For many businesses, bankruptcy is a looming reality, one that can take many forms. Bankruptcy is such a fact of life that a tangle of laws exist in the U.S. legal code. The most widely recognised type, Chapter 11, permits the reorganisation, as opposed to the liquidation, of financially troubled businesses. An economic analysis has to start with the observation that business failure is not always bad, as efficiency in the economy demands continual reallocation of resources. This book offers a thorough overview of the bankruptcy laws and procedures American businesses and consumers are faced with.