ALEXANDRIA, Va. -

It appears some consumers not only are struggling to maintain monthly payments, but they are also lacking the resources to file for bankruptcy.

The American Bankruptcy Institute indicated total U.S. bankruptcy filings decreased 8 percent in July as compared to June. According to data provided by Epiq Systems, filings totaled 61,366 in July, down from the June figure of 66,789.

Officials noted the 58,522 consumer filings in July also represented an 8-percent drop from the previous month’s consumer total of 63,372.

July business filings decreased 17 percent to 2,844 from June’s business total of 3,417. Commercial Chapter 11 filings registered a 44 percent decrease in July as the total 325 filings were down from the previous month’s total of 582.

“High filing costs continue to steer distressed households and businesses away from the financial relief of bankruptcy,” ABI executive director Samuel Gerdano said.

“The recommendations of ABI’s Chapter 11 Commission, along with the ongoing efforts of the Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy, are striving toward solutions to make bankruptcy more accessible for struggling businesses and families,” Gerdano continued.

ABI went on to point out total U.S. commercial bankruptcy filings registered a minor year-over-year decrease in July as the 61,366 filings marked a 0.01 percent reduction from last July’s figure of 61,371.

Consumer filings were up 0.22 percent in July over last year’s consumer filing total of 58,391.

Total commercial filings decreased 5 percent from the July 2016 total of 2,980, and commercial Chapter 11 filings were down 9 percent from last year’s 358 filings.

The average nationwide per capita bankruptcy-filing rate in July was 2.54 (total filings per 1,000 per population), a slight decrease from the filing rate of 2.57 during the first six months of the year.

Average total filings per day in July were 3,069, a 0.03 percent increase from the 3,068 total daily filings in July 2016. States with the highest per capita filing rates (total filings per 1,000 population) in July included:

1. Alabama (5.76)

2. Tennessee (5.62)

3. Georgia (4.74)

4. Mississippi (4.12)

5. Utah (4.08)

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.

To review the final recommendations of the ABI Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11, go to this website. To view the ongoing work and upcoming meetings of ABI’s Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy, visit this page.