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Even though Congress continues to reconcile differences in the bankruptcy reform legislation recently passed by the House and Senate, the bankruptcy landscape is changing. According to CardData (www.carddata.com), the percentage of gross credit chargeoffs associated with bankruptcy has been steadily declining for the past eight months, from a high of 42.3% in June to 38.9% in February. The latest government figures also show the number of bankruptcy filings declined last year to 1.3 million compared to 1.44 million in 1998. Of the 1.3 million bankruptcy petitions filed last year, 1.28 million were consumer bankruptcies. In 1998, consumers filed 1.4 million personal bankruptcy petitions, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The compromised bankruptcy reform bill is expected to be hammered out within the next several months with a vote on the final version expected by year's end. The White House supports the softer, Senate version of the legislation.
