ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Consumer bankruptcy filings in October were up almost 28 percent from a year ago, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute, which projected Wednesday that year-end total bankruptcies will likely reach more than 1.4 million, marking a four-year high.

Using data from the National Bankruptcy Research Center, ABI indicated that there were 135,913 consumer bankruptcy filings during the month, a 27.9-percent year-over-year upswing and an 8.9-percent increase from September.

Among all consumer cases, 28.5 percent were Chapter 13 filings, according to ABI, which said this proportion was up slightly from the previous month.

"The nearly 9-percent increase in consumer bankruptcy filings in October, together with a 7-percent jump reported in business cases, demonstrates the sustained stress on the U.S. economy," suggested ABI executive director Samuel Gerdano.