June bankruptcies in Hawaii reach yearly high amid pandemic

HONOLULU — June bankruptcy cases in Hawaii jumped nearly 22% from the same month in 2019, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Wednesday.

The 151 cases are up 124 from June of last year and is the highest monthly total in 2020. The uptick comes after four months of declining cases.

Filings were up nearly 35% from May and were the most since there were 162 cases in October 2019.

The increase comes as industries across the island have struggled amid coronavirus-related spending

Chapter 7 liquidation filings — the most common type of bankruptcy — soared in June to 128 from 85 in the same month last year. That represents the most in any month since there were 136 in August 2013.

Chapter 13 filings, which allow individuals with regular sources of income to make installment payments to creditors over three to five years, declined to 22 from 39.

There was one Chapter 11 reorganization case in June compared with none in the year-earlier period.

Bankruptcies rose in all of the four major counties. Honolulu County filings rose to 107 from 95, Hawaii County filings increased to 14 from five, Maui County filings rose to 24 from 21, and Kauai County filings doubled from three to six.