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Bankruptcy Filings Down in Fiscal Year 2011
November 07, 2011
Bankruptcy cases filed in federal courts for fiscal year 2011, the 12-month period ending September 30, 2011, totaled 1,467,221, down 8 percent over the FY 2010 bankruptcy filings of 1,596,355, according to statistics released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Filings dropped during the fourth quarter of the Judiciary's fiscal year, with 15 percent fewer filings than in the same three-month period in 2010.
Additional statistics released today include business and non-business bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2011 (Table F-2, 12-month); a comparison of September 2010 and 2011 filings (Table F), 4th quarter filings (Table F-2, 3-month); and monthly filings for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2011 (Table F-2, Monthly).
Business Bankruptcy Filings Fall
For the 12-month period ending September 30, 2011, business bankruptcy filings—those cases in which the debtor is a corporation or partnership, or the debt is predominantly related to the operation of a business—totaled 49,895, down 14 percent from the 58,322 business filings reported in the 12-month period ending September 30, 2010.
Non-business bankruptcy filings totaled 1,417,326, down 8 percent from the 1,538,033 non-business bankruptcy filings in September 2010.
Filings Under All Chapters
In FY 2011, filings fell for all bankruptcy chapters:
- Chapter 7 filings in FY 2011 totaled 1,036,950, down 10 percent from the 1,146,511 chapter 7 filings in FY 2010.
- Chapter 13 filings fell 4 percent, from 434,839 in FY 2010 to 417,503 in FY 2011.
- Chapter 11 filings fell to 11,979, down 16 percent from the 14,191 Chapter 11 filings reported in FY 2010.
- Chapter 12 filings fell to 676, down 4 percent from the 707 Chapter 12 filings in FY 2010.
Fourth Quarter Filings
The 3-month period ending September 30, 2011, was the Judiciary's final quarter of fiscal year 2011. Total bankruptcy filings in the fourth quarter totaled 348,635, down 15 percent from the 412,380 bankruptcy cases filed in the final quarter of FY 2010. For a breakdown of filings by all chapters for the quarter, see Table F-2, 3-month period.
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 can be found at www.uscourts.gov/rules/bk-localrules.html. Historic data on bankruptcy filings is available on the Judiciary's website under Bankruptcy Statistics. Additional bankruptcy statistics, including bankruptcies by county, can be found on the Judiciary's PACER system.
Quarterly Bankruptcy Filings*
| PERIOD | FILINGS | PERIOD | FILINGS | PERIOD | FILINGS | PERIOD | FILINGS |
| MAR. 31, 2011 | 366,178 | JUN. 30, 2011 | 379,790 | SEPT. 30, 2011 | 348,635 | | |
|
MAR. 31, 2010 |
388,148 |
JUN. 30, 2010 |
422,061 |
SEPT. 30, 2010 |
412,380 |
DEC. 31, 2010 |
370,080 |
| 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.