Information about the insolvency of big enterprises such as Enron and Worldcom in the United States; Bremer Vulkan, Philip Holzmann, Babcock Borsig, CargoLifter, Walter Bau and “Ihr Platz GmbH & Co KG” in Germany; and discussion about the insolvency of States (e.g. Argentina) has awakened public interest in insolvency law and proceedings. Both the high number of insolvent enterprises and the increasing rate of consumer insolvency are shocking. The German Insolvency Act of 1999 created a uniform insolvency statute for all of Germany. In most cases, upon the instituting of insolvency proceedings, only small or no-insolvency estates were available. As a result, creditors only received average distributions of between three and five percent. Approximately three quarters of all insolvency procedures could not be instituted because of an insufficient insolvency estate. A large number of the insolvency proceedings carried out by the courts had to be terminated prematurely due to lack of assets. This deficiency in the law, referred to as the “bankruptcy of bankruptcy,” is to be remedied by the new Insolvency Act, as a failure in instituting insolvency proceedings is damaging confidence in the German economy.