ALEXANDRIA, Va. — With the expectation of more declines, the
American Bankruptcy Institute determined May filings dropped by double digits
year-over-year, according to data provided by Epiq Systems.

Total bankruptcy filings in the United States for May
decreased 11 percent to 109,392, down from the 122,836 filings registered in
May of last year.

ABI indicated total commercial filings for May came in at
5,259, representing a 21-percent drop from the 6,631 filings during the same
month a year ago.

Officials added the 104,133 total noncommercial filings for
May signaled a 10-percent drop from last May's noncommercial filing total of
116,205.

"Households have reduced their spending and businesses are benefiting
from sustained low interest rates," said ABI executive director Samuel Gerdano.

"Expect a continued drop in bankruptcy filing rates as
families and businesses reinforce their balance sheets and cut costs," Gerdano
continued.

Looking deeper into the May data, ABI noted total commercial
Chapter 11 filings also decreased.

Overall, the May total commercial Chapter 11 filing figure
of 682 represented a 6-percent decrease from last May's total of 722, but a 3-percent increase above the April number of 660.

Officials added May bankruptcy filings also represented slight
increases from April as total filings were up 0.4 percent from the April 2011
total of 108,908.

ABI went on to mention commercial filings increased 2
percent in May from the April total of 5,170, and noncommercial filings
increased 0.4 percent from the April total of 103,738.

In wrapping up the latest report, the Institute pointed out
the average nationwide per capita bankruptcy-filing rate for the first five calendar
months of 2012 (Jan. 1 through May 31) increased to 4.13 (total filings per
1,000 per population) from the 4.10 rate for the first four months of the year.

The association also said the average total filings per day
in May was 3,529, an 11-percent decrease from the 3,962 total daily filings in
May of last year.

Finally, states with the highest per capita filing rate
(total filings per 1,000 population) through the first five months of 2012
were:

1. Nevada (7.17)
2. Tennessee (7.01)
3. Georgia (6.45)
4. Utah (6.13)
5. Alabama (5.87)

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