Total bankruptcy filings were 53,019 in October 2025, a 12 percent increase from the October 2024 total of 47,135, according to data provided by Epiq AACER, the leading provider of U.S. bankruptcy filing data.
Overall commercial filings increased 7 percent to 2,820 in October 2025, up from the 2,628 commercial filings registered in October 2024. There were 634 commercial chapter 11 filings registered in October 2025, up 11 percent from the 571 filings registered in October 2024. Small business filings, captured as subchapter V elections within chapter 11, were 248 in October 2025, representing an increase of 35 percent from the 184 filings in October 2024.
“Small business bankruptcy and overall consumer filings showed strong increases in October as expected,” said Michael Hunter, vice president of Epiq AACER. “Given the student loan, repayment and collection activities along with a high recidivism rate, particularly within the FHA mortgage portfolio I would anticipate continued increase throughout the remainder of this year and 2026. Higher interest rates, increased costs, and overall household debt levels all indicate a continued demand for both consumers and businesses to seek bankruptcy protection.”
Individual bankruptcy filings totaled 50,199 in October 2025, registering a 13 percent increase from the October 2024 44,507 filing total. There were 31,078 individual chapter 7 filings in October 2025, a 14 percent increase over the 27,350 filings recorded in October 2024, and there were 19,007 individual chapter 13 filings in October 2025, an 11 percent increase over the 17,087 filings in October the previous year.
“Persistent economic headwinds — including higher prices, tighter lending conditions, and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty — continue to weigh on financially distressed consumers and businesses,” said ABI Executive Director Amy Quackenboss. “Bankruptcy remains an indispensable tool to help debt-burdened families and businesses achieve a financial fresh start.”
October’s total bankruptcy filings represented an 8% increase when compared to the 49,192 total filings recorded in September. Total individual filings, individual chapter 7s and individual chapter 13s for October also represented an 8% increase from September 2025. Commercial filings increased 1% from September’s commercial filing total of 2,796. Subchapter V elections within chapter 11 increased 16% from the 213 filed in September 2025. Conversely, the commercial chapter 11 filing total decreased 17% from the September 2025 commercial chapter 11 filing total of 768, although the September total was skewed by the related filings of two large cases.