ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute spotted
a 14-percent decrease in total bankruptcies through the first nine months of
the year as compared to the same span a year ago.

Citing data from Epiq Systems, ABI indicated total
bankruptcy filings came in at 921,219 nationwide during the first nine months
of the year. Through Sept. 30 of last year, the filing total was 1,073,021

Officials noted the 876,469 total noncommercial filings
through three quarters of this year represented a 14-percent drop from the
noncommercial filing total of 1,015,408 through the first three quarters of
last year.

ABI determined total commercial filings during the first
nine months of the year were 44,750, representing a 22-percent decrease from
the 57,613 filings during the same period a year ago.

Officials also mentioned Chapter 11 filings fell during the
first nine months of this year as the 5,889 filings represented an 11-percent
decrease from the 6,627 Chapter 11 filings during the first nine months of
2011.

"We remain on pace for the lowest total bankruptcies since
before the financial crisis in 2008," declared ABI executive director Samuel
Gerdano.

Sustained low interest rates and weak consumer spending will
continue to slow bankruptcies through the end of 2012," Gerdano projected.

The 87,492 total bankruptcy filings for the month of
September represented a 21-percent decrease, compared to the 110,410 filings
last September.

The 83,471 total noncommercial filings for September marked
a 20-percent drop from last September's noncommercial filing figure of 104,638.

ABI indicated total commercial filings for September settled
at 4,021, representing a 30-percent decrease from the 5,772 filings during the
same month last year. Chapter 11 filings registered a 25-percent drop as the
693 Chapter 11 filings in September of last year fell to 523 last month.

Officials went on to point out the average nationwide per
capita bankruptcy-filing rate for the first nine calendar months of 2012
decreased to 3.97 (total filings per 1,000 per population). For the first eight
months of the year, the rate was 4.04.

The average total filings per day in September was 2,916, a
21-percent decrease from the 3,680 total daily filings in September of last
year.

Looking at the data geographically, states with the highest
per capita filing rate (total filings per 1,000 population) through the first
nine months of this year were:

1. Tennessee (6.98)
2. Nevada (6.84)
3. Georgia (6.51)
4. Utah (5.99)
5. Alabama (5.92)

ABI has partnered with Epiq Systems, a leading provider of
managed technology for the global legal profession, in order to provide the
most current bankruptcy filing data for analysts, researchers and members of
the news media.