"I think there will be increased filings as the convergence of banking and technology is irreversible,'' he said.
The Obama administration's growing reputation of greater interest in discrimination cases than its predecessor may also have increased filings.
"People are trying to control an expense that they have some say in," said Mr. Ryan, the Brookhaven assessor, "so we're seeing a lot of individuals coming in and increasing filings".
The increase in filings that would probably take place in the short term and the greater complexity of the subsequent filings would further heighten tensions.
If the bankruptcy system was doing its job, the mortgage-driven financial crisis should then have led to a sharp increase in filings under Chapter 13.
"There's no question that Dubai Ports World led to an increase in filings of transactions with Cfius," Clay Lowery, assistant secretary of Treasury for international affairs, said in an interview last week before the 3Com withdrawal.
And, as buying shares with borrowed money has become a working-class addiction, it has also helped to pump up the stockmarket.Given its readiness to hand out money with almost no questions asked, the credit-card industry's current demands that Congress stop the rapid increase in filings for personal bankruptcy ring hollow.
Mr. Kline is eligible for bonuses of as much as $3.1 million this year if he meets performance targets on operating income, return on capital and sales volume increases, company filings show.
Increasing foreclosure filings was contrary to the intent of the policy, suggesting that policymakers should be aware of how firms exhibit systematic biases, much like individuals.
That increase left such filings at the highest level since late December 2003.
