BankruptcyProf Blog

Analysis of National Filings Prepared by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

From the Hon. Scott Clarkson:

These are the local comparisons to the national filings. This is public information.

Please see the analysis below prepared by the Clerk's Office of the Central District of California reflecting a comparison of CACB to the national filings for the period ending 9/30/11, released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts yesterday.

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The following is the analysis of the national bankruptcy filings for the 12-month and 3-month period ending 9/30/11.

A. National Filing Statistics for the 12 and 3-Month Period Ending September 30, 2011

1. CA, C continues to lead the nation in total filings with 139,882 during the 12-month period, 129% greater than the next highest district, IL, N, with 60,976.

2. CA, C experienced a 0.9% increase in filings over the same period in 2010 (138,585), while nationally, bankruptcy filings fell 8.1%. While filings are up slightly, the rate of increase continues to fall from a high of 96.3% in 2008 to 0.9% this period.

3. CA, C had the third highest percentage increase in filings, just below LA, M with 1.3%. Utah had the highest percentage increase with 6.5%.

LARGEST Percentage Increase
UT 6.5%
LA, M 1.3%
CA, C 0.9%
WA, W -1.1%
TX, S -1.2%

4. CA, C is the only district among the mega courts to experience an increase from 2010 to 2011. IL, N holds the number two spot with 60,976 filings down 6.8% from 65,443 filings in 2010, while number three ranked FL, M fell 14.8% (66,881 in 2010 to 56,972 in 2011).

Mega Courts Filings with Percentage Increase/Decrease
District Filings % Change
CA, C 139,882 0.9%
IL, N 60,976 -6.8%
FL, M 56,972 -14.8%
GA, N 53,825 -2.0%
CA, E 51,481 -5.3%

5. CA, C led the nation in total business filings (4,641), 86.1% greater than second place, FL, M, with 2,494 total business filings.

6. The following are the top 5 district rankings for total filings, chapter 11 filings, and chapter 13 filings for both the 12 and 3-month periods ending 9/30/11.

TOTAL Filings for Period Ending 9/30/11
12-month Period 3-month Period
CA, C 139,882 CA, C 32,931
IL, N 60,976 IL, N 14,171
FL, M 56,972 FL, M 13,345
GA, N 53,825 GA, N 13,064
CA, E 51,481 CA, E 11,963

CH 11 Filings for Period Ending 9/30/11
12-month Period 3-month Period
CA, C 1,172 CA, C 284
NY, S 768 FL. M 144
FL, M 627 NV 117
NV 482 NY, S 111
AZ 474 CA, N 101

CH 13 Filings for Period Ending 9/30/11
12-month Period 3-month Period
CA, C 35,024 CA, C 8,483
GA, N 22,555 GA, N 5,764
IL, N 14,668 IL, N 3,935
FL, M 13,635 TN, W 3,526
CA, N 12,690 FL, M 3,235

New Data from the Central District of California

• Pro per filings for the Jan through Sept, 2011 period were 28.3% of the total.  The national average is 7.9%. 
• The central district clerk's office processes one bankruptcy petition every 3 minutes, 44 seconds. 
• The next highest number of filings after the central district is the middle district of Florida.  The C.D. Cal has 146% more filing than M.D. Fl. 
• The central district expects 141,000 filings this year, up from 109,000 in 2009, and 66,000 in 2008. 

October Filings Hold Steady

	2007	2008	2009	%	2010	%
Jan	55,200	70,300	89,000	27%	102,600	15%
Feb	58,800	79,500	102,000	28%	117,800	15%
March	73,100	90,400	131,000	45%	159,200	22%
April	67,800	93,200	128,700	38%	146,200	14%
May	69,900	89,700	120,400	34%	133,500	11%
June	67,300	89,900	124,800	39%	133,850	7%
July	69,100	96,400	130,500	35%	134,600	3%
Aug	77,100	94,300	120,000	27%	135,600	13%
Sept	67,500	96,200	125,500	30%	134,000	7%
Oct	81,200	108,900	130,200	20%	129,700	0%
Nov	74,200	91,400	115,500	26%
Dec	65,900	95,900	117,000	22%
	827,100	1,096,100	1,434,600	31%	1,327,050

Thanks to the Bankruptcy Internet Project.

Bankruptcy Filings Level Off - Holding Steady

TOTAL FILINGS	2007	2008	2009	%	2010	%
Jan	55,200	70,300	89,000	27%	102,600	15%
Feb	58,800	79,500	102,000	28%	117,800	15%
March	73,100	90,400	131,000	45%	159,200	22%
April	67,800	93,200	128,700	38%	146,200	14%
May	69,900	89,700	120,400	34%	133,500	11%
June	67,300	89,900	124,800	39%	133,850	7%
July	69,100	96,400	130,500	35%	134,600	3%
Aug	77,100	94,300	120,000	27%	135,600	13%
Sept	67,500	96,200	125,500	30%	134,000	7%
Oct	81,200	108,900	130,200	20%
Nov	74,200	91,400	115,500	26%
Dec	65,900	95,900	117,000	22%
	827,100	1,096,100	1,434,600	31%	1,197,350

July Filings Hold Steady

	2007	2008	2009	%	2010	%
Jan	55,200	70,300	89,000	27%	102,600	15%
Feb	58,800	79,500	102,000	28%	117,800	15%
March	73,100	90,400	131,000	45%	159,200	22%
April	67,800	93,200	128,700	38%	146,200	14%
May	69,900	89,700	120,400	34%	133,500	11%
June	67,300	89,900	124,800	39%	133,850	7%
July	69,100	96,400	130,500	35%	134,600	3%
Aug	77,100	94,300	120,000	27%
Sept	67,500	96,200	125,500	30%
Oct	81,200	108,900	130,200	20%
Nov	74,200	91,400	115,500	26%
Dec	65,900	95,900	117,000	22%
	827,100	1,096,100	1,434,600	31%	927,750
	Central District of California
		2008	2009	%	2010	%
	Jan	3,694	6,004	63%	9,013	50%
	Feb	3,787	6,971	84%	9,659	39%
	March	4,381	8,529	95%	12,840	51%
	April	5,023	8,512	69%	12,114	42%
	May	5,177	8,967	73%	11,906	33%
	June	5,351	9,595	79%	12,190	27%
	July	5,983	9,894	65%	12,737	29%
	Aug	6,195	9,748	57%
	Sept	6,290	9,214	46%
	Oct	6,364	10,322	62%
	Nov	6,029	9,462	57%
	Dec	6,615	9,864	49%
		64,889	107,082	65%	80,459
	% total	0.059	0.075		0.087

Bankruptcy Filings for Second Quarter 2010 pass 400,000

	Total	7	11	12	13
6/30/2010	413,600	302,300	3,311	193	107,824
3/31/2010	379,800	274,700	3,723	162	101,200
12/31/2009	366,000	258,100	3,615	145	104,200
9/30/2009	381,500	270,200	3,525	158	107,600
6/30/2009	375,100	270,700	4,338	131	99,900
3/31/2009	330,500	233,500	3,649	102	93,200
Total 2009	1,453,100	1,307,200	18,850	698	506,100
12/31/2008	301,300	202,100	3,175	90	95,900
9/30/2008	292,300	195,200	2,712	89	94,300
6/30/2008	276,500	187,400	1,888	85	87,100
3/31/2008	245,700	158,500	2,012	81	85,100
Total 2008	1,115,800	743,200	9,787	345	362,400
12/31/2007	226,400	137,600	1,793	77	86,900
9/30/2007	218,900	132,000	1,583	71	85,200
6/30/2007	210,400	131,500	1,574	112	77,200
3/31/2007	193,600	117,700	1,406	104	74,400
Total 2007	849,300	518,800	6,356	364	323,700
Statistics from 3/31/09 back come from US Courts.gov;
from 6/30/09 forward from Bankruptcy Data Project

Filings for June, 2010

Total filings for June 2010 is 133,850.  For the Central District of California, 12,190.

	2007	2008	2009	%	2010	%
Jan	55200	70,300	89,000	27%	102,600	15%
Feb	58800	79,500	102,000	28%	117,800	15%
March		90,400	131,000	45%	159,200	22%
April		93,200	128,700	38%	146,200	14%
May		89,700	120,400	34%	133,500	11%
June		89,900	124,800	39%	133,850	7%
July		96,400	130,500	35%
Aug		94,300	120,000	27%
Sept		96,200	125,500	30%
Oct		108,900	130,200	20%
Nov		91,400	115,500	26%
Dec		95,900	117,000	22%
		1,096,100	1,434,600	31%
	Central District of California
		2008	2009	%	2010	%
	Jan	3,694	6,004	63%	9,013	50%
	Feb	3,787	6,971	84%	9,659	39%
	March	4,381	8,529	95%	12,840	51%
	April	5,023	8,512	69%	12,114	42%
	May	5,177	8,967	73%	11,906	33%
	June	5,351	9,595	79%	12,190	27%
	July	5,983	9,894	65%
	Aug	6,195	9,748	57%

Central District Filings

	2008	2009	%	2010	%
Jan	3,694	6,004	63%	9,013	50%
Feb	3,787	6,971	84%	9,659	39%
March	4,381	8,529	95%	12,840	51%
April	5,023	8,512	69%	12,114	42%
May	5,177	8,967	73%	11,906	33%
June	5,351	9,595	79%

Bankruptcy Filings May, 2010

Thanks to Bankruptcy Data Project.

	2008	2009	%	2010	%
Jan	70,300	89,000	27%	102,600	15%
Feb	79,500	102,000	28%	117,800	15%
March	90,400	131,000	45%	159,200	22%
April	93,200	128,700	38%	146,200	14%
May	89,700	120,400	34%	133,500	11%
June	89,900	124,800	39%
July	96,400	130,500	35%
Aug	94,300	120,000	27%
Sept	96,200	125,500	30%
Oct	108,900	130,200	20%
Nov	91,400	115,500	26%
Dec	95,900	117,000	22%
	1,096,100	1,434,600	31%

UST Report on Bankruptcy Audits

Here is the report dated March, 2010.  There were material misrepresentations in 22% of the total cases audited, 27% in the Central District.   

Bankruptcy Filings by District

Here is a great chart on 2010 filings by district, created by Prof. Bob Lawless.  His entire article and many others can be found at Creditslips.com.  Remember, the Central District is up 45% for this year. 

Central District Filings

In March and April, 2010 combined, there were 305,000 total bankruptcy petition filed throughout the country.  Of that total, the Central District of California had 24,950 or about one-twelfth of the total.  The Central District is one of 95 districts.  The Central District has had 43,626 petitions filed this year through April compared to 30,016 for the same four months last year or up 45%.  No wonder I'm so tired. 

Bankruptcy Filings Continue to Increase

Statistics thanks to the Bankruptcy Data Project:

	2008	2009	%	2010	%
Jan	70,300	89,000	27%	102,600	15%
Feb	79,500	102,000	28%	117,800	15%
March	90,400	131,000	45%	159,200	22%
April	93,200	128,700	38%	146,200	14%
May	89,700	120,400	34%
June	89,900	124,800	39%
July	96,400	130,500	35%
Aug	94,300	120,000	27%
Sept	96,200	125,500	30%
Oct	108,900	130,200	20%
Nov	91,400	115,500	26%
Dec	95,900	117,000	22%
	1,096,100	1,434,600	31%

Some Quarterly Filing Statistics

	Total	7	11	12	13
3/31/2010	378,400
12/31/2009	366,000	258,100	3,615	145	104,200
9/30/2009	381,500	270,200	3,525	158	107,600
6/30/2009	375,100	270,700	4,338	131	99,900
3/31/2009	330,500	233,500	3,649	102	93,200
Total 2009	1,453,100	1,032,500	15,127	536	404,900
12/31/2008	301,300	202,100	3,175	90	95,900
9/30/2008	292,300	195,200	2,712	89	94,300
6/30/2008	276,500	187,400	1,888	85	87,100
3/31/2008	245,700	158,500	2,012	81	85,100
Total 2008	1,115,800	743,200	9,787	345	362,400
12/31/2007	226,400	137,600	1,793	77	86,900
9/30/2007	218,900	132,000	1,583	71	85,200
6/30/2007	210,400	131,500	1,574	112	77,200
3/31/2007	193,600	117,700	1,406	104	74,400
Total 2007	849,300	518,800	6,356	364	323,700
Statistics from 3/31/09 back come from US Courts.gov;
from 6/30/09 forward from Bankruptcy Data Project

News Flash - Monthly Filings Increase

	2008	2009	%	2010	%
Jan	70,300	89,000	27%	102,600	15%
Feb	79,500	102,000	28%	117,800	15%
March	90,400	131,000	45%	158,000	21%
April	93,200	128,700	38%
May	89,700	120,400	34%
June	89,900	124,800	39%
July	96,400	130,500	35%
Aug	94,300	120,000	27%
Sept	96,200	125,500	30%
Oct	108,900	130,200	20%
Nov	91,400	115,500	26%
Dec	95,900	117,000	22%
	1,096,100	1,434,600	31%

Administrative Office Report on Bankruptcy Filings

This report, dated today, has a lot of nice information, especially bankruptcy filings by quarter for the past 12 years or so.  You can access the report here.  Guess what?  Bankruptcy filings are rising.  2009 was up 73% from 2007.  Chapter 13 filings are up only 25% from 2007 to 2009 - so much for BAPCPA.   

January Filings

There were 102,600 total bankruptcy filings in January 2010.  This compares to 117,000 in December, 115,500 in November, and 130,200 in October, 2009.  The rest of the year is: 125,500 September; 120,000 in August; 130,500 in July; 124,800 in June; 120,400 in May; 128,700 in April, 131,000 in March, 102,000 in February and 89,000 in January.  That is 12% less than December but 15% higher than January a year ago.    

December Filings

The LA Times reported 116,000 total bankruptcy filings in December, 2009.  This compares to 115,500 in November, and 130,200 in October, 2009.  The rest of the year is: 125,500 September; 120,000 in August; 130,500 in July; 124,800 in June; 120,400 in May; 128,700 in April, 131,000 in March, 102,000 in February and 89,000 in January.

Total filings 2009; 1,446,000
Total filings 2008; 1,096,000
Total filings 2007;    827,000

Last December was 95,900 total for the month. 

I had a hearing yesterday in Bankruptcy Court Woodland Hills.  In the clerk's office at 10:00 a.m., all five windows were open helping people and there were at least 25 people in line.  

Central District Filings for November

From Prof. Lawless' data base, the Bankruptcy Data Project:

Filings by chapter in the Central District of California in November, 2009:  Note:  November had 19 business days, October had 21. 

CACB

ch 7; 7,167

ch 11; 84

ch 13; 2,201

total; 9,452

Filings by chapter in the Central District of California in October, 2009:

CACB

ch 7; 7,839

ch 11; 107

ch 13; 2,366

total; 10,314

 

This compares to 9,089 total in September, 9,740 in August, and 9,886 filings in July, 9,578 in June, 8,965 in May, 8,398 in April, 8,518 in March, 6,967 in February and 5,999 in January. 

Chapter 13s were 2,025, in September, 2,180 in August, 2,053 in July, 2,291 in June, 1,988 in May.  Chapter 13 trustees received 440 new petitions each in November.

Total Central District filings in November by the way were more than double the entire state of New York,  9,452 to 4,368 and roughly double the entire state of Texas, 9,452 to 4,804.  So about the same as the Texas and New York combined.   

November Filings Down

Total bankruptcy filings for November, 2009 were 115,500, down 11.4% from October, 2009, 130,200, which was up 3.7% from September, 2009, 125,500.  Compare 120,000 in August; 130,500 in July; 124,800 in June; 120,400 in May; 128,700 in April, 131,000 in March, 102,000 in February and 89,000 in January.

Total filings Jan through November, 2009; 1,330,020
Total filings Jan through November, 2008; 1,000,200
Total filings Jan through November, 2007;    761,200

The "year ago" figures are finally starting to catch up.  For instance, filings in November 2008 were 91,400, not that far behind November, 2009 (although still 26% more than 2008).   

Thanks to the Bankruptcy Data Project.