ABI PRESS BRIEFING
Consumer Spending, Debt and Bankruptcy

The American Bankruptcy Institute held a consumer press briefing on Thursday, January, 23, 2003, the second in a series of press educational teleseminars, featuring ABI experts addressing timely issues in consumer and corporate bankruptcies. The consumer briefing featured U.S. Bankruptcy Judge William Brown (Tenn.), Henry Hildebrand III of Lassiter, Tidwell & Hildebrand PLLC (Tenn.), Prof. Karen Gross of New York Law School, H. Jason Gold of Wiley Rein & Fielding LLP (Va.) and Dianne Wilkman of Springboard Non-profit Consumer Credit Management (Calif.).

• Judge William Brown (Tenn.)

• Henry Hildebrand III of Lassiter, Tidwell & Hildebrand PLLC (Tenn.)

• Prof. Karen Gross of New York Law School

• H. Jason Gold of Wiley Rein & Fielding LLP (Va.)

• Dianne Wilkman of Springboard Non-profit Consumer Credit Management (Calif.)

1	Introduction of panelists and issues
2	Trends in chapter 7 consumer cases and profile of debtors today
3	Trends in chapter 12 consumer cases and causes of the rise in filings
4	Judicial perspectives in consumer bankruptcies
5	Credit counseling as an alternative to bankruptcy
6	How to find quality credit counseling services
7	Need for financial literacy and education
8	Student loans in bankruptcy; other causes of high consumer debt and bankruptcy
9	"Democratization" of credit; "Stigma" of bankruptcy
10	Other causes of consumer bankruptcy: underemployment, low savings rates
11	Women in bankruptcy; filing rates in the South and West

For more information, please contact Rali Mileva: rmileva@abiworld.org