Bankruptcy filings in the federal courts fell 11.5 percent in calendar year 2011, according to data released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The number of bankruptcies filed in the twelve-month period ending December 31, 2011, totaled 1,410,653, down from 1,593,081 bankruptcies filed in CY 2010.
An historic high in the number of bankruptcy filings was seen in CY 2005, when over 2 million bankruptcies were filed. Although filings dropped in CY2006, the first full 12-month period after the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) took effect, they have grown steadily every year since. CY 2011 is the first calendar year to show a decrease in total filings since 2006.
Statistics released today include business and non-business filings for the 12-month period ending December 31, 2011 (Table F-2, 12-month); a comparison of December 2010 and 2011 filings (Table F); 4th quarter filings (Table F-2, 3-month); monthly filings for the 12-month period ending December 31, 2011 (Table F-2, Year-Month); and filings per capita.
Business and Non-Business Filings
The majority of bankruptcy filings involve non-business debts. In CY 2011, they totaled 1,362,847, down 11.3 percent from the 1,536,799 non-business bankruptcy filings in CY 2010.
Business filings totaled 47,806, down 15.1 percent from the 56,282 business filings in CY 2010.
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Business and Non-business Filings |
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| Year | Business | Non-Business | Total |
| 2011 | 47,806 | 1,362,847 | 1,410,653 |
| 2010 | 56,282 | 1,536,799 | 1,593,081 |
| 2009 | 60,837 | 1,412,838 | 1,473,675 |
| 2008 | 43,533 | 1,074,108 | 1,117,641 |
| 2007 | 28,322 | 822,590 | 850,912 |
First Quarter of FY 2011
The last three months of CY 2011 were the first quarter of the Judiciary's 2012 fiscal year. The number of bankruptcies filed during the first quarter of fiscal year 2012 (October 1-December 31, 2011) was 313,775, down 15.2 percent from the 370,080 filings in the first quarter of fiscal year 2011.
Filings by Chapter
In CY 2011, filings fell under all chapters of the U.S. bankruptcy code.
- Chapter 7 filings totaled 992,332, down 12.9 percent from the 1,139,601 Chapter 7 filings reported in CY 2010.
- Chapter 11 filings fell 15.9 percent to 11,529, from the 13,713 filings in CY 2010.
- Chapter 13 filings fell 7.5 percent to 406,084 in CY
- Chapter 12 filings totaled 637, down 11.9 percent from the 723 Chapter 12 bankruptcy filings in CY 2010.
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 Current Rules of Practice and Procedure. Search historic data on bankruptcy filings. Additional bankruptcy statistics, including bankruptcies by county, can be found on the Judiciary's PACER system.
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Total Bankruptcy Filing by Bankruptcy Chapter Calendar Years, Period Ending December 31, 2007-2011 |
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| Chapter | ||||
| Year | 7 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 2011 | 992,332 | 11,529 | 637 | 406,084 |
| 2010 | 1,139,601 | 13,713 | 723 | 438,913 |
| 2009 | 1,050,832 | 15,189 | 544 | 406,962 |
| 2008 | 744,364 | 10,160 | 345 | 362,705 |
| 2007 | 519,364 | 6,353 | 376 | 324,771 |
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 | DEC. 31, 2011 | 313,775 |
| 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.
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