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Court records show bankruptcy filings in the U.S. rose 19.6% in November from a year earlier, reports Bloomberg News. Total filings for individuals and companies rose to 115,000, according to data compiled by Automated Access to Court Electronic Records, a service of Jupiter ESources LLC in Oklahoma City released last week.
So far this year, more than 1.3 million Americans have sought court protection from creditors. "All the fundamentals are there for a very difficult bankruptcy environment," says Zach Pandl, an economist at Nomura International Securities Inc. in New York. "Conditions are getting worse in the labor market, and small businesses are distressed, with limited access to credit and a big debt overhang."
