TSL Express Daily News

NEW YORK, June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Commercial chapter 11 filings totaled 733 in May, an increase of 62 percent over the 453 filings in April, according to data provided by Epiq AACER, the leading provider of U.S. bankruptcy filing data. The overall May commercial filing total of 2,695 represented an 8 percent increase from the April 2025 commercial filing total of 2,489. Small business filings, captured as subchapter V elections within chapter 11, increased 3 percent to 228 in May 2025 from 223 the previous month.

May’s 48,218 total bankruptcy filings represented a 3 percent decrease from April’s filing total of 49,610. The 45,523 noncommercial filings in May also represented a 3 percent decrease from the April 2025 noncommercial filing total of 47,121. Consumer chapter 7 filings decreased 7 percent to 28,716 from the 30,823 chapter 7s filed in April 2025, while chapter 13 filings increased 3 percent to 16,694 over the 16,198 filings in April.

“The sharp uptick in overall commercial chapter 11 filings in May 2025 underscores the ongoing economic pressures businesses face, from elevated borrower costs, potential tariff impacts and geopolitical uncertainty,” said Michael Hunter, vice president of Epiq AACER. “Meanwhile, consumer filings continue to climb yet remain below pre-pandemic levels; however, the resumption of student loan collections and the expiration of the FHA modification programs are likely to drive further increases in filings, particularly through the end of 2025 and into 2026.”

Overall commercial filings registered a slight increase of 1 percent in May 2025 to 2,695 from the 2,664 commercial filings in May 2024. Commercial chapter 11 filings decreased also, as the 733 filings in May 2025 represented a 4 percent decline from the 765 filings reported in May 2024.

The 48,218 total U.S. bankruptcy filings in May 2025 increased 7 percent from the May 2024 total of 45,025. Noncommercial bankruptcy filings also registered a 7 percent increase, to 45,523 in May 2025 from the May 2024 noncommercial total of 42,361. The number of consumers filing for chapter 7 increased 11 percent to 28,716 in May 2025 from the 25,773 who filed for chapter 7 last year, while chapter 13 filings increased 1 percent to 16,694 in May 2025 from the 16,507 chapter 13 filings in May 2024.

“The current financial landscape presents struggling businesses and consumers with additional challenges of elevated prices, higher borrowing costs and uncertain geopolitical events,” said ABI Executive Director Amy Quackenboss. “Bankruptcy provides a proven process to a financial fresh start for distressed businesses and families.”

Epiq AACER is a division of Epiq and is the leading provider of data, technology, and services for companies operating in the business of bankruptcy. Its Bankruptcy Analytics subscription service provides on-demand access to the industry’s most dynamic bankruptcy data, updated daily. Learn more at https://bankruptcy.epiqglobal.com.

About Epiq

Epiq, a global technology-enabled services leader to the legal industry and corporations, takes on large-scale, increasingly complex tasks for corporate counsel, law firms, and business professionals with efficiency, clarity, and confidence. Clients rely on Epiq to streamline the administration of business operations, class action and mass tort, court reporting, eDiscovery, regulatory, compliance, restructuring, and bankruptcy matters. Epiq subject-matter experts and technologies create efficiency through expertise and deliver confidence to high-performing clients around the world. Learn more at https://www.epiqglobal.com.

About ABI 

ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes nearly 10,000 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abi.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abi.org/calendar-of-events.

Press Contacts 

Carrie Trent 
Epiq, Director of Communications 
Carrie.Trent@epiqglobal.com

Vicki LaBrosse
Edge Marketing, Director of Global PR
vlabrosse@edgemarketinginc.com

John Hartgen 
ABI, Public Affairs Officer
jhartgen@abi.org