U.S. HEADED FOR NEW BANKRUPTCY FILING RECORD
July 22, 2004
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Americans are going broke as never before: A record 1,625,208 families sought bankruptcy protection last year, and filings are up 2.7 percent so far in 2004.
Put another way, 1 in 73 households declared bankruptcy in 2003, numbers that make it likely you have a neighbor, co-worker or family member who was, is or is about to go bankrupt. Experts Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi expect more families to see bankruptcy court than divorce court this year.
Americans hold $8.9 trillion collectively in household debt, a record compared to their disposable income. Simply put: We spend more than we can afford.
By MARY DEIBEL, Scripps Howard News Service
