Accessibility links
How the rollback of pandemic assistance could increase personal bankruptcy : The Indicator from Planet Money For much of the pandemic, government aid helped lower the number of personal bankruptcies dramatically. With those measures ending, close observers say a sharp increase is likely.

The Indicator from Planet Money

Where are all the COVID-19 bankruptcies?

Where are all the COVID-19 bankruptcies?

Listen · 9:31
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1080938906/1080999499" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Enlarge this image

Despite the covid recession, personal bankruptcies actually declined dramatically throughout the past two years. seksan Mongkhonkhamsao/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
seksan Mongkhonkhamsao/Getty Images

Despite the covid recession, personal bankruptcies actually declined dramatically throughout the past two years.

seksan Mongkhonkhamsao/Getty Images

Despite the pandemic recession, personal bankruptcies actually declined dramatically throughout the past two years. Close observers say that's because government programs like increased unemployment insurance and the eviction moratorium kept lots of people afloat — at least enough to avoid bankruptcy.

Today, we talk to one of those observers, credit counselor Lara Ceccarelli, about what the end of COVID-19 assistance programs could potentially mean for the state of bankruptcies and the economy.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: Twitter / Facebook / Newsletter.

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PocketCasts and NPR One.