From the May 2, 2008 Atlanta Journal Constitution –

Georgia ranked No. 2 nationally for its rate of consumer bankruptcy filings in the first quarter of the year. The bankruptcy courts statewide processed 12,981 consumer filings during the quarter, up 16 percent from the same period in 2007.

Only Tennessee had a higher bankruptcy rate than Georgia. In Tennessee, the rate in annual terms was 1 bankruptcy filing for every 56 households. In Georgia, 1 in every 60 households sought legal protection from creditors, according to the National Bankruptcy Research Center, a California-based data firm. …

Indeed, the first-quarter statistics suggest that most Georgians entering bankruptcy are trying to keep their homes, not walk away. About 55 percent of Georgians who file for bankruptcy filed Chapter 13, which allows consumers to hold onto their house and car but requires that they repay a portion of their debts. A Chapter 7, chosen by 45 percent of Georgians who file for bankruptcy, is a liquidation in which most debts are wiped out, but so are all of a consumer’s assets that aren’t protected by exemptions.