Bankruptcy filing trends to begin 2016 mimicked the ones observers noticed as last year concluded.

The American Bankruptcy Institute reported that total U.S. filings decreased 11 percent year-over-year in January. According to data provided by Epiq Systems, bankruptcy filings totaled 52,522 last month, down from the January 2015 total of 59,092.

ABI mentioned consumer filings declined 12 percent last month to 49,720, dropping from the consumer filing total of 56,611 in the same month of 2015.

However, there was one segment of the bankruptcy space where ABI spotted an increase.

Total commercial filings in January 2016 jumped to 2,802, representing a 12-percent increase from the 2,481 business filings recorded in January of last year. The 492 total commercial Chapter 11 filings in January represented a decrease of 6 percent from last January’s total of 523.

“Though total and consumer filings continue to drop, more debt-burdened businesses are turning to the financial fresh start of bankruptcy,” ABI executive director Samuel Gerdano said.

“As debt and capital structures have grown increasingly complex since the last major overhaul of Chapter 11 in 1978, the recommendations of ABI’s Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 would provide a modernized toolkit for the court system and struggling businesses,” Gerdano went on to say.

Total bankruptcy filings for the month of January decreased 2 percent compared to the 53,829 total filings registered in December. Those total noncommercial filings for January (49,720) represented a 3-percent decrease from the December noncommercial filing total of 51,169.

Observers added the January commercial filing total of 2,802 represented a 5-percent increase from the December commercial filing total of 2,660. January’s 492 commercial chapter 11 filings marked a 24-percent spike from the 397 filings recorded during the previous month.

ABI pointed out the average nationwide per capita bankruptcy-filing rate in January came in at 2.02 total filings per 1,000 of population, a decrease from December’s rate of 2.63.

Average total filings per day in January stood at 1,694, an 11 percent decrease from the 1,906 total daily filings recorded in January of last year.

States with the highest per capita filing rate (total filings per 1,000 population) in January were:

1. Tennessee (4.82)

2. Alabama (4.35)

3. Georgia (4.26)

4. Illinois (3.48)

5. Delaware (3.23)

ABI has partnered with Epiq Systems, a provider of managed technology for the global legal profession, in order to provide the most current bankruptcy filing data for analysts, researchers and members of the news media.