NEW YORK, June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Commercial chapter 11 filings totaled 733 in May, an increase of 62 percent over the 453 filings in April, according to data provided by Epiq AACER, the leading provider of U.S. bankruptcy filing data. The overall May commercial filing total of 2,695 represented an 8 percent increase from the April 2025 commercial filing total of 2,489. Small business filings, captured as subchapter V elections within chapter 11, increased 3 percent to 228 in May 2025 from 223 the previous month.
May’s 48,218 total bankruptcy filings represented a 3 percent decrease from April’s filing total of 49,610. The 45,523 noncommercial filings in May also represented a 3 percent decrease from the April 2025 noncommercial filing total of 47,121. Consumer chapter 7 filings decreased 7 percent to 28,716 from the 30,823 chapter 7s filed in April 2025, while chapter 13 filings increased 3 percent to 16,694 over the 16,198 filings in April.
“The sharp uptick in overall commercial chapter 11 filings in May 2025 underscores the ongoing economic pressures businesses face, from elevated borrower costs, potential tariff impacts and geopolitical uncertainty,” said Michael Hunter, vice president of Epiq AACER. “Meanwhile, consumer filings continue to …