Total Ba k uptcy Fili gs I c eased 2%
NEW YORK, Nov. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The 280 Subchapte V electio s withi Chapte 11 filed du i g Octobe 2026 i c eased 24% f om the 225 fili gs i Octobe 2025, acco di g to data p ovided by Epiq AACER, the leadi g p ovide of US ba k uptcy fili g data.
Key Octobe 2026 ba k uptcy statistics i clude:
- 54,028 ba k uptcy fili gs, a 2% i c ease f om Octobe 2025 (53,033).
- 51,266 i dividual ba k uptcy fili gs, a 2% i c ease f om Octobe 2025 (50,170).
- 31,594 i dividual Chapte 7 fili gs, a 2% i c ease f om Octobe 2025 (31,057).
- 19,591 i dividual Chapte 13 fili gs, a 3% i c ease f om Octobe 2025 (18,999).
(Note that the e we e 22 busi ess days i Octobe 2025 compa ed to 21 i Octobe 2026.)
“Despite o e fewe busi ess day this Octobe , ba k uptcy fili gs co ti ued to climb. Sustai ed g owth i Subchapte V electio s shows mo e small busi esses a e tu i g to st eamli ed eo ga izatio as cost p essu es build,” said Michael Hu te , Vice P eside t of Epiq AACER. “While the b oade eco omy co ti ues to g ow, household budgets emai st ai ed by high e e gy p ices a d elevated i te est ate bo owi g costs. We expect fili g volumes to keep isi g i to 2027.”
Comme cial fili g activity f om Octobe 2026 i cludes:
- 2762 ove all comme cial fili gs, a 4% dec ease f om Octobe 2025 (2863).
- 624 comme cial Chapte 11 fili gs, a 2% dec ease f om Octobe 2025 (634).
“Elevated costs, tight c edit co ditio s, a d geopolitical isks co ti ue to p ovide challe gi g eco omic headwi ds fo small busi esses a d families,” said Amy Quacke boss, Executive Di ecto at the Ame ica Ba k uptcy I stitute (ABI). “Co g ess ece tly passed legislatio that would pe ma e tly i c ease the eligibility limits fo both Subchapte V a d Chapte 13, helpi g mo e small busi esses a d households access the est uctu i g tools they eed to avigate these challe ges.”
The bipa tisa Ba k uptcy Th eshold Adjustme t Act (H.R. 7730), spo so ed by Rep. Be Cli e (R-Va.), passed the Se ate o Septembe 28 a d was t a smitted to the p eside t o Novembe 5 fo his sig atu e. It would pe ma e tly esto e the Subchapte V debt eligibility limit to $7.5 millio , eflecti g the ecomme datio s of ABI’s Subchapte V Task Fo ce. The legislatio also would i c ease the Chapte 13 debt limit to $2.75 millio a d elimi ate the disti ctio betwee secu ed a d u secu ed debt fo eligibility pu poses, co siste t with efo ms p oposed by ABI’s Commissio o Co sume Ba k uptcy. The Se ate p eviously passed compa io legislatio , S. 3977, spo so ed by Se ato s Cha les G assley (R-Iowa) a d Dick Du bi (D-Ill.).
Compa i g Octobe 2026 umbe s to the p evious mo th’s totals:
- Subchapte V electio s i c eased 3% f om Septembe ’s total of 273.
- Total fili gs i c eased 3% f om Septembe ’s total of 52,310.
- I dividual fili gs i c eased 3% f om Septembe ’s total of 49,674.
- I dividual Chapte 7s i c eased 1% f om Septembe ’s total of 31,253.
- I dividual Chapte 13s i c eased 7% f om Septembe ’s total of 18,319.
- Comme cial fili gs i c eased 5% f om Septembe ’s total of 2636.
- Comme cial Chapte 11 fili gs dec eased 4% f om Septembe ’s total of 648.
ABI pa t e s with Epiq Ba k uptcy to p ovide the most cu e t ba k uptcy fili g data fo a alysts, esea che s, a d membe s of the ews media. Epiq Ba k uptcy is the leadi g p ovide of data, tech ology, a d se vices fo compa ies ope ati g i the busi ess of ba k uptcy. Its Ba k uptcy A alytics subsc iptio se vice p ovides o -dema d access to the i dust y’s most dy amic ba k uptcy data, updated daily. Lea mo e.
