New Hampshire bankruptcy filings rose 10% in April

Only one Granite State business filed for protection

New Hampshire bankruptcy filings climbed 10 percent in April compared to April 2018.

There were 157 filings, including one by a business, 14 more than in April 2018, but down by nine from March of this year.

That raises the monthly average so far this year to 151 filings, five more than last year’s average, which had been the lowest average since 1989. But it is too early to tell whether this indicates that filings are creeping up again.

In any case, we’ve come a long way since the heart of recession. In April 2010, there were 511 filings.

On the whole, bankruptcy filings in New Hampshire have remained stable the last three years. Filings climbed in the years before the recession and declined sharply in its aftermath.

Three households filed for protection with business-related debt, compared to eight in March, but only one filed directly as a business (no businesses filed in March):

• T.A. Adams Realty Inc., Pelham, filed April 10, Chapter 11. Assets: $1.11 million. Liabilities: $821,060.