JANUARY 2004

Bankruptcies Grew 5.5% in 2003

Personal bankruptcy filings slowed during the last few weeks of 2003, but still set an all-time record, exceeding 1.6 million for the year. After posting double-digit growth rates during the first half of the year, total filings finished 5.5% higher than the previous year, as of December 27, 2003. Weekly filings for the last three years are displayed in the chart below. These statistics are compiled directly from courthouse filings and are available to us courtesy of Lundquist Consulting (Burlingame, CA). More information is available at the firm’s National Bankruptcy Research Center website: www.NBKRC.com.

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