NARB Changes its Name

At its 1965 annual meeting, NARB revised its constitution and changed its name to the National Conference of Referees in Bankruptcy (“NCRB”) “as being more appropriate to its membership and objectives than the former name.” NCRB also revised its statement of purpose to read, “The purpose of this Conference shall be to promote better acquaintance and co-operation among the referees in bankruptcy of the United States Courts, to secure a greater degree of uniformity in the administration of estates in bankruptcy, to encourage expedition in the liquidation of estates and economy in the administration thereof, and generally to improve the practice in bankruptcy proceedings.”

New bankruptcy rules were adopted, effective October 1, 1973, that identified referees in bankruptcy as bankruptcy judges for the first time. The National Conference of Referees in Bankruptcy wasted no time in changing its name again, in 1973, to the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges (“NCBJ”). Yet the Bankruptcy Act of 1898, then in effect, still used the designation “referee in bankruptcy,” not “judge.” Between October 1, 1973 and the effective date of the Bankruptcy Act of 1978, many district judges refused to refer to bankruptcy referees/judges as judges.