Finance and Banking

BIG BANKS PUSH BACK AGAINST TIGHTER RULES



In the wake of the latest push against the too-big-to-fail banks, the banks are pushing back against regulators and legislators, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The banks have hired longtime influential Washington, D.C., personnel to deflect regulatory and political pressure to strengthen their finances and to sell assets. Regulators and some lawmakers have raised concern that large banks remain "too big to fail" and could require another government bailout in the event of another financial meltdown. The effort by banks marks a lobbying turning point for the industry, which adopted a mostly low-profile stance to new regulations in the wake of the financial crisis. It also comes as banks such as Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Corp. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are shedding lucrative assets that would have required them to hold more capital to compensate for their risk-taking. Several banks and the Financial Services Forum, a top trade association, have hired Tony Fratto, a former Bush administration official, to provide what they call a "rapid response" to criticism that the banks remain too large. Regulators and lawmakers are increasingly signaling that more work is needed to lessen the risk posed by large, complex banks, including bigger capital cushions and minimum amounts of expensive long-term debt. The moves by banks include pushing back against bipartisan legislation sponsored by Sens. David Vitter (R.-La.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) that would sharply increase capital cushions at large banks to the point where most analysts expect firms would be forced to shrink. Read more. (Subscription required.)

REALTYTRAC: FORECLOSURE ACTIVITY AT SIX-YEAR LOW IN APRIL



A report from RealtyTrac on Thursday showed that foreclosure activity fell in April to its lowest level in more than six years, the latest sign that the recovery in the housing market is on track, Reuters reported yesterday. Foreclosure activity – which includes default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions – was seen on 144,790 properties last month, down 5 percent from March and down 23 percent from a year earlier, the lowest level since February 2007. There were also signs that some foreclosures that had been deferred were working their way through the process in states that use the court system to handle foreclosures, known as judicial states. There are 26 judicial or quasi-judicial foreclosure states, according to RealtyTrac. Scheduled foreclosure auctions in judicial states rose 22 percent in April to their highest level since October 2010. Scheduled auctions in non-judicial states fell 7 percent. Read more.

U.S. PUBLISHERS STILL REELING FROM BORDERS BANKRUPTCY



The closure of Borders Group, Inc. is still causing problems for the U.S. publishing industry two years after the nation's number two bookseller closed down, the (London) Telegraph reported today. According to a report in Publishers Weekly, the 20 largest unsecured publishing creditors were owed $241 million when the company filed for chapter 11 protection in February 2011. It is not yet clear which publishers have settled, but figures have emerged showing the extent they were left out of pocket and how much they have so far been remunerated. Penguin Putnam was owed $41 million and has only received $12 million. Hachette Book Group was owed almost $37 million and has only been paid back $4.9 million. Simon & Schuster was owed $33.7 million and has received $10.7 million. Read more.

REPORT: COLLEGES SOAK POOR STUDENTS TO FUNNEL AID TO RICH



A report by the New America Foundation released yesterday found that U.S. colleges such as Boston University are using financial aid to lure rich students while shortchanging the poor, forcing those most in need to take on heavy debt, Bloomberg News reported yesterday. Almost two-thirds of private institutions require students from families making $30,000 or less annually to pay more than $15,000 a year, according to the report released today by the Washington, D.C.-based New America Foundation. The research analyzing U.S. Education Department data for the 2010-2011 school year undercuts the claims of many wealthy colleges that financial aid practices make their institutions affordable, said Stephen Burd, the report’s author. To increase their standing on college rankings, more private colleges are giving “merit aid” to top students, who are often affluent, while charging unaffordable prices to the needy, according to the report. The percentage of students receiving merit aid jumped to 44 percent in 2007-2008 from 24 percent in 1995-1996, the report found. Read more.

BLOOMBERG'S LATEST "BILL ON BANKRUPTCY" VIDEO: LEHMAN TEST CASE ON JUDICIAL NULLIFICATION



Although Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. has been out of bankruptcy for a year, Bloomberg Law's Lee Pacchia and Bloomberg News bankruptcy columnist Bill Rochelle discuss how Lehman is becoming a test case to decide whether a prohibition in one specific provision in bankruptcy law can be sidestepped by reliance on a general provision. To watch the full video, please click here.

NEW ABI LIVE WEBINAR ON MAY 29 WILL FOCUS ON CLASS ACTIONS IN BOTH BUSINESS AND CONSUMER CASES



Class action lawsuits in both chapter 11 and 13 cases are becoming more prevalent. Are you wondering whether your clients’ WARN Act claims would be better pursued against a debtor company in a class action adversary proceeding or in a class proof of claim, or both? If your client has been sued in a debtor’s consumer class action adversary proceeding, do you know the best defenses against class certification? ABI's panel of experts will highlight the case law and explore the potential benefits and pitfalls of class actions by creditors against debtor companies in chapter 11 cases and by debtors/trustees against creditors in chapter 13 cases on May 29 from 1-2:15 p.m. ET. Special ABI member rate available! Click here to register.

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!

ABI GOLF TOUR UNDERWAY; NEXT STOP IS CENTRAL STATES BANKRUPTCY WORKSHOP IN JUNE



Rob Schwartz and Scott Gautier are tied at 34 Stableford Points atop the closely bunched leaderboard after the ABI's Golf Tour's first stop at Lake Presidential Golf Club. Next up for the Tour is the famed Bear course at the Grand Traverse Resort at the Central States Bankruptcy Workshop on June 14. 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! There's no charge to register or participate in the Tour, and women are most welcome.

ABI MEMBERS WELCOME TO ATTEND INSOL'S LATIN AMERICAN REGIONAL SEMINAR ON JUNE 13 IN SAO PAULO



ABI members are encouraged to attend INSOL’s Latin American regional seminar in São Paulo, Brazil, on June 13. The one-day seminar has been organized by INSOL in association with TMA Brasil to cover current cross-border insolvency and restructuring topics. The seminar is designed to be interactive and to allow the attendees to discuss and debate about practical issues with speakers who are leading players in the insolvency and restructuring field and with experience in insolvency proceedings involving different countries. The seminar will benefit from simultaneous translation in English, Portuguese and Spanish. For more information and to register, please click here.

ABI IN-DEPTH

NEW CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: WEBER V. SEFCU (IN RE WEBER; 2D CIR.)



Summarized by Joel Levitin, Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP

The Second Circuit affirmed the district court's ruling and held that failing to deliver repossessed vehicle to the debtor promptly after receiving notice of pending petition constituted willful violation of the automatic stay under chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code, and that the creditor is responsible for actual damages, costs and attorney's fees.

There are more than 800 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: CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU CRACKS DOWN ON DEBT-SETTLEMENT SCAM

The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A recent blog post takes an in-depth look at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) referral of a case for criminal prosecution against a debt-settlement company, Mission Settlement Agency. The action is the first-ever criminal referral by the CFPB.

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

Bankruptcy courts should implement constructive trusts in any case where applicable state law would recognize them.

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

May

- "Nuts and Bolts" Program at NYCBC

     May 15, 2013 | New York, N.Y.

- ABI Endowment Cocktail Reception

     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

- ABI Live Webinar: Consumer Class Actions

     May 29, 2013

June

- Memphis Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

     June 7, 2013 | Memphis, Tenn.

- Central States Bankruptcy Workshop

     June 13-16, 2013 | Grand Traverse, Mich.

- INSOL’s Latin American Regional Seminar

     June 13, 2013 | São Paulo, Brazil

- Charity Golf Tournament

     June 14, 2013 | City of Industry, Calif.

July

- Northeast Bankruptcy Conference and Northeast Consumer Forum

     July 11-14, 2013 | Newport, R.I.

- Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop

     July 18-21, 2013 | Amelia Island, Fla.

August

- Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop

    August 8-10, 2013 | Hershey, Pa.

- 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.

REGULATORS AND 13 BANKS COMPLETE $9.3 BILLION DEAL FOR FORECLOSURE RELIEF



Federal banking regulators have reached a $9.3 billion pact with 13 major lenders to settle claims of foreclosure abuses like bungled loan modifications and flawed paperwork, the New York Times DealBook blog reported today. The settlement is made up of $3.6 billion in cash relief and $5.7 billion in relief to avert foreclosures. Under the deal, homeowners can receive up to $125,000 in cash relief. Despite the banner numbers in the settlement, consumer groups and a range of lawmakers have criticized it for not providing enough relief for aggrieved homeowners. The agreement formalizes the tentative deals that were reached in January between the mortgage servicing companies and the regulators from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve. Read more.

FORECLOSURE SALES IN 2012 HIT LOWEST MARK IN FIVE YEARS



While 2012 had the fewest foreclosure-related sales of homes since 2007, RealtyTrac released figures today showing that levels remained far higher than before the bursting of the housing-market bubble, MarketWatch.com reported today. Almost 950,000 U.S. properties in some state of foreclosure or owned by a bank were sold in 2012, down 6 percent from the prior year, according to RealtyTrac, an online foreclosure marketplace. Despite the decline, these sales remain far above the pre-bubble-burst levels: There were about 46,000 foreclosure-related sales in 2005, according to RealtyTrac. Foreclosure-related sales made up about 21 percent of all U.S. residential sales last year, down from 23 percent in the prior year, but much greater than the roughly 1 percent of foreclosure sales in 2005. Meanwhile, properties sold as short sales rose 4 percent from the prior year. These short sales made up about 22 percent of all residential sales last year. Read more.

CFPB DECELERATES REVIEW OF CHECKING OVERDRAFT RULES



The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which last year began exploring whether to tighten rules on checking overdraft fees, has decided against quick action after hearing from smaller U.S. banks that rely on the revenue, Bloomberg News reported today. The bureau announced Feb. 22, 2012, that it was collecting data on overdraft practices and would complete the inquiry by the end of 2012. Nine large banks, including Bank of America Corp., U.S. Bancorp and Regions Financial Corp., are providing information. This month, CFPB director Richard Cordray said that no decisions have been made about possible new rules, adding that "over the next couple of years" the agency will continue to work on the matter. Camden Fine, president of the Independent Community Bankers of America, said revenue from overdraft fees represents 3 percent to 15 percent of total income for institutions in his association. In 2011, bank customers paid $31.6 billion in overdraft fees, down from $33.1 billion in 2010, according to Moebs Services, a research firm. About 15 million Americans overdraw their accounts 10 or more times a year, Moebs reported. Read more.

COMMENTARY: "TOO BIG TO FAIL" RULES HURTING "TOO SMALL TO COMPETE" BANKS



Almost five years have passed since governments in Europe, the U.K. and the U.S. used about $600 billion in capital to shore up banks during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, and regulators are still trying to ensure that it never happens again, according to a Bloomberg News commentary today. "With all the debating going on, the financial market structure didn't change very much," Zhu Min, the International Monetary Fund's deputy managing director, said in January. Some say the industry's biggest banks should be forced to break up, including Sanford Weill and John Reed, who created New York-based Citigroup Inc. They have said that financial conglomerates could be more valuable and safer if split apart. So have former Merrill Lynch & Co. Chief Executive Officer David Komansky and former Morgan Stanley CEO Philip Purcell. Investors such as Joshua Siegel, founder and managing principal at New York-based StoneCastle Partners LLC, see bigger changes at the other end of the spectrum. Small banks will seek mergers because their management teams are aging and new regulations are too costly to bear, he says. JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon, a critic of regulations he views as unnecessary or excessive, has recently touted the benefits. He told Citigroup analysts this month that new rules will help banks such as JPMorgan, the largest in the U.S., win market share from smaller competitors, the analysts wrote in a report. Read more.

ANALYSIS: FOR SEC, A SETBACK IN BID FOR MORE TIME IN FRAUD CASES



The Supreme Court yesterday delivered a swift and decisive rejection of the Securities and Exchange Commission's argument that it should operate under a more forgiving statute of limitations in pursuing penalties in fraud cases, the New York Times DealBook blog reported yesterday. As a result of the decision, the agency will have to find a long-term solution to give itself more time to investigate cases. In Gabelli v. Securities and Exchange Commission, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote in the unanimous decision rejecting the SEC's argument that a federal statute that limits the government's authority to pursue civil penalties should commence when a fraud is discovered, not when it occurs. The SEC was hoping that the court would apply what is known as the "discovery rule." In 2010, the Supreme Court endorsed this rule in a private securities fraud class-action suit, Merck & Co. v. Reynolds, stating that "something different was needed in the case of fraud, where a defendant's deceptive conduct may prevent a plaintiff from even knowing that he or she has been defrauded." In the Gabelli case, the SEC filed fraud charges in 2008 against mutual fund manager Marc Gabelli and a colleague, Bruce Alpert, saying that they had violated the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 for permitting an investor to engage in market timing. In its complaint, the SEC sought civil monetary penalties based on market timing that it claimed had taken place from 1999 to 2002, which resulted in the preferred investor purportedly reaping significant profits while ordinary investors suffered large losses. Read more.

LATEST BLOOMBERG "BILL ON BANKRUPTCY" VIDEO: SECRET MADOFF AGREEMENT MAY HARM VICTIMS



Money stolen from victims of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme is earmarked for someone who may have been an accomplice in the fraud, and the agreement is being kept secret by a federal district judge. That's the first item on the new video with Bloomberg Law's Lee Pacchia and Bloomberg News bankruptcy columnist Bill Rochelle. Click here to view.

DON’T MISS THE ABI LIVE WEBINAR ON APRIL 5 - "LEGACY LIABILITIES: DEALING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL, PENSION, UNION AND SIMILAR TYPES OF CLAIMS"



A panel of experts has been assembled for a webinar on April 5 from 1-2:15 p.m. ET to discuss environmental and pension liabilities, the statutory schemes under which these liabilities arise and the key players involved. Are non-monetary environmental claims dischargeable? Do post-petition expenditures for environmental cleanup constitute administrative expenses? When can an employer terminate a pension plan in bankruptcy, what is the process and what are the consequences? Learn the answer to these questions and more from the comfort of your own office. Special ABI member rate is available! Register here as this webinar is sure to sell out.

ABI'S ANNUAL SPRING MEETING: CONSUMER PROGRAMMING WITH CROSS-OVER APPEAL



With four session tracks looking at issues geared toward chapter 11 restructurings, financial advisors, professional development and consumer bankruptcy, a number of sessions at ABI's Annual Spring Meeting have cross-over appeal for both consumer and business practitioners. Sessions include:



• The Appellate Process: This distinguished panel will explore recent issues in appellate practice that are of interest to both consumer and business practitioners, including the ability to bypass intermediary appellate courts and take appeals directly to the circuit courts.

• Consumer Class Actions: This panel will explore the potential benefits and pitfalls of class actions by debtors/trustees against creditors in chapter 13 cases, which are highlighted by two recent decisions of the Fifth Circuit. Many of the issues discussed during this panel will be useful in business cases as well.

• The Individual Conundrum - Chapter 7, 11 or 13?: Deciding on the appropriate chapter for a high net worth individual contemplating a bankruptcy filing can be a daunting task. This panel will explore the considerations that guide the practitioner in advising individual clients in making this decision.

To register for the Annual Spring Meeting and to see the full schedule of program tracks and events, please click here.

ABI IN-DEPTH

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR APRIL 10 TO TAKE PART IN ABI’S LIVE WEBINAR "STUDENT LOANS: BANKRUPTCY MAY NOT HAVE THE ANSWERS – BUT DOES CONGRESS?"



Do not miss the "Student Loans: Bankruptcy May Not Have the Answers - But Does Congress?" webinar presented by ABI's Consumer Bankruptcy Committee on April 10 from noon-1:15 ET. ABI's panel of experts will provide an overview of the student loan industry, examine the numbers behind and causes of student loan debt, and discuss federal loan programs as well as federal consolidation and forgiveness programs. Faculty on the webinar includes:

• Prof. Daniel A. Austin of Northeastern University School of Law (Boston)
  
  
  
• Edward "Ted" M. King of Frost Brown Todd LLC (Louisville, Ky.)
  
  
  
• Craig Zimmerman of the Law Offices of Craig Zimmerman (Santa Ana, Calif.)

CLE credit will be available for the webinar. This webinar is sure to sell out; register now for the special ABI member rate of $75!

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: CLINTON AVENUE CLO FUND LTD. V. BANK OF AMERICA, N.A. (11TH CIR.)



Summarized by Weston Eguchi of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Affirming the district court's rulings, the Eleventh Circuit concluded that (A) the plaintiff term lenders lacked standing to enforce the defendant revolving lenders' promise to lend to borrowers under a credit agreement; and (B) summary judgment on the issue of whether the revolving lenders were required to fund under the credit agreement was inappropriate where the relevant contractual language was ambiguous such that consideration of extrinsic evidence of the parties' intent would be necessary.

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: ASSIGNMENT OF RENTS: SIXTH CIRCUIT THROWS OUT DEBT-BUYER SETTLEMENT

The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A new blog post reported that the Sixth Circuit recently threw out a nationwide settlement involving Midland, a robo-signing debt buyer, and more than a million consumers. This will allow other class and individual actions to proceed against Midland. The suit was thrown out for faulty notice to class members, who were not told in the settlement notice that they’d lose their individual fraud claims against Midland.

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

As a result of the RadLAX decision, the right to credit-bid will likely chill bidding at auctions, as potential purchasers may be dissuaded from participating in the bidding process.

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.

Have a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn Account?

Join our networks to expand yours.

2013

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

- ABI Live Webinar: "Legacy Liabilities : Dealing with Environmental, Pension, Union and Similar Types of Claims"

     April 5, 2013

- ABI Live Webinar: "Student Loans: Bankruptcy May Not Have the Answers - But Does Congress?"

     April 10, 2013

- "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.

- ABI Endowment Cocktail Reception

     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.

- Central States Bankruptcy Workshop

     June 13-16, 2013 | Grand Traverse, Mich.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OPENS JPMORGAN INQUIRY



The Justice Department has opened an inquiry into JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s $2 billion-plus trading loss, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The probe is at an early stage and it is not clear what possible legal violation federal investigators may be focusing on. Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission began its own review of the matter, examining the company's accounting and disclosures to investors. The trading loss has aroused intense scrutiny in Washington, D.C., where some lawmakers have been fighting efforts by big banks to delay or scale back regulations mandated by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial overhaul. Read more. (Subscription required.)

ANALYSIS: BANKS TREAD A FINE LINE IN TRADING



When JPMorgan Chase revealed its $2 billion loss last week, it looked as though the big Wall Street banks were up to their old tricks, using their government-backed funds to make risky trades in a misguided effort to improve their profits, according to an analysis in the New York Times' Dealbook Blog on Sunday. While few other banks pursue the complex strategies that led to JPMorgan's losses, many traditional lenders regularly buy and sell securities, and make bets with derivatives, as part of their core operations. Financial firms say that such activities allow them to earn a basic return on the deposits they collect and to offset risks on their balance sheets. These widespread trading practices are creating a headache for regulators, who are trying to devise new rules to prevent another financial crisis. Regulators are putting the finishing touches on the so-called Volcker Rule, which would ban banks from making speculative bets with their own money. However, regulators face a dilemma when faced with the question of "what constitutes proprietary trading?" Such activities are easy to spot when financial firms run independent trading units devoted to making profits. Already, most big banks have moved to exit these businesses in preparation for the Volcker Rule. Regulators, however, are having a harder time telling when other trading activities — like market-making and portfolio hedging — cross the line. Big banks, even those with little presence on Wall Street, contend that their trading activities are part of prudent risk-management. Without the ability to invest in bonds and other securities, these companies argue that they would not be able to make loans or extend credit as easily. Read more.

DOJ NOT KEEPING STATS ON FINANCIAL CRISIS CONVICTIONS



The Department of Justice has been short on answers for congressional inquiries looking to find out how many executives have been convicted of criminal wrongdoing related to the financial crisis of 2008-09, as the department said that it does not keep count of the numbers of board-level prosecutions, according to a report today in the Wall Street Journal. In a response earlier this month to a March request from Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the Justice Department said that it does not hold information on defendants' business titles. "Consequently, we are unable to generate the [requested] comprehensive list" of Wall Street convictions stemming from the 2008 meltdown, the letter from the Department of Justice to Grassley said. Prof. William Black, a former bank regulator, said that the government used to keep these figures. He points to a 1993 report by the Government Accountability Office on the savings-and-loan crisis of a generation ago. The report said that "30 percent of those prosecuted are the major corporate insiders—CEOs, presidents, shareholders, directors and officers" of the affected firms. Some other law-enforcement agencies are keeping a similar tally for the latest financial crisis. The Securities and Exchange Commission highlights on its website its civil crisis-related enforcement actions against senior corporate officers—a total of 55 so far. Read more. (Subscription required.)

In related news, the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday titled "Examining the Settlement Practices of U.S. Financial Regulators." Click here to view the witness list.

COMMENTARY: SAYING NO TO STATE BAILOUTS



States that have followed Europe's economic policy model of unbridled spending are getting Europe's economic results: low growth and looming fiscal catastrophe, according to a commentary by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), members of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), in today's Wall Street Journal. Compared with the 10 U.S. states with the lowest rates of economic growth since 1990, according to a JEC report released today, the states with the highest rates of growth had smaller unfunded pension ratios (by 26 percent); lower debt ratios (by 18 percent); less tax revenue collected (by 22 percent); and lower welfare benefits (by 31 percent). The report also shows that over the last decade, states with no income tax have much higher rates of job growth and population growth than states with the highest income taxes. The fuse on the U.S. debt bomb—which according to the National Bureau of Economic Research may be armed with as much as a $211 trillion fiscal shortfall—may prove to be the states' public-employee pension systems, according to the commentary. Years of overly optimistic growth projections, underfunding and overpromising by politicians, according to the commentary, have rendered many of these public pension systems toxic assets on states' books. Read more. (Subscription required.)

REGISTER FOR THE LABOR & EMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE'S "EVOLVING LABOR ISSUES IN CHAPTER 11" WEBINAR



Make sure to mark your calendars for May 23 from 2-3:30 p.m. ET for the ABI Labor and Employment Committee's "Evolving Labor Issues in Chapter 11" Webinar. A panel of experts will be discussing recent developments in several large complex bankruptcy cases, including Hostess, Kodak, Nortel and American Airlines. The expert panel includes Babette A. Ceccotti of Cohen, Weiss & Simon LLP (New York), former chief counsel of the PBGC Jeffrey B. Cohen of Bailey & Ehrenberg PLLC (Washington, D.C.), Marc Kieselstein of Kirkland & Ellis LLP (New York) and Ron E. Meisler of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
Issues to be discussed include:

• Hostess' efforts to eliminate their multi-employer pension plan contribution liability through motions to reject their labor agreements under Section 1113.

• Kodak's attempt to terminate retiree health benefits.

• The effect of the automatic stay upon efforts by the U.K. Pension Protection Fund and the U.K. Nortel Pension Plan to enforce its powers under the U.K. Pensions Act.

• American Airlines' efforts to reduce legacy costs in bankruptcy.

Click here to register.

U.S. TRUSTEE PROGRAM RE-OPENS COMMENT PERIOD ON PROPOSED GUIDELINES FOR ATTORNEY COMPENSATION IN LARGE CHAPTER 11 CASES



The U.S. Trustee Program has re-opened the comment period until May 21, 2012, on proposed guidelines for reviewing applications for attorney compensation in large chapter 11 cases ("fee guidelines"). The USTP also scheduled a public meeting for June 4, 2012, at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. on the proposed fee guidelines. Click here for more information on submitting comments or attending the public hearing.

ABI IN-DEPTH

JUNE 5 WEBINAR WILL EXAMINE HOW TO HANDLE AN ADMINISTRATIVELY INSOLVENT ESTATE



Panelists from one of the top-rated sessions at the 2011 Winter Leadership Conference are going to reconvene for an ABI and West LegalEd Center webinar on June 5 titled, "Handling the Administratively Insolvent Estate- What to Do When Your Chapter 11 Goes South." CLE credit will be available for the webinar, which will last from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET.

Speakers include:

• Robert J. Feinstein of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP (New York)

• Cathy Rae Hershcopf of Cooley LLP (New York)

• Robert L. LeHane of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP (New York)

Robert J. Keach of Bernstein Shur (Portland, Maine) will be the moderator for the webinar.

The webinar costs $115, and purchase provides online access for 180 days. If you are purchasing a live webcast, you will receive complimentary access to the on-demand version for 180 days once it becomes available. Click here for more information.

LATEST CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: MCNEAL V. GMAC MORTGAGE, LLC (IN RE MCNEAL; 11TH CIR.)



Summarized by Melissa Youngman of McCalla Raymer, LLC

The Eleventh Circuit held that a wholly unsecured junior lien on a chapter 7 debtor's home may be "stripped off" pursuant to Section 506(d) of the Bankruptcy Code.

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: FURTHER INSIGHT ON HOW THE SUPREME COURT MAY APPROACH CREDIT BIDDING IN THE RADLAX CASE



The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A blog post provides further insight on a few approaches that the Supreme Court may take on the credit-bidding issues presented in the RadLAX case.

Hear a discussion of the RadLAX post-argument featuring lead counsel David Neff by clicking here. ABI will hold a webinar on the Court’s decision as soon as it is announced in late June.

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 Constitutional scheme of uniform federal bankruptcy is a bad idea; the states should have more leeway to adopt their own different approaches to financial distress, at least for their own individual citizens and companies with purely intra-state operations. 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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May

- ABI Labor and Employment Committee's "Evolving Labor Issues in Chapter 11" Webinar

     May 23, 2012



June

- Memphis Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

     June 1, 2012 | Memphis, Tenn.

- ABI'S "Handling the Administratively Insolvent Estate- What to Do When Your Chapter 11 Goes South?" Webinar

     June 5, 2012

- Central States Bankruptcy Workshop

     June 7-10, 2012 | Traverse City, Mich.

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.

BIG U.S. BANKS FACE TOUGHER STANDARDS



The Federal Reserve today outlined a multi-pronged plan to place the nation's largest banks under increasingly stringent capital requirements to guard the financial system from risks posed by "too big to fail" companies, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Fed officials said that they hope to act in the coming months on four separate proposals aimed at the eight largest U.S. firms considered "systemically important" to the global economy, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Fed Gov. Daniel Tarullo, the agency's point man on regulation, said that regulators could soon propose a higher leverage ratio, which is expected to fall between 5 and 6 percent, for the largest banks. This capital measure gauges equity against total assets and is favored by some regulators as a better measure of a bank's ability to withstand stress. Regulators are also working on a requirement that these banks hold a minimum amount of long-term debt, a separate charge based on a firm's reliance on volatile forms of short-term funding, and a special surcharge agreed upon by international regulators. Read more. (Subscription required.)

COMMENTARY: THE CORKER-WARNER HOUSING REFORM WON'T WORK



The Corker-Warner bill, introduced last week by Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), proposed a new government agency to insure mortgages, but it will only ensure the same loose lending that caused the last financial crisis, according to a commentary in today's Wall Street Journal. The bipartisan bill's intent is to eliminate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government-sponsored mortgage giants that cratered in 2008 and were bailed out by taxpayers to the tune of $180 billion. The recent financial crisis was the result of government housing policies. Beginning in 1992, these policies required Fannie and Freddie to lower their underwriting standards so people who otherwise lacked the credit standing or financial resources could purchase homes. Fannie and Freddie could take on the risks of these loans only because of the implicit backing of the federal government. The agency proposed in the Corker-Warner bill will establish a new government agency, the Federal Mortgage Insurance Corp. (FMIC), to insure mortgage-backed securities and wind down Fannie and Freddie. As with Fannie and Freddie, investors in mortgage-backed securities will not have to worry about the quality of the underlying mortgages. A major feature of Corker-Warner is the requirement that the private sector share the insurance risk with the new FMIC. The bill specifies that a private risk-sharer like a bond insurer must take the first losses, no less than 10 percent on any securitized pool of mortgages. This is intended to protect the FMIC against losses, though it works only if the quality of the mortgages remains high. Read the full commentary. (Subscription required.)

NORTH LAS VEGAS EMINENT DOMAIN PROPOSAL FACES PUSHBACK FROM HOMEOWNER



A controversial eminent domain proposal rolled out in North Las Vegas, Nev., to help underwater homeowners with their mortgages is facing pushback from an unlikely party—a homeowner living in the city, Housingwire.com reported yesterday. Gregory Smith sued North Las Vegas, claiming that an eminent domain strategy, proposed locally with the help of consultancy firm Mortgage Resolution Partners (MRP), violates several portions of the U.S. and Nevada State Constitutions. The plan follows a similar pattern that MRP has proposed in other jurisdictions — namely that homeowners who are underwater in the city can be helped by giving local governments the power of eminent domain to seize property rights, thereby allowing officials to grant upside-down borrowers a principal reduction after taking over their loans. In his lawsuit, Smith suggests that this type of intervention into investor property rights violates the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution, along with various sections of the Nevada Constitution. Furthermore, Smith claims that the proposal disrupts contractual rights granted to all U.S. citizens through the Constitution, as well as the Commerce Clause, which governs interstate commerce. If such a plan were to stick and make it into law, Smith says roughly 5,000 local mortgages would qualify, with MRP targeting loans that are current, underwater and owned by private securitization trusts. This is not the first time MRP has managed to stir up debate in local municipalities: San Bernardino County, Calif., previously debated the strategy before killing off the idea. Read more.

COMMENTARY: WIELDING DERIVATIVES AS A TOOL FOR DECEIT



Derivatives are not always “financial weapons of mass destruction,” as Warren Buffett famously called them, but they are often weapons of mass deception, according to an editorial in Friday's New York Times. Sometimes, banks use derivatives they create to help their clients deceive the public, according to the editorial, and at other times they enable the banks to deceive those clients. The latest revelation of deception by derivatives came in Italian government documents leaked this week to two European newspapers, La Repubblica and The Financial Times. The Financial Times reprted that it appeared as though Italy had used derivatives in the 1990s to allow it to make its budget deficit seem smaller, thus enabling it to qualify for admission to the euro zone. The report added that it appeared that those derivatives, now restructured, might be exposing Italy to a loss of 8 billion euros ($10.4 billion). Such deception by derivatives is hardly new, according to the editorial. Enron used derivatives called “prepaid forward” contracts to hide debt in a way that made corporate cash flow appear better, something the company thought was necessary to impress the bond rating agencies. The banks have done an excellent job, according to the editorial, of persuading the Financial Accounting Standards Board, which sets the rules, not to mess with them. Rather than force the banks to put the assets and liabilities on their balance sheets, as is required in most other countries, the board has proposed additional disclosures that might make it easier to discern the reality. Read the full editorial.

NEW ABI LIVE WEBINAR ON JULY 15 TO FOCUS ON THE § 1111(b) ELECTION, PLAN FEASIBILITY AND CRAMDOWN ISSUES



Utilizing a case study, ABI's panel of experts will explore issues surrounding a lender’s decision on whether or not to make an election under § 1111(b), plan feasibility and voting. The abiLIVE panel will also walk attendees through the necessary mathematical analyses used to analyze these issues. The webinar will take place on July 15 from 1-2:15 p.m. ET. Special ABI member rate available! Click here to register.

ABI GOLF TOUR UNDERWAY; NEXT STOP IS THE NORTHEAST BANKRUPTCY CONFERENCE ON JULY 12



The next stop for the ABI Golf Tour is the famed Newport National course in Newport, R.I., in conjunction with the Northeast Bankruptcy Conference on July 12. 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! There's no charge to register or participate in the Tour.

ABI IN-DEPTH

NEW ABI "BANKRUPTCY IN DEPTH" ON-DEMAND CLE PROGRAM LOOKS AT PRINCIPLES OF PROPERTY OF THE ESTATE: DEMYSTIFYING EQUITABLE INTERESTS



In this 90-minute seminar, Profs. Andrew Kull of Boston University School of Law and Scott Pryor of Regent University School of Law provide an in-depth analysis of a legal principle that has become, in their words, "a long-lost area of the law": § 541 of the Bankruptcy Code. Seeking to demystify what is meant by "property of the estate" and, in particular, the distinction between legal or equitable interests of the debtor in property, Kull and Pryor describe the legal entanglements that ensue when legal title belongs to one person but the equitable title belongs to someone else. The cost of the seminar, which includes written materials and qualifies for 1.5 hours of CLE, is $95. To order or to learn more, click here.

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: MARSHALL V. MARSHALL (IN RE MARSHALL; 9TH CIR.)



Summarized by Lovee Sarenas of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California

The Ninth Circuit upheld the decision of the district court to affirm three decisions of the bankruptcy court involving the chapter 11 bankruptcy estate of Howard Marshall III and his wife, Ilane, that was appealed by Pierce Marshall. First, the Ninth Circuit held that a party has no due process right to a random assignment of a bankruptcy case absent a showing of bias or partiality by the presiding judge. Thus, assigning the debtor's chapter 11 case to Judge Bufford, who was the presiding judge in the related chapter 11 case of Vickie Marshall, was not an error. The appellate court rendered a broad view of "related cases" as defined under the bankruptcy court's local rule 1015-2(a). The circuit court rejected evidence of bias solely from the bankruptcy judge's adverse decisions in the Vickie Marshall bankruptcy case against Pierce for purposes of 28 USC sec. 455. Without more, the Ninth Circuit opined that decisions based on facts shown or events that took place during the court's decision do not demonstrate bias.

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: FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE CORKER-WARNER BILL

The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A recent blog post takes a closer look at the bill introduced last week by Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.). The post finds that the bill's explicit guarantee of backing of risky mortgages is better than the implicit one Fannie and Freddie had, but a more fundamental approach would be to demand that financial actors internalize and capitalize the risks themselves.

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

Law firms should provide support for law student-staffed bankruptcy clinics for consumer debtors.

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.

Have a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn Account?

Join our networks to expand yours.

2013

July

- Northeast Bankruptcy Conference and Northeast Consumer Forum

     July 11-14, 2013 | Newport, R.I.

- abiLIVE Webinar

     July 11-14, 2013 | Newport, R.I.

- Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop

     July 18-21, 2013 | Amelia Island, Fla.

August

- Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop

    August 8-10, 2013 | Hershey, Pa.

- 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

- 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.

- ABI Endowment Football Game

    Oct. 6, 2013 | Miami, Fla.

- Chicago Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

    Oct. 14, 2013 | Chicago, Ill.

November

- Austin Advanced Consumer Bankruptcy Practice Institute

   Nov. 10-12, 2013 | Austin, Texas

- Detroit Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

   Nov. 11, 2013 | Detroit, Mich.

December

- ABI/St. John’s Bankruptcy Mediation Training

    Dec. 8-12, 2013 | New York

U.S. FORECLOSURE FILINGS DOWN 10 PERCENT IN JULY



Market researcher RealtyTrac reported that the number of U.S. properties with foreclosure filings slipped 10 percent in July from a year earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported today. There were 191,925 U.S. properties with default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions in July, a 3 percent decrease from the prior month. One in every 686 U.S. housing units had a foreclosure filing last month, RealtyTrac reported. U.S. foreclosure activity has now decreased on a year-over-year basis for 22 consecutive months, according to the report. The latest month's decline was driven primarily by a 21 percent decline in bank repossessions from a year earlier. Properties starting the foreclosure process increased on an annual basis for the third straight month in July, rising 6 percent last month. Foreclosure starts rose on a year-over-year basis in 27 states. Read more. (Subscription required.)

CONSUMERS CUT BACK ON CREDIT CARD USE IN JUNE, BUT OVERALL BORROWING CONTINUES TO RISE



Americans cut back on credit card use in June, a sign that high sustained unemployment and slow growth have made some more cautious about spending, the Associated Press reported yesterday. Still, total consumer borrowing increased as many took on loans to buy cars and attend school. Consumer borrowing rose by $6.5 billion from May to June totaling $2.58 trillion, the Federal Reserve said on Tuesday. Auto and student loans rose by $10.2 billion to $1.71 trillion in June. Credit card debt fell $3.7 billion to $865 billion. Household debt, including mortgages and home equity lines of credit, has declined for 16 straight quarters to $12.9 trillion in March, according to the Fed. That is down from $13.8 trillion in March 2008. Read more.

REPORT: WEAK CREDIT QUALITY OF U.S. CITIES IS BIGGER CONCERN THAN BANKRUPTCIES



Morgan Stanley's municipal debt strategists said on Tuesday that weaker local credit quality should be a greater concern for municipal debt investors than chapter 9 filings, Reuters reported on Wednesday. "Our updated case study analysis of recent chapter 9 filings affirms that bankruptcies may pick up somewhat, but the ongoing deterioration of local credit quality is a more relevant systemic risk," Morgan Stanley Research's Michael Zezas and Meghan Robson said in a report. The researchers said that chapter 9 filings and municipalities flirting with bankruptcy are "likely to remain modest and idiosyncratic." Even so they urged scrutinizing state and local credits, adding that they favor enterprise revenue debt over general obligation bonds. Read more.

ANALYSIS: UPPER-MIDDLE-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS SEE BIGGEST JUMPS IN STUDENT LOAN BURDEN



According to a Wall Street Journal analysis of recently released Federal Reserve data, households with annual incomes of $94,535 to $205,335 saw the biggest jump in the percentage of households with student-loan debt from 2007-10, the latest figures available. The Journal's analysis defined upper-middle-income households as those with annual incomes between the 80th and 95th percentiles of all households nationwide. Among this group, 25.6 percent had student loan debt in 2010, up from 19.5 percent in 2007. For all households, the portion with student loan debt rose to 19.1 percent in 2010 from 15.2 percent in 2007. The amount borrowed by upper-middle-income families, meanwhile, has soared. They owed an average of $32,869 in college loans in 2010, up from $26,639 in 2007, after adjusting for inflation, according to the Journal's analysis. Read more. (Subscription required.)

ANALYSIS: RECESSION GENERATION OPTS TO RENT – NOT BUY – BIG TICKET ITEMS



Confronting a jobless rate above 8 percent since 2009 and student-loan debt hitting about $1 trillion, 20-to-34-year-olds are renting apartments, cars and even clothing to save money and stay flexible, Bloomberg News reported yesterday. As the Great Depression shaped the attitudes of a generation from 1929 until the early years of World War II, so have the financial crisis and its aftermath affected the outlook of young consumers, said Cliff Zukin, a professor of public policy and political science at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. College graduates earned less coming out of the recession, according to a May study by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers. Those graduating during 2009-11 earned a median salary in their starting job $3,000 less than the $30,000 seen in 2007. The majority of students owed $20,000 to pay off their education, and 40 percent of the 444 college graduates surveyed said their loan debt is causing them to delay major purchases such as a house or a car. Read more.

LAX BANKING LAW OBSCURED MONEY FLOW IN STANDARD CHARTERED'S MONEY LAUNDERING CASE



The list of global banks that have been accused in recent years of laundering foreign transactions totaling billions of dollars has been growing — Credit Suisse, Lloyds, Barclays, ING, HSBC — and now Standard Chartered, the New York Times reported today. The details in each case are different, with the international banks suspected of using their American subsidiaries to process tainted money for clients that included Iran, Cuba, North Korea, sponsors of terrorist groups and drug cartels. What the cases have in common is that the accused banks took advantage of a law that was not changed until 2008 and that allowed banks to disguise client identities and move their money offshore. The cases, including one filed this week by New York’s banking regulator against Standard Chartered, also cast a harsh light on just how much activity with Iran was permitted in the years leading up to 2008 and whether the practices had violated the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. Foreign banks until 2008 were allowed to transfer money for Iranian clients through their American subsidiaries to a separate offshore institution. In these so-called U-turn transactions, the banks could provide scant information about the client to their American units as long as they stated they had thoroughly vetted the transactions for suspicious activity. Read more.

LATEST ABI PODCAST EXPLORES HEALTH CARE INSOLVENCIES



ABI Executive Director Samuel J. Gerdano talks with Leslie A. Berkoff of Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP and Robert A. Guy, Jr. of Frost Brown Todd LLC, the lead editors of ABI's Health Care Insolvency Manual, Third Edition. Berkoff and Guy discuss current issues surrounding health care insolvencies, the new health care law and the need to release this year’s new edition of the Health Care Insolvency Manual. To listen to the podcast, please click here.

For more information and to purchase ABI's Health Care Insolvency Manual, please click here.

ABI IN-DEPTH

LATEST CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: NATIONAL BANK OF ARKANSAS V. PANTHER MOUNTAIN LAND DEVELOPMENT, LLC (IN RE PANTHER MOUNTAIN LAND DEVELOPMENT, LLC; 8TH CIR.)



Summarized by Adam Ballinger of Lindquist & Vennum, PLLP

The Eighth Circuit ruled that the automatic stay does not apply to an action against a debtor's improvement districts formed under Arkansas law because the improvement districts are property of neither the debtor nor the debtors themselves. The doctrine of equitable laches does not apply because there is no showing of detrimental reliance of the debtor upon a party's failure to raise this particular challenge.

Nearly 600 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: SURVEY SHOWS EMPLOYEES USE INTERNAL CHANNELS FOR REPORTING MISCONDUCT



The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. Amid concerns that the SEC whistleblower rules will encourage employees to bypass internal protocols and take allegations of misconduct directly to the Commission, a recent blog post reported on a survey by the nonprofit Ethics Resource Center that found that only one out of six employees ever reported misconduct to regulators or other outside channels.

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.

Have a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn Account?

Join our networks to expand yours.

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.

- 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.

- International Insolvency and Restructuring Symposium

     October 18, 2012 | Rome, Italy

November

- U.S./Mexico Restructuring Symposium

     November 7, 2012 | Mexico City, Mexico

- Detroit Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

     November 12, 2012 | Detroit, Mich.

REPORT: STUDENT BORROWERS RETREAT FROM HOME BUYING



The Federal Reserve Bank of New York issued a report yesterday saying that Americans who borrowed to pay for school are now less likely to have a home mortgage at age 30 than those who never had student debt, a reversal of past trends, the Wall Street Journal reported today. As of late last year, roughly 22 percent of 30-year-olds with a history of student debt—either currently or in the past—owed money on a mortgage, the Fed said. That compares with 24 percent of 30-year-olds who never took out student loans. Similarly, young people with a history of student debt are less likely to have a car loan than those who did not have student loans, the report said. This marks a significant turnabout from recent history. For most of the past decade, student borrowers were much more likely to own a home or car, relative to those without student loans, because they typically were college graduates with higher incomes. But now, student debt could be among the factors holding them back, at least temporarily, the Fed report suggests. The report shows that credit scores for student borrowers have fallen sharply since the recession, likely due to higher average student-debt levels and a rise in delinquencies. Read more. (Subscription required.)

MORTGAGE RELIEF CHECKS GO OUT, ONLY TO BOUNCE



Many struggling homeowners received checks stemming from a $3.6 billion settlement with the nation’s largest banks over wrongful evictions and other abuses, only to find that the checks were bouncing, the New York Times DealBook Blog reported yesterday. It is unclear how many of the 1.4 million homeowners who were mailed the first round of payments covered under the foreclosure settlement have had problems with their checks. But housing advocates from California to New York and even regulators say that in recent days frustrated homeowners have bombarded them with complaints and questions. The mishap is just the latest setback to troubled homeowners. It took more than two years to resolve a federal investigation into foreclosure abuses, and even after the settlement was reached in January, the checks were delayed for weeks. Read more.

RISING BANK PROFITS TEMPT A PUSH FOR TOUGHER RULES



Banks have been reporting steady growth in earnings since the financial crisis, but their ballooning bottom lines could embolden lawmakers and regulators who want to introduce additional measures to overhaul the banking system, the New York Times DealBook blog reported yesterday. After the financial crisis, many officials involved in the regulatory revamping feared that tougher rules, like caps on bank assets, could destabilize the financial system and harm economic growth. It is a view that prominent bankers and lobbyists have also voiced. Despite industry opposition to the new rules, the buoyant bank profits could add to the ammunition that influential figures in Washington, D.C., are using to advocate for more radical ideas to overhaul the banks. "I hope the regulators move forward with tougher regulations," said Sheila C. Bair, a former chairwoman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and now a senior adviser at the Pew Charitable Trusts. "This wouldn’t endanger the economic recovery." Read more.

SEC TO MOVE PAST FINANCIAL CRISIS CASES UNDER CHAIRMAN WHITE



Mary Jo White, the first former prosecutor to serve as chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has pledged to run a "bold and unrelenting" enforcement program at the agency charged with regulating Wall Street, Bloomberg News reported today. With financial crisis cases mostly done and some of the biggest insider-trading cases in history closed, White will have to chart a course into new areas to keep that pledge. White, who was sworn in last week, has already provided a few signals about what that cause might be. During her Senate confirmation hearing, she said that she intends to focus on high-frequency and automated trading. She has also raised questions about a drop in the number of accounting fraud cases the agency has brought in recent years. Read more.

BLOOMBERG'S LATEST "BILL ON BANKRUPTCY" VIDEO: EASTERBROOK TURNS THE TIDE ON STUDENT LOANS



Why and when U.S.-managed hedge funds can go bankrupt in the Caribbean, but not in the U.S., is the first item discussed on the new bankruptcy video with Bloomberg Law's Lee Pacchia and Bloomberg News bankruptcy columnist Bill Rochelle. The video ends with discussion of an opinion by U.S. Circuit Judge Frank Easterbrook, who's turning the tide against recent decisions that have left former students virtually incapable of shedding education loans in bankruptcy. Click here to watch the video.

Attending ASM? Don't miss Bloomberg's Bill Rochelle moderating the "BK 360 Revisited: ABI Past-Presidents Panel" session at lunch on Saturday from 12:30-2 p.m. ET.

ATTENDING ABI'S ANNUAL SPRING MEETING? MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD THE MOBILE APP FOR SMARTPHONES AND TABLETS!



The official Annual Spring Meeting mobile web app, sponsored by Diamond McCarthy LLP, is now available for iOS, Android and Blackberry devices! Utilize the app during ASM this week to view your personal schedule, browse what programs are taking place or search for information related to the meeting. The mobile web app stores the schedule data locally on your phone for offline access, too.

To take advantage of the ASM web app, bookmark the following address on your device’s browser: http://31stannualspringmeeting2013.sched.org/mobile

LIVE WEBSTREAMS OF THE GREAT DEBATES AND ABI'S CHAPTER 11 REFORM COMMISSION HEARING AVAILABLE TOMORROW FROM THE ANNUAL SPRING MEETING!



17TH ANNUAL GREAT DEBATES

Starting at 8:30 a.m. EST, the 17th Annual Great Debates will be streamed live at the following address: http://www.abiworld.org/debate13/

There will be three debates moderated by Jeffrey N. Pomerantz, ABI VP-Education, of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP (Los Angeles):

I. Past Presidents’ Debate

Resolved: The Bankruptcy Code should be revised to eliminate a debtor in possession's and trustee's ability to recover preferential transfers.

Pro: John D. Penn

Haynes and Boone LLP; Fort Worth

Con: Andrew W. Caine

Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP; Los Angeles

II. Judicial Debate

Resolved: A claim against the debtor’s estate, transferred to a third party, should be treated the same as if in the hands of the original holder.

Pro: Hon. Arthur J. Gonzalez

New York University School of Law; New York

Con: Hon. Kevin J. Carey

U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Del.); Wilmington

III. Consumer Debate

Resolved: An attorney in a consumer case should be able to limit the scope of her employment.

Pro: Brian Michael Shockley

Clark & Washington, PC; Atlanta

Con: Pamela J. Griffith

Office of the U.S. Trustee; Washington, D.C.

ABI's CHAPTER 11 REFORM COMMMISSION HEARING AT 1 P.M. EST

There will also be a live webstream available on the ABI Chapter 11 Reform Commission's site (http://commission.abi.org) of the hearing tomorrow starting at 1 p.m. EST. Prepared witness testimony will also be linked to the site at that time.

Witnesses set to testify at the hearing include:

Panel I:

Wilbur L. Ross of WL Ross & Co. (New York)

Panel II (Bankruptcy Judges’ Panel):

Hon. Dennis R. Dow (W.D. Mo.)

Hon. Barbara J. Houser (N.D. Texas)

Hon. Pamela Pepper (W.D. Wis.)

Panel III:

Holly Felder Etlin of AlixPartners LLC (New York)

Daniel F. Dooley of MorrisAnderson (Chicago)

John M. Haggerty of Argus Management (Grafton, Mass.)

ABI IN-DEPTH

NEW ABI LIVE WEBINAR ON MAY 29 WILL FOCUS ON CONSUMER CLASS ACTIONS



Class action lawsuits in chapter 13 cases are becoming more prevalent. Are you wondering whether your client's claims would be better pursued in a class action? If your client is a defendant in a consumer class action, do you know what your client's best defenses are against class certification? ABI's panel of experts on May 29 from 1-2:15 p.m. ET will explore the potential benefits and pitfalls of class actions by debtors/trustees against creditors in chapter 13 cases by highlighting two recent appeals court decisions. Special ABI member rate available! Click here to register.

ABI MEMBERS WELCOME TO ATTEND INSOL'S LATIN AMERICAN REGIONAL SEMINAR ON JUNE 13 IN SAO PAULO



ABI members are encouraged to attend INSOL’s Latin American regional seminar in São Paulo, Brazil, on June 13. The one-day seminar has been organized by INSOL in association with TMA Brasil to cover current cross-border insolvency and restructuring topics. The seminar is designed to be interactive and to allow the attendees to discuss and debate about practical issues with speakers who are leading players in the insolvency and restructuring field and with experience in insolvency proceedings involving different countries. The seminar will benefit from simultaneous translation in English, Portuguese and Spanish. For more information and to register, please click here.

LATEST CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: THOMAS V. BENDER (IN RE THOMAS; 11TH CIR.)



Summarized by Melissa Youngman of McCalla Raymer LLC



The Eleventh Circuit found no reversible error in the lower court's holding that proceeds from a post-petition real estate deal arising from a pre-petition option contract constituted property of the debtor's bankruptcy estate, pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 541.

There are more than 800 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: SMALL BANKS WOULD BENEFIT FROM BIG-BANK BREAKUPS

The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. Taking on the size of firms that put our financial system at risk is the only way to eliminate unfair competitive advantages, unleash free markets and allow community banks to thrive, according to a recent blog post.

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.

TEE OFF ON THE NEW ABI GOLF TOUR!



ABI offers conference registrants the option to participate in the ABI Golf Tour. The Tour will take place concurrently with all conference golf tournaments. The Tour, which kicked off this morning at ABI’s Annual Spring Meeting, is designed to enhance the golfing experience for serious golfers while still offering a fun networking opportunity for players of any ability. As opposed to the format used at ABI’s regular conference events, Tour participants will "play their own ball." They will be grouped on the golf course separately from other conference golf participants and will typically play ahead of the other participants, expediting Tour play. Tour participants will be randomly grouped in foursomes, unless otherwise requested of the Commissioner in advance of each tournament. Prizes will be awarded for each individual Tour event, which are sponsored by Great American Group. The grand prize is the "Great American Cup," also sponsored by Great American Group, which will be awarded to the top player at the end of the Tour season. Registration is free. Click here for more information and a list of 2013 ABI Golf Tour event venues.

ABI Quick Poll

The scope of protection of "financial contracts" in bankruptcy should be rolled back to what it was before BAPCPA expanded it in 2005.

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

May

- "Nuts and Bolts" Program at NYCBC

     May 15, 2013 | New York, N.Y.

- ABI Endowment Cocktail Reception

     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

- ABI Live Webinar: Consumer Class Actions

     May 29, 2013

June

- Memphis Consumer Bankruptcy Conference

     June 7, 2013 | Memphis, Tenn.

- Central States Bankruptcy Workshop

     June 13-16, 2013 | Grand Traverse, Mich.

- INSOL’s Latin American Regional Seminar

     June 13, 2013 | São Paulo, Brazil

July

- Northeast Bankruptcy Conference and Northeast Consumer Forum

     July 11-14, 2013 | Newport, R.I.

- Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop

     July 18-21, 2013 | Amelia Island, Fla.

August

- Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop

    August 8-10, 2013 | Hershey, Pa.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PROBE TURNS UP HEAT ON BANKS

The Justice Department is targeting banks that service a broad range of what it considers questionable financial ventures, including online payday lenders, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The Justice Department is targeting banks that service a broad range of what it considers questionable financial ventures, including online payday lending, that officials worry may harm consumers. The government has issued subpoenas to banks and other companies that handle payments for an array of financial offerings, ramping up an investigation that has been under way for several months, according to Justice Department officials. It's a shift in strategy: Rather than just targeting individual firms, the government is now going after the infrastructure that enables companies to withdraw money from people's bank accounts. The volume of online payday lending -- a term for smaller, short-term loans at high interest rates -- grew to $18.6 billion in 2012, up 10 percent from the previous year, accounting for nearly 40 percent of industrywide payday-loan volume, according to investment bank Stephens Inc. Regulators are also trying tamp down phone and online offers in which marketers try to get people to pay for services that they don't intend to deliver. These can include offerings to erase debt or offerings of work-from-home programs that don't lead to jobs, officials say. Read more. (Subscription required.)

DETROIT RATTLES MUNI MARKET

A fight over bankrupt Detroit's sewer system threatens to reshape the nation's $3.7 trillion municipal-bond market, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The battle pits Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr against the fund companies, insurers and individuals that hold more than $5 billion of Detroit water and sewer bonds, over a plan to restructure the debt. Orr wants bondholders to sign off on a plan to tear up some outstanding bonds and replace them with new ones that could have different terms. The switch could free up millions of dollars in city revenue, potentially reducing losses for other creditors in the city's more than $18 billion bankruptcy case. Some bondholders say that they don't want that deal, even though Orr says they wouldn't suffer losses on the debt switch. They say tearing up the bonds could set a dangerous precedent that may shock buyers of supposedly safe municipal debt and impair financing for other U.S. states and cities. Read more. (Subscription required.)

For the latest information and analysis about the Detroit case, be sure to visit ABI's dedicated website, http://news.abi.org/Detroit.

COMMENTARY: PENSION REFORM COULD DISRUPT INVESTMENT FUNDS

Detroit's financial woes, exacerbated by underfunded pension liabilities, have brought renewed scrutiny to public pension plans, according to a commentary yesterday on the New York Times DealBook blog. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and others have suggested overhauling these plans to shift more responsibility to the private sector. Private insurance companies would assume responsibility for these defined benefit plans, offering annuities to beneficiaries in exchange for employer-paid premiums. Proponents argue that privatization could reduce the risk of municipal bankruptcy and federal bailouts. One downside, according to the commentary, is the possible increase in fees associated with external management of retirement savings; it creates another way for Wall Street to extract wealth from Main Street. Phasing out public pension funds could also cut off an important source of financing for venture capital and private equity. Pension funds like the California Public Employees' Retirement System, or CalPERS, and the Teachers Retirement System of Texas are among the largest and most powerful institutional investors in venture capital and private equity. Read the full commentary.

CONSUMERS FIND INVESTORS EAGER TO MAKE "PEER-TO-PEER" LOANS



There has been a growing shift among lenders with many individual investors jumping to fund unsecured, high-interest-rate loans to bring in high yields, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. Even some investment funds are getting into the game, snapping up entire loans before individual investors can act. Prosper Loans Marketplace Inc., and a bigger competitor, Lending Club Corp., dominate an obscure corner of the financial-services sector called "peer-to-peer" lending, in which consumers bypass banks altogether to borrow money from other individuals. It is part of a shadow-lending system that has thrived since the 2008 financial crisis caused many banks to tighten their credit standards. With more money chasing the loans, lenders such as Prosper are working hard to come up with enough borrowers to meet the demand. Each month, Prosper mails more than a million preapproved loan applications. In June, the company arranged $27.5 million in loans, a bit short of its goal. In July, it originated $30.3 million. Prosper and Lending Club together originated about $871 million in loans last year, more than double the prior year's total and up tenfold since 2008. Lending Club says it is on track to lend $2 billion this year. Read more. (Subscription required.)

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 SOUTHWEST BANKRUPTCY CONFERENCE ON AUG. 22



The 6th stop for the ABI Golf Tour is on Aug. 22 at the Incline Village Champion course, held in conjunction with ABI's Southwest Bankruptcy Conference. 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 at July's Southeast Conference. 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: WASHINGTON GROUP INTERNATIONAL INC. V. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (IN RE WASHINGTON GROUP INTERNATIONAL INC., ET AL.; 9TH CIR.)



Summarized by Joel Newell of Lane & Nach P.C.

In the unpublished ruling, the Ninth Circuit BAP affirmed Bankruptcy Judge Gregg W. Zive's application of the 9th Circuit precedent as set forth in In re Cal. Dep't of Health Svcs. V. Jensen (In re Jensen), 995 F.2d 925 (9th Cir. 1993), denying debtor's motion to enjoin the subsequent litigation.

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: DEBTOR'S BANKRUPTCY APPEAL TOSSED FOR DELAY BY ELEVENTH CIRCUIT

The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A recent blog post looks at a case out of the Eleventh Circuit in which a pro se debtor filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2009 and disclosed that he had nearly $40,000 in student loan obligations. The debtor filed an adversary complaint against the lender and sought a determination that his student loan obligations were dischargeable. The lender served a set of interrogatories on the debtor, which the debtor steadfastly refused to answer (even after being compelled to do so by the court). Ultimately, the court dismissed the debtor's case. On appeal to the district court, the debtor failed to file or serve his initial appellate brief, never requested an extension of time, and had not otherwise appeared in the case. More than five months after the debtor filed his notice of appeal, the district court sua sponte dismissed the appeal for failure to prosecute.

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

- 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

OCTOBER BANKRUPTCY FILINGS INCREASE 16 PERCENT OVER PREVIOUS MONTH, COMMERCIAL FILINGS UP 19 PERCENT



Total bankruptcy filings in the United States for the month of October increased 16 percent compared to September, according to data provided by Epiq Systems, Inc. October bankruptcy filings totaled 101,278, up from the 87,522 filings registered in September 2012. The 96,498 total noncommercial filings for October represented a 16 percent increase from the September noncommercial filing total of 83,493. Total commercial filings for October 2012 were 4,780, representing a 19 percent increase from the 4,029 filings in September. Commercial chapter 11 filings also increased in October as the 704 filings represented a 3 percent increase over the 681 filings in September. Read the full release.

ANALYSIS: ELECTION UNLIKELY TO AFFECT HOUSING REBOUND



Regardless of the outcome of today's elections, experts expect the housing market to continue its rebound, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Home prices continue to rise, as shown by the latest S&P/Case-Shiller data, and sales activity is strengthening, while delinquency trends are improving. Experts point out that the government still backs more than 90 percent of new mortgages, however, and there has been little progress made in devising new structures to encourage private capital to again take on residential-housing risk. Read more. (Subscription required.)

BONUSES ON WALL STREET EXPECTED TO EDGE UP SLIGHTLY IN 2012



Wall Street employees, whose paychecks have often been cut in recent years, are likely to get a slight bump in their bonuses this year, the New York Times DealBook blog reported today. Year-end incentives, which include cash bonuses and stock awards, will be flat to up to 10 percent higher when compared with last year, according to a survey released by Johnson Associates yesterday. The same firms in 2011 drastically cut costs, employment and pay. Johnson Associates, based in New York, surveyed 10 public asset management firms, eight major banks and more than a dozen other financial institutions. Business on Wall Street has picked up somewhat in 2012, but firms are still cutting both compensation and other expenses to save money and improve their profits. Read more.

Read the full Johnson Associates survey.

ANALYSIS: COMPANIES LOOK TO LIGHTEN THE PENSION LOAD



More companies are considering so-called annuity settlements as a way to pare down their burgeoning pension liabilities, even though historically low interest rates make the strategy significantly more expensive, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Last month Verizon Communications Inc. bought an annuity that transferred $7.5 billion of pension obligations, about a quarter of the phone giant’s total pension obligations, to Prudential Financial Inc. Over the summer General Motors Co. shifted roughly $25 billion of its pension obligations—or about 20 percent of its global total—to Prudential also through an annuity deal. The approach works like this: A company transfers pension obligations to an insurer by buying a group annuity for its employees at a price that includes a premium. The insurer agrees to use the funds it gets from the company’s pension plan to make regular payments to company retirees for as long as they live. Read more. (Subscription required.)

ABI IN-DEPTH

LATEST CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: IN RE MICHAEL (3D CIR.)



Summarized by Michael Nestor of Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held that if, upon conversion of a chapter 13 case to a case under chapter 7, the chapter 13 trustee is holding funds acquired post-petition by the debtor for eventual distribution to creditors under a confirmed chapter 13 reorganization plan, the trustee must return those funds to the debtor rather than distribute them to creditors under the plan.

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: NATIONAL MORTGAGE DATABASE FACES CHALLENGES IN BECOMING GO-TO RISK TOOL



The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A recent blog post examines how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Federal Housing Finance Agency's effort to build a comprehensive data repository and identify emerging mortgage lending risks will depend on how regulators handle four areas: collaboration, scope, privacy and the regulatory burden.

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, SDNY).

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

- 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.

- 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.

CREDIT CARD BORROWERS STILL PAYING THEIR BILLS ON TIME



Customers of the largest credit card issuers predominantly continued to pay their bills on time in July, Dow Jones Newswires reported yesterday. Credit card lending in particular has been a bright spot for big banks since the recession ended because consumers have made paying their monthly bills a priority and been more hesitant to carry large balances. That has allowed lenders to boost earnings by setting aside less money to cover potential loan losses, and it more recently led some banks to loosen their loan criteria, according to the financial services unit of credit bureau TransUnion. On Tuesday, TransUnion said that the national credit card delinquency rate fell to 0.63 percent in the second quarter from 0.73 percent in the first quarter. Major credit card issuers including Discover Financial Services, Bank of America Corp. and Capital One Financial Corp. said yesterday that their portfolios continued to improve in July, with delinquency rates and net charge-offs falling for most. Read more.

WEEKLY UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS RISE



The number of U.S. workers filing applications for jobless benefits rose last week, though the overall trend suggests that the labor market has improved slightly since early this summer, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Initial jobless claims increased by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 366,000 in the week ended Aug. 11, the Labor Department said today. Claims for the week ending Aug. 4 were revised up to 364,000 from an initially reported 361,000. The four-week moving average of claims fell by 5,500 to 363,750, the lowest level since the end of March. Read more. (Subscription required.)

NO CRIMINAL CASE IS LIKELY IN LOSS AT MF GLOBAL



A criminal investigation into the collapse of the brokerage firm MF Global and the disappearance of about $1 billion in customer money is now heading into its final stage without charges expected against any top executives, the New York Times DealBook blog reported yesterday. After 10 months of stitching together evidence on the firm's demise, criminal investigators are concluding that chaos and porous risk controls at the firm, rather than fraud, allowed the money to disappear. The hurdles to building a criminal case were always high with MF Global, which filed for bankruptcy in October after a huge bet on European debt unnerved the market. This week James Giddens, the MF Global liquidating trustee, said he would assist plaintiffs attorneys in civil suits against Jon Corzine and other top executives. But a lack of charges in the largest Wall Street blowup since 2008 is likely to fuel frustration with the government's struggle to charge financial executives. Just a few individuals – none of them top Wall Street players – have been prosecuted for the risky acts that led to recent failures and billions of dollars in losses. Read more.

REPORT: MUNICIPAL BONDS NOT AS SAFE AS ONCE THOUGHT



The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released a report yesterday saying that municipal bonds, widely seen as one of the safest investments, actually default more often than most people realize, the New York Times reported today. The economists said that the widely held belief that municipal bonds almost never default is based on only a narrow slice of the market — the safest part, consisting of bonds that are graded by the main ratings agencies when brought to market. When the researchers looked at a much broader sample, which included unrated bonds, they found there have been about 36 times as many municipal defaults over the past 40 years as conventional wisdom suggests. For example, Moody’s Investors Service has reported that from 1970 to 2011, there were only 71 municipal bond defaults. However, the Fed report counted 2,521 defaults in that time. Read more.

Click here to read the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's report.

In related news, barely half of U.S. states allow their local governments to file for bankruptcy, but Fitch Ratings said that it will continue to factor in the probability of a chapter 9 filing for all tax-supported local debt it rates, Reuters reported yesterday. Fitch added a new section on the legal and structural framework of debt in its criteria for rating U.S. local government bonds supported by taxes, highlighting growing concerns for municipal bankruptcies and explaining its views of the ties between local and state governments. Only 24 out of 50 states currently allow local governments to file for bankruptcy, "but Fitch believes that in an extreme case..the state would make the legal provisions necessary to file," it said. For decades, bankruptcies in the $3.7 trillion municipal bond market were rare. There have been nine chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy filings so far this year, compared with 13 in all of 2011. Read more.

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR THE 24TH ANNUAL WINTER LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE!



Don't miss ABI's 24th Annual Winter Leadership Conference, taking place Nov. 29 - Dec. 1 at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa in Tucson, Ariz. This year's conference will feature insights from some of the top insolvency and restructuring experts on issues confronting the profession in 2013, including four specialized tracks geared toward business, consumer, financial advisor and professional development. The featured keynote speaker at this year's conference will be election analyst and author Larry Sabato. ABI's Great Debates, a field hearing of ABI’s Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 and 10 committee educational sessions will also be taking place at the conference. Panel sessions include:

Business Track:

• Fraudulent Conveyance Litigation from Soup to Nuts

• Pushing the Envelope

• The Role of the Hedge Fund in Corporate Restructurings: White Knight or Villain?

• Social Networking and Bankruptcy Issues

Financial Advisors Track

• Advising the Corporate Entity

• How to Create Value for the Estate from Your First Client Meeting until Entry of a Final Decree

Consumer Track

• From Infants to Toddlers: Bankruptcy Rules 3001 and 3002.1 Experience First-Year Growing Pains

• The National Mortgage Settlement: How Will It Affect Consumer Bankruptcy Cases?

Professional Development Track

• Litigation Skills: Mock Expert Examination

• “I'm Shocked—Shocked!—to Find that Unethical Conduct Is Going On in Here!”: A Tale of Ethics in Bankruptcy

The conference will also include a final night dinner featuring impressionist, comedian and singer Jeff Tracta, and the sounds of ABI's rock-n-roll band, the Indubitable Equivalents. Click here to register!

ABI IN-DEPTH

LATEST CASE SUMMARY ON VOLO: U.S. V. CARVER (6TH CIR.)



Summarized by Nicholas Miller of Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg, LLP

In affirming the lower court's ruling, the Sixth Circult held that (1) convictions for concealing assets and making a false statement under oath in bankruptcy would stand because evidence showed that the defendant (Carver) knowingly failed to disclose to the bankruptcy court a valuable wine collection and knowingly and falsely stated that he had sold the collection before the petition date; (2) Carver's sentence was procedurally reasonable because the district court properly calculated the amount of damage and number of victims caused by his crimes; and (3) his sentence was substantively reasonable because the district court, in fact, gave him a below-Guidelines sentence.

There are more than 600 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: BUSTING THE MYTH OF GLASS STEAGALL



The Bankruptcy Blog Exchange is a free ABI service that tracks 35 bankruptcy-related blogs. A recent blog post argues that restoring Glass-Steagall would be a remedy that is much like the Volcker rule: simple to say, hard to do.

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.

Have a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn Account?

Join our networks to expand yours.

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.

- Winter Leadership Conference

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