Decline in Bankruptcy Filings Slowing
For the third straight quarter, bankruptcy filings fell by less than 10 percent, with filings falling by 6.3 percent for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2016, compared with the year ending September 30, 2015. The three most recent reports follow a four-year period in which consecutive double-digit declines had occurred in every reporting period since December 2011.
The September 2016 annual bankruptcy filings totaled 805,580, compared with 860,182 cases in the previous year, according to statistics released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The number of bankruptcy filings was the lowest for any 12-month period since the year ending December 2007.
A national wave of bankruptcies that began in 2008 reached a peak in the year ending September 2010, when nearly 1.6 million bankruptcies were filed.
| FY | Business | Non-Business | TOTAL |
| 2016 | 24,457 | 781,123 | 805,580 |
| 2015 | 24,985 | 835,197 | 860,182 |
| 2014 | 28,319 | 935,420 | 963,739 |
| 2013 | 34,892 | 1,072,807 | 1,107,699 |
| 2012 | 42,008 | 1,219,132 | 1,261,140 |
| Year | Chapter | |||
| 7 | 11 | 12 | 13 | |
| 2016 | 498,367 | 7,450 | 458 | 299,150 |
| 2015 | 550,036 | 7,040 | 383 | 302,642 |
| 2014 | 642,366 | 7,658 | 372 | 313,262 |
| 2013 | 753,995 | 9,564 | 405 | 343,651 |
| 2012 | 874,337 | 10,597 | 541 | 375,521 |
| 2011 | 1,036,950 | 11,979 | 676 | 417,503 |
Additional statistics released today include:
- Business and non-business bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2016 (Table F-2, 12-month);
- A comparison of September 2015 and 2016 filings (Table F);
- 4th quarter filings, Table F-2, 3-month); filings for July, August, and September 2016 (Table F-2, Monthly).
- Bankruptcy filings by county (Report F-5A).
Learn more about bankruptcy and bankruptcy court rules, or search historical data on bankruptcy filings.
Related Topics: Bankruptcy Courts, Bankruptcy Filings