Puerto Rico bankruptcies jump 6.4% through May, debt totals $288.7M
Puerto Rico recorded 2,502 bankruptcy filings from January through May 2025, a 6.4% increase compared to the same period in 2024, when 2,351 petitions were submitted, according to the latest report from the Boletín de Puerto Rico.
In May alone, 520 cases were filed, up 4% from the 500 registered in May 2024.
Chapter 13 filings accounted for the majority, with 1,599 cases, or 63.9% of the total — a 2.8% increase year-over-year. Chapter 7 filings rose more significantly, climbing 14.8% to 876 cases, representing 35% of all petitions. Chapter 11 saw 25 filings, up 4.2%, while Chapter 12 — used primarily by family farmers and fisherfolk — dropped 77.8%, with only two cases recorded.
The total reported debt for all filings to date reached $288.7 million, a 6.09% decrease from the same period in 2024. Of that amount, $120.9 million was secured debt, $160.6 million unsecured, $6.5 million classified as priority debt and $700,408 unspecified.
San Juan led all municipalities with 217 cases, up 21%. Ponce followed with 140 filings, up 30%, and Carolina with 136, up 17%. Caguas and Guayama recorded increases of 11% and 38%, respectively, while Bayamón saw a 25% decline.
Commercial bankruptcies also rose, with 178 filings reported through May, a 25.4% increase compared to the same period last year. San Juan led in business filings with 22 cases, a 120% jump, followed by Ponce with 13, up 30%.
Industries most affected included restaurants (14 cases), beauty salons (9), real estate (6), auto mechanics (6), and security companies (6). The real estate sector accounted for the largest share of reported debt at 17.49%, totaling more than $4 million.
The largest bankruptcy filings by debt came from Tetrad Enterprises LLC, with $20.1 million; Neolpharma Inc., with $20 million; and BMF Inc., with more than $2.5 million. Other notable filings included Figueroa Telephone Contractors, Castillo LifeAmbulance, and Vaquería José M. Díaz.
“The behavior of bankruptcies in 2025 suggests stabilization compared to the spikes of 2023–2024,” the report noted.
However, it warned that “sectors such as restaurants and real estate remain highly vulnerable” and pointed to “geographic clusters with greater economic fragility.”
