The US Chapter 11 Plan Procedure

The chapter begins with an outline of the US Chapter 11 plan procedure. It briefly discusses the proposals of the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) for reform of Chapter 11. It then discusses the key features of the US Chapter 11 plan procedure, including the right to propose a plan, the permitted content of the plan, the voting in classes, and the criteria for confirmation and cramdown. Finally, it looks at criticisms of the US system, which include the costs and extent of judicial involvement, the duration of the automatic say, the exclusivity period, the best interests and feasibility test, the wording of the absolute priority rule, and the intrusiveness of the cramdown powers under US law.