ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The 102,254 consumer bankruptcies filed in January represented a 10 percent decrease nationwide from the 113,274 consumer filings recorded in December, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) and based on data from the National Bankruptcy Research Center (NBKRC).

NBKRC’s data also showed that the January 2010 consumer filings represented a 15 percent increase over the 88,773 consumer filings recorded in January 2009. Chapter 13 filings constituted 30 percent of all consumer cases in January, representing a 2 percent increase from December.

“While January represented a drop in filings from the previous month, high unemployment rates, unsustainable mortgage burdens and other economic stresses will push more consumers to seek the financial relief of bankruptcy in 2010,” said ABI Executive Director Samuel J. Gerdano. “Consumer filings this year will likely surpass the 1.4 million consumer filings recorded in 2009.”