While a single company influenced the rising number of commercial Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings in November, consumer filings rose more evenly, according to data provided by Epiq’s Bankruptcy Analytics platform.

Epiq reported total U.S. bankruptcy filings in November came in at 31,178, which is 6% higher than the 29,335 total filings in November of last year.

Analysts determined overall individual filings also increased 6% in November, as 29,330 filings were up over 27,749 individual filings recorded during the same month last year

While still below pre-pandemic levels, Epiq noticed individual Chapter 13 filings continued to increase in November, as 12,862 filings rose 25% compared to the November 2021 total of 10,327.

According to Epiq, states with the most individual filings percentage increases in November included:

—Alaska
—West Virginia
—South Dakota
—Oregon
—Kansas
—Delaware
—North Dakota

Epiq also indicated commercial Chapter 11 bankruptcies increased 74% to 345 in November 2022 from the 198 filings recorded in November 2021.

Experts explained the November 2022 commercial Chapter 11 filing total was lifted by the more than 100 cases related to the Chapter 11 filing on Nov. 11 by crypto exchange FTX Trading.

Epiq added total commercial filings increased 17% to 1,848 in November over 1,586 total filings in the same month last year.

States with the highest percentage increases in commercial filings included:

—Delaware
—Idaho
—Nebraska
—Alabama
—South Dakota
—Minnesota
—Mississippi
—Oklahoma
—Michigan
—Indiana
—North Carolina
—Kansas
—New Jersey

“Despite the month-to-month reduction in filings nationally, 13 states still had double-digit month-over-month increases in the percentage of total commercial filings and seven states had double-digit increases in individual filings,” Gregg Morin, vice president of business development and revenue for Epiq Bankruptcy, said in a news release. “Even though more than 100 cases were influenced by a single crypto bankruptcy case, there will always be regional fluctuations, both higher and lower.”

Epiq said almost all filing chapters in November registered a decrease compared to October’s figures.

November’s total bankruptcy filings represented a 5% decrease when compared to the 32,696 total filings recorded the previous month.

Total individual filings for November marked a 5% drop from the October individual filing total of 30,792. Individual Chapter 13 filings also registered a 6% decrease from October’s individual Chapter 13 total of 13,619.

Experts added the commercial filing total represented a 3% decrease from the October commercial filing total of 1,904.

“Rising debt loads, increasing interest rates and inflationary pressures are presenting families and businesses with difficult economic challenges to navigate,” American Bankruptcy Institute executive director Amy Quackenboss said in the same news release. “Bankruptcy provides a lifeline to financially struggling households and businesses during uncertain economic times.”

ABI has partnered with Epiq Bankruptcy to provide the most current bankruptcy filing data for analysts, researchers, and members of the news media.