According to data given by Epiq AACER, a new Yahoo.com report revealed the number of bankruptcy files during the first half of 2025 was 276,126, which represents a 10% rise over the 251,069 total filings during the same period last year.
The total number of individual submissions increased by 11%, from 235,849 filings in the first half of 2024 to 260,938 filings in the first half of 2025. Compared to the 141,566 chapter 7 filings in the first half of 2024, the number of individual chapter 7 files increased by 15% to 163,219 in the first half of 2025. Compared to the 93,870 filings made during the same period in 2024, there were 97,125 individual chapter 13’s filed in the first half of 2025, an approximate 3% increase.
“Elevated prices, increased borrowing costs and uncertain geopolitical events continue to add to the growing debt loads shouldered by financially distressed families and small businesses,” said ABI Executive Director Amy Quackenboss. “ABI looks forward to providing Congress with research, information and statistics to re-establish higher debt thresholds for subchapter V and chapter 13 to provide greater access for struggling small businesses and consumers to reorganize their finances.”
Total Bankruptcy Filings — First Half of 2025 (National)
The overall number of commercial files for the first half of 2025 was 15,188, which is a minor drop from the 15,220 total for the first half of 2024. Compared to the 4,205 commercial chapter 11 bankruptcies filed in the same period in 2024, there were 3,576 filed in the first half of 2025, a 15% decline.
“The strong 15% increase in individual Chapter 7 bankruptcy filings underscores the growing financial pressure facing American households,” said Michael Hunter, VP of Epiq AACER. “Elevated interest rates, record-high credit card and household debt, and the resumption of student loan repayments and collections are all contributing factors driving more individuals to seek bankruptcy protection.”
The number of small business filings, which are recorded as subchapter V elections under chapter 11, decreased by 4% to 1,183 in the first half of 2025 from 1,234 in 2024.
While commercial file categories decreased, total and consumer bankruptcy filings rose between June 2025 and June 2024. In June 2025, there were 46,226 filings overall, which is 15% more than the 40,293 filed in 2024. In June 2025, the total number of individual filings increased by 16 percent, from 37,512 to 43,655. In June 2025, there were 27,219 individual chapter 7 filings, up 23% from 22,183 in June 2024, and 16,316 individual chapter 13 filings, up 7% from 15,232 in June 2024.
In June 2025, there were 2,571 commercial registrations, which was an 8% reduction from the 2,781 commercial applications that were made in June 2024. Compared to the 996 files in June 2024, there were 622 commercial chapter 11 filings in June, a 38 percent decline. Between June 2024 and June 2025, the number of subchapter V elections in chapter 11 decreased by 23%, from 277 to 214.
“As of April 2025, the student loan delinquency rate has more than tripled compared to pre-pandemic levels,” Hunter added. “With collections resuming this year and nearly 9 million loans currently delinquent, we anticipate the upward trend in individual filings to continue.”
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