Small Business Subchapter V Elections Up 68% 

NEW YORK/ALEXANDRIA — Feb. 4, 2026 — There were 956 commercial Chapter 11 filings in January 2026, an increase of 76% from the 544 filings registered in January 2025, according to data provided by Epiq AACER, the leading provider of US bankruptcy filing data. The rise in overall commercial Chapter 11 filings is primarily driven by related filings from larger corporate parent companies. 

Small business filings, captured as subchapter V elections within Chapter 11, totaled 255 in January 2026, representing an increase of 68% from the 152 filings in January 2025. Overall, commercial filings increased 18% to 2840 in January 2026, up from the 2408 commercial filings in January 2025.  

“The significant spike in commercial Chapter 11 filings this month reflects the outsized impact that related filings from large corporate families can have on the overall landscape,” said Michael Hunter, Vice President of Epiq AACER. “Individual filings also continue to show strong increases. With volumes steadily moving back toward pre-pandemic levels, it’s clear that financial strain among those seeking bankruptcy protection is broad-based across both businesses and consumers.” 

Total bankruptcy filings were 45,808 in January 2026, a 10% increase from the January 2025 total of 41,551. Individual bankruptcy filings also increased 10% to 42,968 in January 2026 from the 39,143 filings in January 2025. There were 25,805 individual Chapter 7 filings in January 2026, a 13% increase from the 22,934 filings recorded in January 2025. In addition, there were 17,052 individual Chapter 13 filings in January 2026, a 6% increase over the 16,103 filings in January the previous year. 

“The gap between current and pre-pandemic bankruptcy filing totals continues to narrow amid the growing financial strains on households and businesses,” said Amy Quackenboss, Executive Director at ABI. “For distressed families and companies struggling with higher costs, tighter lending terms, and heightened geopolitical risks, bankruptcy remains a step toward restoring their financial footing.” 

The large number of related filings pushed commercial Chapter 11s to a 61% increase over December’s 593 filings. Overall, commercial filings increased 11% from the 2560 filings registered in December, and subchapter V elections within Chapter 11 increased 7% from the 239 filed in December 2025. Total bankruptcies registered a small decrease of 0.3% when compared to the December 2025 filing total of 45,950. Individual bankruptcies fell 1% from the 43,390 filings the previous month. Individual Chapter 7 filings decreased 5% from December’s total of 27,151, but Chapter 13 filings increased 6% from 16,150 filings the previous month.  

Epiq AACER is a division of Epiq and is the leading provider of data, technology, and services for companies operating in the business of bankruptcy. Its Bankruptcy Analytics subscription service provides on-demand access to the industry’s most dynamic bankruptcy data, updated daily. Learn more at https://bankruptcy.epiqglobal.com.  

About Epiq  
Epiq, a technology and services leader, takes on large-scale and complex tasks for corporations, law firms, and the courts by integrating people, process, technology, and data intelligence. Clients rely on Epiq to streamline legal, compliance, and settlement administration workflows to drive efficiency, minimize risk, and improve cost savings. With a presence in 17 countries, our values define who we are and how we partner with clients and communities. Learn how Epiq and its 4000 people worldwide create meaningful change at www.epiqglobal.com.    

About ABI  
ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes nearly 10,000 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists, and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abi.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abi.org/calendar-of-events. 

Press Contacts 
John Lute 
Senior Director, Marketing, Epiq 
John.Lute@epiqglobal.com
  
John Hartgen  
ABI, Public Affairs Officer 
jhartgen@abi.org