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Number of Americans filing for bankruptcy continues to climb. Total bankruptcies expected to top 1.4 million in 2009, highest in 4 years.

By Hibah Yousuf, CNNMoney.com staff reporter
November 4, 2009: 12:01 PM ET


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The number of Americans filing personal bankruptcies surged 9% in October, and were on target for the highest annual total in four years, according to a report issued Wednesday.

The American Bankruptcy Institute, an industry research firm that relies on data from the National Bankruptcy Research Center, said 135,914 consumers filed for bankruptcy last month. Almost a third of bankruptcies were filed under Chapter 13, in which consumers are put on a repayment plan of up to five years.

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

The number of personal bankruptcies in the month was up almost 28% from October 2008.

The ABI forecasts total bankruptcies to exceed 1.4 million in 2009, which would be the highest since 2005, and up at least 30% from last year's total of 1,074,225.