Bankruptcy filings rose 11.9% during the 12-month period ending March 31, 2026, according to statistics released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts on Thursday. Total filings rose to 591,850 cases, compared with 529,080 cases reported during the year ending March 31, 2025.
Business filings increased 11.4%, from 23,309 in March 2025 to 25,960 in the newest report. Nonbusiness filings rose 11.9%, from 505,771 in March 2025 to 565,890 in March 2026.
Bankruptcy totals for the previous 12 months are reported four times annually.
For more than a decade, total filings fell steadily, from a high of nearly 1.6 million in September 2010 to a low of 380,634 in June 2022. Total filings have increased each quarter since then, but they remain far lower than historical highs. —Traci Parks