The downward spiral that Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy filings had been on in recent months came to an end in January, when total cases submitted at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, 706, were down 4 percent, according to statistics released Friday by analyst firm Boletín de Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico’s overall bankruptcy filings may have dropped in recent months, but that trend isn’t preventing major businesses — and scores of individuals — from seeking the court’s help in droves.
Bankruptcy filings were up 26 percent year-over-year in December, when a total of 1,044 cases were filed, according to preliminary figures released Monday by research firm Boletín de Puerto Rico.
Bankruptcy filings skyrocketed in November, when a total of 823 cases were filed, representing a whopping 20 percent increase when compared to the same month last year, according to preliminary figures released by research firm Boletín de Puerto Rico.
Scrub Island Development Group Ltd., the owner of a posh resort in the British Virgin Islands, has filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Florida bankruptcy court to ward off a request for receivership granted to FirstBank Puerto Rico through which it seeks to collect on a $108 million loan.
The 874 bankruptcy cases filed in Puerto Rico in September were 4 percent higher than those on record for the same month last year.
Jeans.com, a Puerto Rican clothing retailer established in 1998 catering to men 15 to 40, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing more than $5.1 million in debt.
Puerto Rico bankruptcies were down 2 percent in July, when 821 cases were filed at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, research firm Boletín de Puerto Rico disclosed Monday.
Puerto Rican company Green Isle Inc., which owns and operates several small hotels in the Isla Verde area, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, listing nearly $8.1 million in debt.
Puerto Rico Food distributor Pedro Barba e Hijos Inc., Humacao drugstore owner Manuel Mediavilla Inc., and developer Joseph McCloskey-Diaz — who was involved in a highly-publicized mortgage fraud scheme in 2009 — were among the most recent commercial bankruptcy filings, with upward of $20 million in combined debt.
Puerto Rico bankruptcies were up 1 percent in January, when 739 cases were filed at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, research firm Boletín de Puerto Rico disclosed Tuesday.
Hill Construction Corp., a construction development pioneer that has been doing business in Puerto Rico for almost 40 years, filed for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this week, listing more than $13.5 million in accrued debt.
As the year comes to a close, Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy filings appear to be keeping the downward trend that has prevailed throughout most of 2012. Filings through November were down 8 percent year-over-year, with 9,532 cases on record at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
The 840 bankruptcy cases filed in Puerto Rico in September were 17 percent lower than the same month last year, while the total number of petitions to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court submitted during the first nine months of this year were also down by 9 percent vs. the same year-ago period, a local research firm revealed Monday.
The island's bankruptcy filings continued to drop in February, when 11 percent fewer cases were submitted to the court, versus the same month in 2011, according to preliminary numbers released Thursday by research company Boletín de Puerto Rico.
NIMB ON SOCIAL MEDIA