Washington D.C.–(ENEWSPF)– Bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2010, rose 27 percent when compared to bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2009, according to statistics released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. March 2010 bankruptcy filings totaled 1,531,997, compared to the 1,202,395 bankruptcy cases filed in the 12-month period ending March 31, 2009.
This is the highest number of total bankruptcy filings since the 12-month period ending March 31, 2006. A significant decline in bankruptcy filings occurred in October 2006, when many of the provisions of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) took effect.
Business and Non-Business Filings
The majority of bankruptcy filings involve predominantly non-business debts. Non-business filings (also called personal or consumer filings) for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2010, totaled 1,470,849, up 28 percent from the 1,153,318 bankruptcies filed in the 12-month period ending March 31, 2009.
Filings involving business debts also rose. They totaled 61,148, up 25 percent from the 49,077 business bankruptcies filed in the 12-month period ending March 31, 2009.
Filings by Chapter
For the 12-month period ending March 31, 2010, filings rose for all bankruptcy chapters.
- Chapter 7 filings rose 34 percent to 1,100,032, compared to the 819,304 Chapter 7 filings in the 12-month period ending March 31, 2009.
- Chapter 13 filings rose 12 percent to 415,966 from the 370,836 bankruptcies filed in the 12-month period ending March 31, 2009.
- Chapter 11 filings rose 30 percent, to 15,251, compared to the 11,774, Chapter 11 filings in the same time period in 2009.
- Chapter 12 filings rose 65 percent to 605, from the 367 filings for the 12-month period ending March 2009.
For more on bankruptcy and its chapters, visit the Judiciary’s website or go to www.fjc.gov/federal/courts.nsf. Local bankruptcy court rules and historic data on bankruptcy filings are also available. Additional bankruptcy statistics, including bankruptcies by county, can be found on the Judiciary’s PACER system.
| Quarterly Filings* | |||||||
| PERIOD | FILINGS | PERIOD | FILINGS | PERIOD | FILINGS | PERIOD | FILINGS |
| MAR. 31, 2010 | 388,148 | ||||||
| MAR. 31, 2009 | 330,394 | JUN. 30, 2009 | 381,073 | SEPT. 30, 2009 | 388,485 | DEC. 31, 2009 | 372,203 |
| MAR. 31, 2008 | 245,695 | JUN. 30, 2008 | 276,428 | SEPT. 30, 2008 | 292,218 | DEC. 31, 2008 | 301,253 |
| MAR. 31, 2007 | 193,641 | JUN. 30, 2007 | 210,449 | SEPT. 30, 2007 | 218,909 | DEC. 31, 2007 | 226,413 |
| MAR. 31, 2006 | 116,771 | JUN. 30, 2006 | 155,833 | SEPT. 30, 2006 | 171,146 | DEC. 31, 2006 | 177,599 |
| MAR. 31, 2005 | 401,149 | JUN. 30, 2005 | 467,333 | SEPT. 30, 2005 | 542,002 | DEC. 31, 2005 | 667,431 |
| MAR. 31, 2004 | 407,572 | JUN. 30, 2004 | 421,110 | SEPT. 30, 2004 | 396,438 | DEC. 31, 2004 | 371,668 |
| MAR. 31, 2003 | 412,968 | JUN. 30, 2003 | 440,257 | SEPT. 30, 2003 | 412,989 | DEC. 31, 2003 | 393,348 |
| MAR. 31, 2002 | 379,012 | JUN. 30, 2002 | 400,686 | SEPT. 30, 2002 | 401,306 | DEC. 31, 2002 | 395,129 |
| MAR. 31, 2001 | 366,841 | JUN. 30, 2001 | 400,394 | SEPT. 30, 2001 | 359,518 | DEC. 31, 2001 | 364,921 |
| MAR. 31, 2000 | 312,335 | JUN. 30, 2000 | 321,729 | SEPT. 30, 2000 | 308,718 | DEC. 31, 2000 | 310,169 |
| MAR. 31, 1999 | 330,784 | JUN. 30, 1999 | 345,956 | SEPT. 30, 1999 | 323,550 | DEC. 31, 1999 | 318,634 |
| MAR. 31, 1998 | 354,118 | JUN. 30, 1998 | 373,460 | SEPT. 30, 1998 | 361,205 | DEC. 31, 1998 | 353,108 |
| MAR. 31, 1997 | 335,073 | JUN. 30, 1997 | 367,168 | SEPT. 30, 1997 | 353,515 | DEC. 31, 1997 | 347,685 |
| MAR. 31, 1996 | 266,149 | JUN. 30, 1996 | 297,162 | SEPT. 30, 1996 | 303,309 | DEC. 31, 1996 | 311,131 |
| MAR. 31, 1995 | 212,626 | JUN. 30, 1995 | 235,302 | SEPT. 30, 1995 | 233,593 | DEC. 31, 1995 | 244,494 |
* Because of ongoing corrections to the bankruptcy database, the quarterly data may not total to the most recent annual figures. In addition, beginning with the quarter ending June 30, 2009, the Administrative Office implemented a new system for reporting bankruptcy data from the courts. The new system counts intradistrict transfers differently, which may lead to small revisions in filings counts in previous quarters.
Source: uscourts.gov
