MILWAUKEE (AP) — Records show that Wisconsin had its fewest bankruptcy filings in a decade last year. U.S. Bankruptcy Court figures show that filings decreased to 16,769 in 2017 from 16,835 in 2016. That continued a downward trend that started after the peak of almost 30,000 filings in 2010. Most of the bankruptcy petitions in Wisconsin were Chapter 7 filings, the type intended to give people a fresh start by wiping out debt such as overwhelming bills and credit card balances. Wisconsin’s estimated unemployment rate dipped to 3.0% in December, tying the lowest rate on record. A state Department of Workforce Development report shows that the number of individuals employed in Wisconsin’s private sector set a record in December, as did the size of the state’s labor force.
