Accidental Convergence: Corporate Reorganization in Two Federal Systems

25 Pages Posted: 25 Jul 2009 Last revised: 7 Oct 2009

Date Written: July 25, 2009

Abstract

The 2005 changes to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code represent the first significant step away from a long-term inclination toward corporate rescue. In doing so, Congress, however unwittingly, partially reunited American corporate bankruptcy practice with its long forgotten, much smaller twin, Switzerland. Why would Congress want to move the American system in this direction? To address this key question, I offer a comparison of corporate reorganization systems in these two leading commercial, federal systems. In particular, I examine the Swiss system for rescuing failed companies and compare it with the post-BACPA version of chapter 11. While the American system clearly remains more “debtor friendly,” the space between the two systems has significantly narrowed. More generally, through this short paper I demonstrate how Congress’ ill-conceived amendments to chapter 11 may have damaged a corporate reorganization system that is increasingly the subject of imitation worldwide.

Keywords: Chapter 11, corporate reorganization, bankruptcy, Switzerland, BACPA, financial distress

Suggested Citation

Lubben, Stephen J., Accidental Convergence: Corporate Reorganization in Two Federal Systems (July 25, 2009). Bankruptcy Developments Journal, 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1438345 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1438345

Stephen J. Lubben (Contact Author)

Seton Hall Law School ( email )

One Newark Center
Newark, NJ 07102-5210
United States
973-642-8857 (Phone)

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