Epiq AACER has reported that there were an estimated 911 commercial chapter 11 filings in July, an estimated 78% rise from the 512 filings in July 2024. Compared to the July 2024 commercial filing total of 2,371, the total July commercial filings of 2,997 represented a 26% increase. In July 2025, small business filings—which are recorded as subchapter V elections under chapter 11—rose roughly 30% to 206 from 159 the year before.
The total number of bankruptcy filings in July increased by 12% to 49,614 from 44,452 in July 2024. The July noncommercial filing total of 46,617 represented an 11% increase over the July 2024 record of 42,081. Chapter 7 filings as consumers rose 13% to 29,122 from 25,716 in July 2024, while chapter 13 files rose 7% to 17,392 from 16,303 in the same period the year before.
Experts Weigh in on Recent Data
“As expected, we continue to see strong demand from both consumers and businesses seeking bankruptcy protection, with double-digit percentage increases year-over-year—particularly notable in commercial filings,” said Michael Hunter, VP of Epiq AACER. “Overall volumes are steadily climbing back toward pre-pandemic levels, and we anticipate this growth will continue throughout the remainder of 2025 and into 2026, driven by persistent economic pressures such as high interest rates, inflation, record household debt levels, rising delinquency rates, and geopolitical uncertainty.”
Additionally, the number of commercial chapter 11 files in July increased by 46% compared to the 626 filings in June. The total number of commercial filings for July increased by 15% compared to the 2,601 total for last month. In contrast, the June 2025 total of 211 small business subchapter V elections was reduced by 2% to 206 in July 2025.
In July 2025, there were 49,614 files for bankruptcy in the United States, up 7% from 46,239 applications in June 2025. Additionally, the number of noncommercial bankruptcy files increased by 7% from the 43,638 noncommercial filings in the preceding month. There were 7% more customers filing for Chapter 7 than there were in June 2025 (27,213), and 7% more consumers filing for Chapter 13 than there were in June 2025 (16,307).
“Businesses and consumers are increasingly turning to bankruptcy amid the continued economic strains of elevated prices, higher borrowing costs and uncertain geopolitical events,” said ABI Executive Director Amy Quackenboss. “We appreciate the attention of Congress to re-establish higher debt thresholds for subchapter V and chapter 13 to provide greater access for struggling small businesses and consumers trying to achieve a financial fresh start.”
July 15 was the date of a hearing by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust with the subject “Bankruptcy Law: Overview and Legislative Reforms.” During the hearing, members of the panel expressed bipartisan support for restoring the expanded subchapter V and chapter 13 debt-eligibility limits to their levels before the statutory sunset last year.
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