Commercial Chapter 11 Bankruptcies Drop 41% in April



Total commercial Chapter 11 filings dipped 41% to 405 filings in April 2015 from the 689 commercial Chapter 11 filings registered in April 2014, according to data provided by Epiq Systems. Total commercial filings in April 2015 decreased to 2,612, representing a 23% decline from the 3,401 business filings recorded in April 2014. Consumer filings declined 11% to 75,272 from the April 2015 consumer filing total of 84,762.

Total bankruptcy filings in the United States decreased 12% in April 2015 over April of last year. Bankruptcy filings totaled 77,884 in April 2015, down from the April 2014 total of 88,163.

“Sustained low-interest rates for business borrowers, flat consumer debt levels and the high costs associated with filing for bankruptcy continue to suppress the filing totals,” said ABI Executive Director Samuel J. Gerdano. “Fewer consumers and businesses are turning to the Bankruptcy Code for a financial fresh start.”

To provide distressed companies better access to the rehabilitative powers of the Bankruptcy Code, the ABI Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 released its Final Report in December 2014 containing recommendations for modernizing Chapter 11 business reorganizations. The Commission’s Final Report recommends improvements to the Code to account for today’s evolving corporate climate and to encourage debtors to file before they have to liquidate.

Total bankruptcy filings for the month of April represented a 5% decrease compared to the 81,662 total filings recorded in March 2015. Total noncommercial filings for April also represented a 5% decrease from the March 2015 noncommercial filing total of 79,000. April’s commercial filing total represented a 2% decrease from the March 2015 commercial filing total of 2,662. April commercial Chapter 11 filings also decreased 2% when compared to the 412 filings registered the previous month.

The average nationwide per capita bankruptcy-filing rate in April was 2.74 (total filings per 1,000 per population), an increase from the 2.65 rate registered in the first three months of the year. Average total filings per day in April 2015 were 2,596, a 12% decrease from the 2,939 total daily filings in April 2014. States with the highest per capita filing rates (total filings per 1,000 population) in April 2015 were

1. Tennessee (5.63)
2. Alabama (5.24)
3. Georgia (4.85)
4. Illinois (4.66)
5. Utah (4.31)

ABI has partnered with Epiq Systems to provide the most current bankruptcy filing data for analysts, researchers and members of the news media.


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