Total commercial chapter 11 bankruptcy filings for the first calendar quarter of 2020 increased 14 percent from the same period last year, according to data provided by Epiq Systems, Inc. The 1,709 total commercial chapter 11s from January 1 through March 31, 2020, increased from the 1,500 total commercial chapter 11s during the same period in 2019. Total overall commercial bankruptcy filings also increased in the first quarter of 2020, as the 9,817 during the first three months of 2020 marked a 4 percent increase over the 9,481 total commercial filings over the same period in 2019. However, total overall bankruptcy filings decreased 5 percent over the first three months of 2020 to 177,198 from the 187,325 filings during the same period of 2019. Consumer bankruptcy filings decreased 6 percent over the first three months of 2020 to 167,381 from the 177,844 consumer filings over the same period of 2019. “The first quarter filings represent a calm before the storm of the financial distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said ABI Executive Director Amy Quackenboss. “Consumers and businesses face growing financial challenges due to the pandemic, and bankruptcy provides a vital safe harbor from their mounting debts. We anticipate business filings to start rising this month and consumer filings to start to accelerate in early summer.”
