JANUARY 2005

Bankruptcies End the Year Down 4%

The total number of personal bankruptcy petitions filed during 2004 was 3.9% lower than for 2003. Filing rates began 2004 running about 3 to 4 percent lower than for the same months in 2003, and that trend continued throughout the year, despite steady improvement in economic conditions as well as loan delinquency indices. According to the National Bankruptcy Research Center (Lundquist Consulting, Burlingame, CA) the "unofficial" total for personal bankruptcy filings in 2004 was 1,552,967. The chart below displays week-by-week filings through December 31, 2004.

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