Oklahoma bankruptcy filings continued to rise in May and April, over the same months in 2008, although filed cases dropped in May compared with the prior month.
Overall, Oklahoma experienced a 23.8% increase in bankruptcy filings in May 2009 compared with May 2008. Filings rose 33.4% in April 2009 compared with the same month last year. Filings have increased 27.2% in 2009 year to date.
Clerks with Oklahoma’s three federal bankruptcy courts said the April to May decrease in case filings is somewhat seasonal and probably doesn’t signal a real slowdown in bankruptcy filings.
The Northern District Bankruptcy Court in Tulsa saw a 28.8% rise in May 2009 compared to May 2008 following a 43.8% increase in April 2009 compared to the same month in 2008. Year-to-date filings in the Northern District are up 28.7% from the first five months of 2008.
Last year the Northern District had 3,129 bankruptcy cases filed and Michael Williams, Clerk for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, estimates that 2009 filings may top 4,043 which would amount to a 29% increase.
Mr. Williams pointed out an interesting fact in that year-to-date filings of pro-se cases, in which debtors represent themselves rather than hire an attorney, are less than 1.5% of total cases filed. Williams said that only one pro-se case was filed in May 2009.
The Eastern District Bankruptcy Court in Okmulgee saw filings up 15.8% in May 2009 and up 17% in April 2009 from the same months last year. Eastern District filings are up 19% year-to-date through May.
In the Western District Bankruptcy Court in Oklahoma City, bankruptcy filings were up 23.6% in May and 33.3% in April from the same months in 2008. For the year-to-date, filings are up 29%.
Source: The Journal Record
