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Get in Line: Chapter 11 Restructuring in Crowded Bankruptcy Courts

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  • Benjamin Iverson

    (Marriott School of Management, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602; Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208)

Abstract
Bankruptcy costs depend not only on the laws that govern financial distress but also on the ability of the court to rehabilitate distressed firms. This paper tests whether Chapter 11 restructuring outcomes are affected by time constraints in busy bankruptcy courts. Using the passage of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act as an exogenous shock to caseloads, I find that commercial banks report lower charge-offs on business lending when court caseloads decline, suggesting that the costs of financial distress are lower in less-congested courts. Further, court caseload affects how restructuring takes place. Less-busy bankruptcy judges liquidate fewer small firms, but more large firms. When caseload declines, large firms spend less time in court and firms that are dismissed from court are less likely to refile for bankruptcy. In addition, firms are less likely to sell assets or obtain debtor-in-possession financing in less-busy courts.

Suggested Citation

  • Benjamin Iverson, 2018. "Get in Line: Chapter 11 Restructuring in Crowded Bankruptcy Courts," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(11), pages 5370-5394, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:64:y:2018:i:11:p:5370-5394
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2017.2808
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    3. Antill, Samuel & Grenadier, Steven R., 2019. "Optimal capital structure and bankruptcy choice: Dynamic bargaining versus liquidation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(1), pages 198-224.
    4. Bernstein, Shai & Colonnelli, Emanuele & Giroud, Xavier & Iverson, Benjamin, 2019. "Bankruptcy spillovers," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(3), pages 608-633.
    5. Amir Kermani & Yueran Ma, 2020. "Two Tales of Debt," NBER Working Papers 27641, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Kim, Hwa-Sung, 2023. "Forced conversion to Chapter 7 bankruptcy and optimal financial decisions," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    7. Araujo, Aloisio & Ferreira, Rafael & Lagaras, Spyridon & Moraes, Flavio & Ponticelli, Jacopo & Tsoutsoura, Margarita, 2023. "The labor effects of judicial bias in bankruptcy," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(2).
    8. Martin Kornejew & Chen Lian & Yueran Ma & Pablo Ottonello & Diego J. Perez, 2024. "Bankruptcy Resolution and Credit Cycles," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2024, volume 39, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Müller, Karsten, 2022. "Busy bankruptcy courts and the cost of credit," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(2), pages 824-845.
    10. Annabi, Amira & Breton, Michèle & François, Pascal, 2021. "Could Chapter 11 redeem itself? Wealth and welfare effects of the redemption option," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    11. Srhoj, Stjepan & Kovač, Dejan & Shapiro, Jacob N. & Filer, Randall K., 2023. "The impact of delay: Evidence from formal out-of-court restructuring," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    12. Michelle M. Miller, 2022. "The impact of paid sick leave laws on consumer and business bankruptcies," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(4), pages 844-896, December.
    13. Dou, Winston Wei & Taylor, Lucian A. & Wang, Wei & Wang, Wenyu, 2021. "Dissecting bankruptcy frictions," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(3), pages 975-1000.
    14. Bellon, Aymeric & Harpedanne de Belleville, Louis-Marie & Pinardon-Touati, Noémie, 2021. "Mediating Financial Intermediation," MPRA Paper 108339, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Goodwin, John & Routledge, James, 2021. "Determinants of the duration of the voluntary administration process: An unconditional quantile regression analysis," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(3).
    16. Cem Demiroglu & Oguzhan Ozbas & Rui C. Silva & Mehmet Fati̇h Ulu, 2021. "Do Physiological and Spiritual Factors Affect Economic Decisions?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 76(5), pages 2481-2523, October.
    17. Gao, Peng & He, Ling & Hu, Shiyang & Xin, Qingquan, 2024. "Double-edged sword: Does strong creditor protection in the bankruptcy process affect firm productivity," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PA).
    18. Martin, Philippe & Cros, Mathieu & Epaulard, Anne, 2021. "Will Schumpeter Catch Covid-19?," CEPR Discussion Papers 15834, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

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