June 12-15, 2014 | Lake Geneva, Wis.

July
- Northeast Bankruptcy Conference
    July 17-20, 2014 | Stowe, Vt.