The number of bankruptcy petitions filed in calendar year 1996 was up 27.2 percent over the same 12-month period ending December 31, 1995, according to data released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. This follows 1996 fiscal year (September 30, 1995-October 1, 1996) filings that were 25.9 percent higher than in FY95.
Filings in the calendar year period ending December 31, 1996, totalled 1,178,555, an all-time high. In comparison, for calendar year 1995, 926,601 bankruptcies were filed. Bankruptcy filings topped the one million mark (1,042,110) for the first time during the 12-month period ending June 30,1996. In addition, the number of bankruptcies filed during the first quarter of fiscal year 1997 (October 1-December 31, 1996)—311,131—was the highest ever filed for a quarter.
Bankruptcy filings have doubled in the last decade; they totalled 530,436 in 1986. At its March meeting, the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policy-making body of the Judiciary, voted to transmit to Congress proposed legislation to create 18 additional bankruptcy judgeships.
Among the U.S. bankruptcy courts, the Central District of California remained the district reporting the largest number of filings in the country with 102,645, a 24.7 percent increase over the same 12-month period in 1995. The Northern and Eastern Districts of California, the Northern District of Illinois, the District of New Jersey, the Northern District of Georgia, and the Middle District of Florida all showed over 30,000 bankruptcy filings in this period.
Of the total number of bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending December 31, 1996, there were 810,400 Chapter 7 filings, an increase of 29.4 percent over the 626,150 filings in the same period in 1995. The next largest group of filings were Chapter 13 filings at 355,123, a 23.9 percent increase over the 286,588 filings in the same period in 1995. Chapter 11 filings dropped to 11,911 in calendar year 1996 from 12,904 in 1995. Chapter 12 filings rose in this period, from 926 in 1995 to 1,083 in 1996. Business filings totaled 53,549. Non-business filings totaled 1,125,006.
Chapter 7 is designed to allow individuals to keep certain exempt property while the remaining property is sold to repay creditors. Under Chapter 13 bankruptcy, creditors may be repaid in installments, in full or in part, over a 3- to 5-year period. Chapter 11 provides for a business to continue operations while formulating a plan to repay its creditors. Chapter 12 is designed to meet the needs of financially distressed family farmers.
For the Judiciary, December 31, 1996, is the end of the first quarter of fiscal year 1997. In the first quarter of FY97, there were 311,131 bankruptcy cases filed. Total business filings in the first quarter numbered 12,887. Total non-business filings for the fourth quarter were 298,244.
| Total Filings | Chapter 7 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 311,131 | 212,301 | 2,733 | 224 | 95,870 |
| Total Business | Chapter 7 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 |
| 12,887 | 7,494 | 2,449 | 224 | 2,717 |
| Total Non-Business | Chapter 7 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 13 | |
| 298,244 | 204,807 | 284 | 93,153 |
| 3-Month Period Ending | Total Filings |
|---|---|
| DEC. 31, 1996 | 311,131 |
| SEPT. 30, 1996 | 303,309 |
| JUN. 31, 1996 | 297,162 |
| MAR. 31, 1996 | 266,149 |
| DEC. 31, 1995 | 244,494 |
| SEPT. 30, 1995 | 233,593 |
| JUN. 30, 1995 | 235,302 |
| MAR. 31, 1995 | 212,626 |
| DEC. 31, 1994 | 201,618 |
| SEPT. 30,1994 | 208,187 |
| JUN. 30, 1994 | 216,213 |
| MAR. 31, 1994 | 206,565 |
| DEC. 31, 1993 | 206,570 |
| SEPT. 30, 1993 | 215,498 |
| JUN. 30, 1993 | 229,406 |
| MAR. 31, 1993 | 222,694 |
| DEC. 31, 1992 | 228,562 |
| SEPT. 30, 1992 | 236,810 |
| JUN. 30, 1992 | 250,622 |
| MAR. 31, 1992 | 252,733 |
| DEC. 31, 1991 | 234,383 |
| SEPT. 30, 1991 | 231,743 |
| JUN. 30, 1991 | 246,430 |
| MAR. 31, 1991 | 231,017 |
| DEC. 31, 1990 | 209,798 |
| SEPT. 30, 1990 | 192,555 |
For additional information on this or other press releases, please contact the Public Information Officer at the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, 202/273-0107 or e-mail your questions to the webmaster@teo.uscourts.gov.