Last week, the Associated Press announced that the number of bankruptcy filings in federal courts this year have increased by more than one-third. Based on numbers from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the Associated Press reports that about 1.4 million bankruptcy cases were filed between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009.  In comparison, 1 million cases were filed during this same period last year.  While Chapters 7, 12 and 13 filings have all increased, of particular note, Chapter 11 filings increased by 68 percent.  In addition, business filings overall increased by 52 percent while non-business filings jumped by 34 percent.