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38 NATION SEES DECREASE IN BANKRUPTCY FILINGS e number of bankruptcy filings nationwide dropped by 46 percent in January compared to December, but it was up 5 percent from a year earlier, according to the January 2017 Bankruptcy Trends report by Epiq Systems. e year-over-year bump follows a reversal of trends that closed 2016, when national bankruptcy filings were also up 6 percent year over year for the first time in half a decade. According to Epiq's AACER bankruptcy data, there were 54,574 filings overall in January, down from December's 56,394 but still up from November's 53,844 filings. e average number of filings per capita nationwide was 2.13 per 10,000 people, down 0.35 percent from December. Alabama and Tennessee again finished first and second in the number of filings per capita. Alabama filed 5.43 bankruptcies per 10,000. e number was, however, 0.06 percent lower than in December. Tennessee filed 5.08 bankruptcies per 10,000, down half a percent from December. California had the most overall filings in January, with 5,253, which was 0.01 percent down from December. Illinois and Georgia followed in second and third place for cumulative filings with 3,674 and 3,521, respectively. Florida filed 3,370. Ohio and Texas were the only other states to file more than 2,400 bankruptcies in January. No states posted an increase in filings in January compared to December. Indiana's filings went down most month to month. In January, Indiana filed 1,298 bankruptcies, which was down 1.23 percent from December. Idaho and Utah also saw 1-percent-plus drops from December. Idaho's 172 filings were 1.09 percent lower, while Utah's 703 filings were down a similar 1.06 percent. Epiq Systems is a leading global provider of technology-enabled solutions for electronic discovery, bankruptcy, and class action administration. Top legal professionals depend on them for deep subject-matter expertise and years of firsthand experience working on many of the largest, most high-profile, and most complex client engagements. Epiq Systems has locations in the United States, Europe, and Asia. CARSON FILLING OUT ADVISORY TEAM Longtime Trump family associate Lynne Patton accepted a key role with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently. Patton, who previously served as VP of Eric Trump's charity foundation and spent eight years working closely with the Trump family, will join retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson as a senior advisor and director of the Office of Public Liaison at HUD, according to a story posted on the Daily Mail. Patton will serve as a close advisor to HUD Secretary Carson, who was confirmed on March 2. She said in a statement she chose the HUD post because she believes that she can make an immediate difference in minority lives alongside Carson. "I chose HUD because not only has our president and his administration made promises to the African-American, Hispanic, and Native American communities during the campaign, but I have too and I know that Dr. Carson has," Patton said. "I believe that at HUD, we can make a more immediate and significant impact in bringing those promises to fruition." As a public liaison, Patton wouldn't have control over grants, regulations, or low-income subsidies but would travel with Carson and serve as a senior advisor. Senators pressed Carson during his confirmation hearing about the possibilities that President Donald J. Trump's business organization could benefit from HUD decisions. "Can you assure me that not a single taxpayer dollar that you give out will financially benefit the president-elect or his family?" asked Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) during Carson's Banking Committee confirmation hearing. His response: "I can assure you that the things that I do are driven by a sense of morals and values, and therefore, I will absolutely not play favorites for anyone." Patton spoke at the Republican National Convention on behalf of Trump. "e Trump family that I know is, without question, one of the most generous, compassionate, and philanthropic families I've ever had the privilege of knowing and the honor to call friends," said Patton in a video played at the convention. "ey have been incredibly loyal to me and to the countless dedicated people they employ around the world, hiring more minority and female executives than any other company for which I've ever worked," she said.