First-half filings approach tally for all of 2000

7/8/2004

June filings in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Toledo surged in comparison with the same month last year, helping send the six-month total to a number nearly equal to all the filings in 2000.

With six months to go, 2004 ranks as the court's sixth-highest year on record.

There were 987 cases filed last month, an 8 percent jump from May's and a 39 percent increase from the 911 in June, 2003.

The tally for the first half of the year is 5,517 cases, compared with 5,149 at the same point last year. In 2000, a total of 5,531 cases was filed.

Dave Fickel, clerk in charge of the local court, said if the current volume continues, cases will exceed 11,000 by the end of this year. Last year set a record with 10,381 cases.

As a positive sign, Chapter 13 repayment cases continue to increase, with 93 filed in June. For the year so far, 531 Chapter 13 cases have been filed, a 25 percent increase from 426 in 2003.

As of the end of June, 4,976 Chapter 7 liquidation cases had been filed, an increase of 6 percent from the 4,976 at the same period last year, and 10 Chapter 11 reorganization cases had been filed, compared with 6 for the first six months of last year.