PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
August 6, 2002

SAUL EISEN IS APPOINTED
U.S. TRUSTEE FOR OHIO, MICHIGAN

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Saul Eisen has been appointed United States Trustee for Ohio and Michigan (Region 9), it was announced today by Lawrence Friedman, Director of the Executive Office for United States Trustees. Eisen will take office on Aug. 26, 2002.

"I am extremely pleased to announce Saul Eisen's appointment as U.S. Trustee for Region 9," Friedman stated. "Saul brings a great breadth of experience in bankruptcy law, from representing parties in complex Chapter 11 reorganizations to representing pro bono clients in consumer bankruptcy cases."

"Serving as United States Trustee presents an exciting opportunity to improve the bankruptcy system," Eisen stated. "I look forward to working with the Director and with the talented professionals in the U.S. Trustee's office in Region 9 to carry out the Attorney General's mandate to curb fraud and abuse in the bankruptcy system."

Eisen brings with him over 40 years of experience in bankruptcy law. Immediately before his appointment as U.S. Trustee, he was a partner in the Cleveland law firm Javitch, Block, Eisen & Rathbone PLL. Eisen has represented secured and unsecured creditors in Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 proceedings, and has appeared on behalf of the Ohio Attorney General on significant bankruptcy matters. He has also served as a Chapter 7 panel trustee continuously since 1960 and has acted as Chapter 7 trustees' counsel and as out-of-court trustee in many assignments for the benefit of creditors.

Eisen has served as President of the Cuyahoga County Bar Association, the Bankruptcy Section of the Cleveland Bar Association, and the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, which is the professional association for Chapter 7 trustees. He performed pro bono work for many years on behalf of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and the Lake County Bar Association. He has lectured extensively on bankruptcy, including providing training on the American bankruptcy system to Bulgarian bankruptcy judges and trustees through a program sponsored by the American Bar Association. He has also been recognized by the City of Beachwood, Ohio, for service to the community, and by the National School Board Association.

Eisen received his law degree in 1959 from Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, and his Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies in 1957 from Western Reserve University.

The United States Trustee Program is a component of the Justice Department that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws.

The Program has 21 regions and 95 field offices. Region 9, which consists of Ohio and Michigan, is headquartered in Cleveland with additional offices in Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, and Grand Rapids.

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