This report is one in a series of research on business users' experience with email: The Problem with Email (http://www.brockmann.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=508&Itemid=69) reviews the business case for investing in anti-spam technology, The Spam Index Report (http://www.brockmann.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=843&Itemid=69) compares the experience of 520 email users with nine different anti-spam technologies recommending that challenge-response technology delivers the lowest average Spam Index, and the highest user satisfaction, and Mobilizing Email (http://www.brockmann.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=896&Itemid=69) which presents a new policy framework for balancing mobile user needs with IT goals.

Email is the most important communications service for users in the finance, banking, legal, insurance and real estate industries. Yet, only 16% of users are very satisfied with their email experience.

Peter Brockmann, President and Research Director of Brockmann & Company said, "That's because users spend 65% more time each day than others dealing with spam searching for the 30% more good email trapped by their anti-spam filters than their peers in other industries."

Brockmann added, "No wonder, better anti-spam technologies is rated as the most frequent choice to improve the email experience."

The report shows that although users in the finance, banking, legal, insurance and real estate markets receive about the same total volume of email as others, the principal sources are different in a few important ways. Users receive 39% less spam than others but more email from customers and coworkers as well as more email from automated business processes. Nevertheless, the most frequently cited recommendation to improve the email experience is better anti-spam technology.

About Brockmann & Company

Brockmann & Company is a consulting & advisory firm serving high tech equipment & application vendors and service providers. Clients accelerate growth through customer research & thought leadership. Our motto: "In God we trust, all others bring data." Learn more at http://www.brockmann.com

The old bankruptcy law was weighted towards giving the debtor a break and helping him to regain his financial footing by allowing him to discharge some of his debts. The new law, however, is weighted much more towards giving the creditors a break and is meant to discourage bankruptcy filings by making them tougher to get. It is also meant to make sure that you will not be able to write off some of your debts at all.

This year, over one and a half million Americans will file for bankruptcy. Deciding to file for bankruptcy has never been an easy decision but the changes in the law make it more important than ever that you first look for viable alternatives before you file for bankruptcy.

Negotiated settlements

The best alternative to filing for bankruptcy is to work out some kind of negotiated settlement with your creditors. This is a very flexible alternative and can take many forms. Creditors do not like doing this but they recognize that it's much better than taking you to court and possibly risk getting nothing at all.

The most popular type is where the creditor will agree to write off a significant part of what you owe in return for a lump sum payment of a much smaller amount. Why would a creditor do this? In many cases it's simple economics. Lenders already have overhead built into the loan. They have already recouped all or most of their expenses through what you've already paid. The agreed upon lump sum will be designed to make up for the rest.

Another popular type of negotiated settlement is one where the debt is not reduced but merely delayed. This is great if, for example, you've had a hard time finding a job with enough income to support you but you are expecting job market conditions to change in the near future. In this case, you may be able to convince the creditor to let you "skip" a few month's payments until you get back on your feet.

If you meet certain conditions, many credit card companies will be willing to do this by what's referred to as "re-aging". In essence, they will bring your account up to date so you are no longer in arrears. The amount you owe may or may not be changed, depending on their policies. In some cases, it remains the same but the loan is simply extended. For example, if your last payment was due on March 2, 2009 and you receive a three month re-age, your last payment would be changed to come due on June 2, 2009.

Debt Consolidation

If you listen to television or radio commercials, debt consolidation is often offered as a panacea for bankruptcy. But debt consolidation does not typically reduce the amount you owe, it simply consolidates your debts into one payment. In addition, many debt consolidation services come with non-refundable upfront fees and other unnecessary "debt educational services" which rather than decreasing your debt load, increase it.

Unfortunately, because of the new bankruptcy law, you have fewer viable options than before. And it's more imperative than ever to seriously seek other solutions before filing bankruptcy.

David Hoyer is a freelance writer who writes articles about bankruptcy student loans and other bankruptcy related issues. Visit his site at http://www.bankruptcyfocus.com .