Personal bankruptcies have been surging in Southern California over the last two years in response to the mortgage crisis, exploding credit card debt, and increasing medical expenses. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court's California Central District, which serves seven counties within the state, has seen the nation?s biggest increase, with the number of protection seekers nearly doubling between 2007 and 2008. While the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 was designed to reduce the number of bankruptcy filers, some experts believe that the law merely made people worse off at the time of filing.
See "Personal bankruptcies surge in Southern California", David Colker, Los Angeles Times, June 28, 2009