The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI’s membership consists of nearly 10,000 members in the United States and more than 41 other nations.
 
International Activities
ABI’s growing international presence includes educational programs in France, England, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Canada, Spain, China, Mexico, the Netherlands and the Caribbean. ABI members can also join ABI’s International Committee, which presents educational programs at ABI’s national meetings and produces regular newsletters. In 2023, ABI held in-person insolvency events, with the Caribbean Insolvency Symposium taking place in February in the Cayman Islands, the Cross-Border Insolvency Program taking place in October in New York, and the International Insolvency & Restructuring Symposium being held in November in Lisbon, Portugal. ABI also hosted a number of online webinars and programming examining key insolvency topics.
 
Educational Programs
ABI is the leading provider of quality CLE programs on insolvency in the U.S. ABI holds nearly 40 regional, national and international programs each year, with live and online options.
 
Scholarly Research
ABI’s Endowment Fund awards grants to scholars engaged in research on insolvency topics. It is funding ABI’s Subchapter V Task Force to study and evaluate case law and statistical data under subchapter V from February 19, 2020, through and including the present. This study will consider, among other things, how the subchapter is working in practice and whether it is achieving certain underlying objectives, such as assisting debtors and creditors in resolving the reorganization cases of small- and medium-sized businesses more effectively and efficiently, and what may be needed to improve its effectiveness. The Task Force intends to memorialize the results of its study in a written report in April 2024.
 
Publications
ABI maintains globalinsolvency.org, a comprehensive online source of information on current issues in international insolvency and restructuring law for cross-border news and information. ABI periodicals include the monthly ABI Journal, the semi-annual ABI Law Review and conference educational materials. In addition, ABI’s books include The Zone of (In)solvency: Fiduciary Duties and Standards of Review for Corporations and Limited Liability Companies, European Union Regulation on Insolvency Proceedings: An Introductory Analysis (4^th Ed.) and Chapter 15 for Foreign Debtors, which are available at store.abi.org.
 
Legal Research
ABI’s website, abi.org, is a comprehensive source of data for insolvency professionals, the public and news media seeking to understand U.S. bankruptcy law. ABI’s research suite, free for members, includes a range of articles, statistics, case law summaries, conference materials, daily bankruptcy news headlines, court decisions, legislative news and videos.
 
Legislation
ABI regularly testifies before Congress to provide analytical assistance and provides commentary to the news media. In the past, Congress has considered the recommendations of ABI’s 2014 Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11, which led to the passage of the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019. Since the start of the pandemic, ABI has supported the passage and enactment of laws that expanded the debt-eligibility ceiling to $7.5 million for individuals and small businesses electing to file for bankruptcy under subchapter V, and raised the debt limit for individual chapter 13 filings to $2.75 million.