One in every 515 of adults in England and Wales became insolvent in the 12 months to the end of last September. Figures released on Friday revealed not only this but that in the last quarter, the number of individuals themselves asking to be made bankrupt went up over the previous quarter and the number of creditors asking for their debtors to be made bankrupt went down.
No surprises here. Individuals have been encouraged to seek bankruptcy themselves as it's now done on line with the requirement for court attendance being rare and the fees for applying can be paid by instalments. And creditors are now frustrated when it comes to bankruptcy if they are owed less than £5,000. That's because bankruptcy proceedings by a creditor - they remain in court and not on line - can only be started if the outstanding debt is for at least £5,000. The canny individual will keep his liability down to £4,999.99.
For much more, see Breaking Law at chapter 35.
