Commentary - Monthly Insolvency Statistics February 2023

Question 1

1. Main Messages for England and Wales

Accepted Answer

The number of registered company insolvencies in February 2023 was 1,783:

17% higher than in the same month in the previous year (1,518 in February 2022), and
33% higher than the number registered three years previously (pre-pandemic; 1,345 in February 2020).

There were 158 compulsory liquidations in February 2023, which is more than twice the number in February 2022, but 32% lower than in February 2020. Numbers of compulsory liquidations have increased from historical lows seen during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, partly as a result of an increase in winding-up petitions presented by HMRC.

The numbers provided in this publication are not seasonally adjusted and changes between consecutive months may not indicate overall trends. Therefore, in this publication we compare to the same calendar month in previous year(s). Seasonally adjusted figures that more accurately measure trends over time are available in the quarterly insolvency statistics.

In February 2023 there were 1,505 Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidations (CVLs), 13% higher than in February 2022 and 59% higher than February 2020. Numbers of administrations and Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVAs) remained lower than before the pandemic.

Figure 1 shows the historical trend of company insolvencies covering the past four years. Monthly numbers back to January 2019 can be found in Table 1 of the accompanying tables.

Figure 1: The number of registered company insolvencies in February 2023 was higher than in the same month last year, driven by higher numbers of CVLs and compulsory liquidations.

England and Wales, February 2019 to February 2023, not seasonally adjusted

A line chart showing the change over time in the monthly number of company insolvencies in England and Wales between February 2019 and February 2022. The data can be found in Table 1 of the accompanying tables. — Sources: Insolvency Service (compulsory liquidations only); Companies House (all other insolvency types)

For individuals, 580 bankruptcies were registered, which was 3% lower than in February 2022, and 63% lower than February 2020.

There were 2,083 Debt Relief Orders (DROs) in February 2023, which was 7% lower than February 2022 and 13% lower than the pre-pandemic comparison month (February 2020).

There were, on average, 5,627 Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) registered per month in the three-month period ending February 2023, which is 12% lower than the three-month period ending February 2022, but similar to the three-month period ending February 2020.

Note that the IVA series is historically volatile as it is based on date of registration at the Insolvency Service (see the Methodology and data quality section for more information).

Figure 2 shows the historical trend of individual insolvencies covering the past four years. Monthly numbers back to January 2019 can be found in Tables 3 and 4.1 of the accompanying tables. Note that IVA numbers shown are three-month rolling averages and are therefore not directly comparable to the monthly numbers of bankruptcies and DROs.

Figure 2: DRO numbers increased following a change in eligibility criteria in June 2021, but have since remained stable at slightly below pre-pandemic levels. Bankruptcies have remained lower than both pre-pandemic and 2020 levels. IVA numbers were slightly higher in 2022 than in previous years.

England and Wales, February 2019 to February 2023, not seasonally adjusted

A line chart showing the change over time in the monthly number of bankruptcies, debt relief orders and the rolling three-month average of IVAs in England and Wales between February 2019 and February 2022. The data are in Tables 3 and 4.1. — Source: Insolvency Service

There were 7,312 Breathing Space registrations in February 2023, which is 26% higher than the number registered in February 2022. 7,173 were Standard breathing space registrations, which is 26% higher than in February 2022, and 139 were Mental Health breathing space registrations, which is 58% higher than the number in February 2022.

From the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic until mid-2021, overall numbers of company and individual insolvencies were low when compared with pre-pandemic levels. This is likely to have been partly driven by government measures put in place to support businesses and individuals during this time. Company insolvency numbers have now returned to and exceeded pre-pandemic levels, but for individuals, numbers of bankruptcies and debt relief orders remain lower.

Question 2

2. Things you need to know about this release

Accepted Answer

This monthly series supplements the Insolvency Service’s quarterly company and individual insolvency National Statistics to provide more up to date information on the numbers of companies and individuals who are unable to pay debts and enter a formal insolvency procedure.

These statistics present monthly numbers of individual and company insolvencies in England & Wales and Northern Ireland. For Scotland, only monthly company insolvency statistics are presented. Until May 2021, monthly individual insolvency statistics for Scotland were published on the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) website. However, this publication was discontinued as per this bulletin. Quarterly statistics on the number of individual insolvencies in Scotland continue to be published.

All figures presented within this release are provisional and subject to review. Further detail can be found in the accompanying Monthly Statistics Methodology and Quality document. Historical data presented within this statistical release may not be consistent with the previously published quarterly company and individual insolvency National Statistics.

2.1 Interpretation of these statistics

Please note that some caution needs to be applied when interpreting these statistics. Notably:

The underlying monthly data have not been seasonally adjusted and therefore comparisons are made with the same month in 2020 (pre-pandemic) and the same month of the previous year.
Individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) are reported based on date of registration at the Insolvency Service, rather than date of approval. There can be a delay between month of approval and month of registration. Due to the volatility of the underlying data on registered IVAs, three-month rolling averages have also been presented to smooth out the data. However, neither counts nor three-month rolling-averages are reliable enough to indicate short-term IVA trends.
This statistical release presents the numbers of creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs), administrations, company voluntary arrangements (CVAs) and receivership appointments based on their registration date at Companies House, and therefore reflect company insolvency registrations rather than insolvency procedure start dates.

Question 3

3. Company and Individual Insolvencies in England and Wales

Accepted Answer

In this release comparisons are made to both February 2022, at which time some support measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic remained in place, and February 2020, which was before the start of the pandemic.

3.1 Company Insolvencies

This statistical release presents the numbers of CVLs, administrations, CVAs and receivership appointments based on their registration date at Companies House, and therefore numbers reflect company insolvency registrations rather than insolvency procedure start dates. Compulsory liquidation data are sourced by the Insolvency Service and provide an accurate measure of the number of new cases in each month. Data for the latest month were extracted from a live system five working days after month end and therefore figures are provisional.

The number of company insolvencies was 33% higher than in February 2020 and 17% higher than the number in February 2022.

The increase in company insolvencies compared to February 2022 was driven by an increase in the number of compulsory liquidations and CVLs. The increase in compulsory liquidations is partly as a result of an increase in winding-up petitions presented by HMRC.

Of the 1,783 registered company insolvencies in February 2023:

There were 1,505 CVLs, which is 13% higher than in February 2022 and 59% higher than in February 2020;
158 were compulsory liquidations, which is more than twice the number in February 2022, but 32% lower than February 2020;
12 were CVAs, which is four times higher than February 2022, but 37% lower than February 2020;
There were 108 administrations, which is similar to February 2022, but 27% lower than February 2020;
There were no receivership appointments.

Figure 1 shows the historical trend of company insolvencies covering the past four years. Monthly numbers back to January 2019 can be found in Table 1 of the accompanying tables.

Figure 1 (repeated from above): The number of registered company insolvencies in February 2023 was higher than in the same month last year, driven by higher numbers of CVLs and compulsory liquidations.

England and Wales, February 2019 to February 2023, not seasonally adjusted

Between 26 June 2020 and 28 February 2023, in England & Wales, 42 moratoriums were obtained and 12 companies had a restructuring plan registered at Companies House. These two procedures were created by the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020.

Monthly company insolvency data for England & Wales can be found in the accompanying tables. Further breakdowns of company insolvencies by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC 2007) are also presented to three-digit level.

3.2 Individual Insolvencies

In this statistical release the numbers of DROs and bankruptcies are presented separately to numbers of IVAs, as IVA numbers have been calculated using different methodology. Further details are provided in the IVA results section below.

Data for the latest month were extracted from a live system five working days after month end and are subject to change. Therefore, figures are provisional.

Bankruptcies and debt relief orders

There were 2,083 DROs and 580 bankruptcies in February 2023 in England & Wales.

The bankruptcies were made up of 486 debtor applications and 94 creditor petitions. Monthly bankruptcy numbers over the past 18 months were lower than the numbers in 2020, which were already lower than pre-pandemic levels.

Bankruptcies were 3% lower than in February 2022. Debtor applications were 2% lower and creditor petitions were 11% lower than February 2022.

Compared to February 2020, total bankruptcies were 63% lower; debtor applications were 64% lower and creditor petitions were 55% lower.

The number of DROs in February 2023 was 13% lower than in February 2020 and 7% lower than February 2022. DRO numbers increased following an eligibility change in June 2021 and for the past year have been slightly lower than pre-pandemic levels.

Figure 3 shows the historical trend of bankruptcies and DROs covering the past four years. Monthly numbers back to January 2019 can be found in Table 3 of the accompanying tables.

Figure 3: DRO numbers increased following a change in eligibility criteria in June 2021, but have since remained stable at slightly below pre-pandemic levels. Bankruptcies have remained lower than both pre-pandemic and 2020 levels.

England and Wales, February 2019 to February 2023, not seasonally adjusted

A line chart showing the change over time in the monthly number of bankruptcies and debt relief orders in England and Wales between February 2019 and February 2022. The data can be found in Table 3 of the accompanying tables. — Source: Insolvency Service

Monthly data on DROs and bankruptcies in England & Wales, including bankruptcies by employment status, can be found in the accompanying tables. Bankruptcies amongst the self-employed are also presented to the two-digit Standard Industrial Classification (SIC 2007). Due to the small numbers reported it is not feasible to present this information to a three-digit level.

Individual voluntary arrangements

The underlying data for IVA registrations are volatile from one month to the next, so month on month comparisons are not valid. It is particularly important to consider longer term trends when making assessments of IVAs.

Three-month rolling averages are presented to smooth the data and indicate what the overall trend of IVA registrations might look like if the underlying data were less volatile. Further information on the volatility of the IVA data, and the calculation of three-month rolling averages can be found in the accompanying Monthly Statistics Methodology and Quality document. For transparency, both counts and three-month rolling averages are presented in Figure 4 and in the accompanying tables. Whilst three-month rolling averages are used to consider potential changes in IVA trends over time, both sets of numbers should be used with caution.

There were, on average, 5,627 IVAs registered per month in the three-month period ending February 2023, 12% lower than for the three-month period ending February 2022 but similar to the three months ending February 2020.

Figure 4 shows the historical trend covering the past four years. Monthly numbers back to January 2019 can be found in Tables 4 and 4.1 of the accompanying tables.

Figure 4: IVA numbers were slightly higher in 2022 compared to 2021 and pre-pandemic levels

England and Wales, February 2019 to February 2023, not seasonally adjusted

A line chart showing the change over time in the monthly number of IVAs and the rolling three-month average of the number of IVAs in England and Wales between February 2019 and February 2022. The data are in Tables 4 and 4.1 of the accompanying tables. — Source: Insolvency Service

IVA registrations presented in Figure 4 are the numbers of registrations with the Insolvency Service in each month. The rolling three-month averages presented are mean average number of registered IVAs in the three months ending in the reference period. For example, the three-month rolling average estimate for February 2023 is the calculated mean average of the total IVA registrations during December 2022, January 2022 and February 2023.

Breathing Space Registrations

In February 2023 there were 7,312 breathing space registrations. This is 26% higher than the number in February 2022.

Of the 7,312 Breathing Space registrations in February 2023:

There were 7,173 Standard breathing space registrations, which is 26% higher than the number in February 2022.
There were 139 Mental Health breathing space registrations, which is 58% higher than the number in February 2022.

Monthly breakdowns can be found in Table 7 of the accompanying tables.

Figure 5: Breathing space numbers since July 2022 have been higher than in the same period in the previous year.

England and Wales, May 2021 to February 2023, not seasonally adjusted

A line chart showing the change over time in the monthly number of Breathing Space registrations in England and Wales between May 2021 and February 2022. The data can be found in Table 7 of the accompanying tables. — Source: Insolvency Service

Question 4

4. Company Insolvencies in Scotland

Accepted Answer

Legislation relating to company insolvency in Scotland is partly devolved. AiB, Scotland’s Insolvency Service, administers the Register of Insolvencies, which is a publicly accessible statutory register regarding the insolvency of individuals and businesses in Scotland, and includes company liquidations and receiverships.

This statistical release presents the numbers of compulsory liquidations, CVLs, administrations, CVAs and receivership appointments based on their registration date at Companies House, and numbers therefore reflect company insolvency registrations rather than insolvency procedure start dates.

In February 2023 there were 81 company insolvencies registered in Scotland, 11% higher than the number in February 2022 but 5% lower than in February 2020. This was comprised of 21 compulsory liquidations, 57 CVLs and three administrations. There were no receivership appointments or CVAs.

Historically, the volume of company insolvencies registered in Scotland has been driven by compulsory liquidations. However, since April 2020, there have been nearly three times as many CVLs as compulsory liquidations.

Figure 6 shows the historical trend of company insolvencies in Scotland covering the past four years. Monthly numbers back to January 2019 can be found in Table 8 of the accompanying tables.

Figure 6: In February 2023, the number of registered company insolvencies was higher than February 2022 but lower than pre-pandemic levels

Scotland, February 2019 to February 2023, not seasonally adjusted

A line chart showing the change over time in the monthly number of company insolvencies in Scotland between February 2019 and February 2022. The data can be found in Table 8 of the accompanying tables. — Source: Companies House

Between 26 June 2020 and 28 February 2023, in Scotland, no moratoriums were obtained and two companies had a restructuring plan registered at Companies House. These two procedures were created by the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020.

Monthly company insolvency data for Scotland can be found in the accompanying tables. Further breakdowns of company insolvencies by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC 2007) are also presented to two-digit level. Due to small numbers it was not feasible to present this information to three-digit level.

Note that this statistical bulletin does not present monthly individual insolvency statistics for Scotland. Until May 2021, monthly individual insolvency statistics for Scotland were published on the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) website. However, this publication was discontinued as per this bulletin. Quarterly statistics on the number of individual insolvencies in Scotland continue to be published.

Question 5

5. Company and Individual Insolvencies in Northern Ireland

Accepted Answer

Company and individual insolvency in Northern Ireland is governed by separate, but broadly similar, legislation to England & Wales. Figures are presented separately.

5.1 Company Insolvencies

This statistical release presents the numbers of CVLs, administrations, CVAs and receivership appointments based on their registration date at Companies House, and therefore numbers reflect company insolvency registrations rather than insolvency procedure start dates.

In February 2023 there were nine company insolvencies registered in Northern Ireland, 50% lower than February 2022 and 67% lower than February 2020. This was comprised of six CVLs, one compulsory liquidation and two CVAs. There were no administrations or receivership appointments.

Figure 7 shows the historical trend of company insolvencies in Northern Ireland covering the past four years. Monthly numbers back to January 2019 can be found in Table 10 of the accompanying tables.

Figure 7: Overall, numbers of registered company insolvencies have remained lower than pre-pandemic levels since the start of the first UK lockdown in March 2020

Northern Ireland, February 2019 to February 2023, not seasonally adjusted

A line chart showing the change over time in the monthly number of company insolvencies in Northern Ireland between February 2019 and February 2022. The data can be found in Table 10 of the accompanying tables. — Sources: Companies House and Department for the Economy

5.2 Individual Insolvencies

In February 2023 there were 111 individual insolvencies in Northern Ireland, 31% lower than in February 2022, and 59% lower than February 2020. This consisted of 87 IVAs, 16 DROs and eight bankruptcies.

Figure 8: Overall, numbers of individual insolvencies have remained lower than pre-pandemic levels since the start of the first UK lockdown in March 2020

Northern Ireland, February 2019 to February 2023, not seasonally adjusted

A line chart showing the change over time in the monthly number of individual insolvencies in Northern Ireland between February 2019 and February 2022. The data can be found in Table 11 of the accompanying tables. — Source: Department for the Economy

Figure 8 shows the historical trend of individual insolvencies in Northern Ireland covering the past four years. Monthly numbers back to January 2019 can be found in Table 11 of the accompanying tables. It should be noted that there were no new individual insolvencies in Northern Ireland in April 2020 as a result of the lockdown measures being implemented by the Northern Ireland Executive which resulted in the closure of the Courts and Insolvency Service offices in the region.

Question 6

6. Data and Methodology

Accepted Answer

6.1 Data Sources

Company insolvency data for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are sourced from Companies House, except for compulsory liquidation data for England & Wales and Northern Ireland. Compulsory liquidation data for England & Wales are sourced from the Insolvency Service case information system (ISCIS). Compulsory liquidation data for Northern Ireland are sourced from the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland.

Individual insolvency data for England & Wales are sourced from ISCIS; individual insolvency data for Northern Ireland are sourced from the Department for the Economy.

Individual breathing space data are sourced from the Breathing Space register, owned by HM Treasury (HMT), for which the Insolvency Service is a custodian.

Moratorium and Restructuring Plan data are sourced from Companies House.

More information on the administrative systems used to compile insolvency statistics can be found in the accompanying Monthly Statistics Methodology and Quality document.

6.2 Coverage

This statistical release presents company insolvencies for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Individual insolvencies are presented for England & Wales, and Northern Ireland only. Individual insolvency statistics for Scotland can be found on the AiB website, although the monthly publication has been discontinued as per this bulletin. Insolvency statistics for Scotland and Northern Ireland are presented separately to statistics for England & Wales since they may not be comparable as they are covered by separate legislation and policy responsibility lies with the devolved administrations.

6.3 Methodology and data quality

Detailed methodology and quality information for the monthly insolvency statistical releases can be found in the accompanying Monthly Statistics Methodology and Quality document.

The main quality and coverage issues to note:

Aggregate counts of moratoriums and restructuring plans were compiled for the whole period covering 26 June 2020 to 28 February 2023.

6.4 Revisions

These statistics are subject to scheduled revisions, as set out in the published Revisions Policy. Other revisions tend to be made as a result of data being entered onto administrative systems after the cut-off date for data being extracted to produce the statistics. For Insolvency Service data, there is an increased likelihood that published statistics for the most recent month will be revised in the future, because the data were only extracted five working days after month end. Companies House data are revised quarterly for the previous three months in the January, April, July and October publications. Any future revisions will be marked with an ‘[r]’ in the relevant table.

Non-routine revisions

Due to a data issue with the Breathing Space register, some Breathing Spaces from December 2022 were not registered on the system and therefore were not included in the January 2023 statistics. This has been revised, resulting in an increase of 4% to the number of breathing spaces in December 2022.

Question 7

7. Glossary

Accepted Answer

7.1 Key Terms used within this statistical bulletin

Term	Definition
Administration	The objective of administration is the rescue of the company as a going concern, or if this is not possible then to obtain a better result for creditors than would be likely if the company were to be wound up. A licensed insolvency practitioner, ‘the administrator’, is appointed to manage a company’s affairs, business and property for the benefit of the creditors.
Bankruptcy	A form of debt relief available for anyone who is unable to pay their debts. Assets owned will vest in a trustee in bankruptcy, who will sell them and distribute the proceeds to creditors. Discharge from debts usually takes place 12 months after the bankruptcy order is granted. Bankruptcies result from either Debtor application – where the individual is unable to pay their debts, and applies online to make themselves bankrupt, or Creditor petition – if a creditor is owed £5,000 or more, they can apply to the court to make an individual bankrupt. These statistics relate to petitions where a court order was made as a result, although not all petitions to court result in a bankruptcy order.
Breathing Space	For individuals, the Breathing Space scheme, launched on 4 May 2021, gives people legal protections from their creditors for 60 days, with most interest and penalty charges frozen, and enforcement action halted. Because problem debt can be linked to mental health issues, these protections are also available for people in mental health crisis treatment – for the full duration of their crisis treatment plus another 30 days.
Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA)	CVAs are another mechanism for business rescue. They are a voluntary means of repaying creditors some or all of what they are owed. Once approved by 75% or more of creditors, the arrangement is binding on all creditors. CVAs are supervised by licensed insolvency practitioners.
Compulsory liquidation	A winding-up order obtained from the court by a creditor, shareholder or director. See Liquidation for details on the process.
Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation (CVL)	Shareholders of a company can themselves pass a resolution that the company be wound up voluntarily. See Liquidation for details on the process. Administrations which result in a Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation are recorded separately by Companies House and are excluded from CVL figures as they do not represent a new company entering into an insolvency procedure for the first time. These cases are only ever recorded as Administrations.
Debt Relief Order (DRO)	A form of debt relief available to those who have a low income, low assets and debt no more than a specified value. There is no distribution to creditors, and discharge from debts takes place 12 months after the DRO is granted. DROs were introduced in April 2009. A change in eligibility criteria was introduced from 29th June 2021 in which the upper limit of debt increased from £20,000 to £30,000. In addition, the threshold on the value of assets that a debtor can hold and be eligible to enter into a DRO increased from £1,000 to £2,000; the value of a single motor vehicle that can be disregarded from the total value of assets increased from £1,000 to £2,000; and the level of surplus income received by the debtor before payments should be made to creditors increased from £50 to £75 per month.
Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA)	A voluntary means of repaying creditors some or all of what they are owed. Once approved by 75% or more of creditors, the arrangement is binding on all. IVAs are supervised by licensed Insolvency Practitioners.
Liquidation	Liquidation is a legal process in which a liquidator is appointed to ‘wind up’ the affairs of a limited company. The purpose of liquidation is to sell the company’s assets and distribute the proceeds to its creditors. At the end of the process, the company is dissolved – it ceases to exist. Statistics on compulsory liquidations and creditors’ voluntary liquidations are presented in these statistics. A third type of winding up, members’ voluntary liquidation is not included because it does not involve insolvency.
Moratorium	Moratoriums were introduced under the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 to give struggling businesses formal breathing space in which to explore rescue and restructuring options, free from creditor or other legal action. Except in certain circumstances, no insolvency proceedings can be instigated against the company during the moratorium period. It also prevents legal action being taken against a company without permission from the court.
Partnership Winding-up Order	This is similar to the liquidation of a company. When the partners have decided that the partnership has no viable future or purpose then a decision may be made to cease trading and wind up the partnership. There are two basic ways that the partnership can be wound up: the creditors petition and a partner’s petition.
Receivership Appointment	Administrative receivership is where a creditor with a floating charge (often a bank) appoints a licensed insolvency practitioner to recover the money it is owed. Before 2000, receivership appointments also included other, non-insolvency, procedures, for example under the Law of Property Act 1925.
Restructuring Plan	New restructuring measures were introduced under the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 to support viable companies struggling with unmanageable debt obligations to restructure under a new procedure. They allow the court to sanction a plan that binds creditors to a restructuring plan if it is fair and equitable. Creditors vote on the plan, but the court can impose it on dissenting classes of creditors (‘cram down’) provided that the necessary conditions are met.
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC 2007)	Used in classifying business establishments and other statistical units by the type of economic activity in which they are engaged. Further information can be found on the ONS website.

Commentary - Monthly Insolvency Statistics February 2023

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1. Main Messages for England and Wales

Figure 1: The number of registered company insolvencies in February 2023 was higher than in the same month last year, driven by higher numbers of CVLs and compulsory liquidations.

Figure 2: DRO numbers increased following a change in eligibility criteria in June 2021, but have since remained stable at slightly below pre-pandemic levels. Bankruptcies have remained lower than both pre-pandemic and 2020 levels. IVA numbers were slightly higher in 2022 than in previous years.