Mass. bankruptcy filings up 28 percent in last year

Bankruptcy filings in Massachusetts soared 28.3 percent over the past 12 months, reflecting the slowdown in the economy and housing market, according to the Administration Office of the US Courts.

The state numbers are in line with nationwide increase of 28.9 percent in bankruptcy filings from July 2007 through June 2008. Still, Massachusetts ranked 35th in bankruptcies per capita, indicating it is faring better than the country as a whole.

In Massachusetts, there were 15,047 filings overall in the 12 months ended June 30, including 334 by businesses. By comparison, there were 11,727 filings in the previous 12 months, including 297 by companies. (Todd Wallack)