U.S. consumer bankruptcy filings totaled 1,165,172 nationwide during the first nine months of 2010 (Jan. 1-Sept. 30), an 11 percent increase over the 1,046,449 total consumer filings during the same period a year ago, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), relying on data from the National Bankruptcy Research Center (NBKRC). The consumer filings for the three-quarters of 2010 represent the highest total since 2005, when Congress enacted the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) to try and stem the tide of filings.
The overall September consumer filing total of 130,329 was 4.4 percent more than the 124,790 consumer filings recorded in September 2009. The September total also represented a 3.3 percent increase from the August 2010 total of 127,028 consumer filings. Chapter 13 filings constituted 30 percent of all consumer cases in September, a slight increase from August.
Expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future as high unemployment and rising commodity prices make it harder for Americans to survive. Most Americans save nothing and live paycheck to paycheck and are one misfortune (medical problem, layoff ,etc) away from bankruptcy. But don't worry the Fed says printing more money will solve the problem, even though QE 1 failed miserably.
Black Swan Insights
Not a good sign
ReplyDelete