Frankfurt / Kassel / Darmstadt (dpa / lhe) – Despite the deep economic downturn caused by the corona crisis, there was apparently no bankruptcy wave in Hesse in April. The number of bankruptcy applications is even moving in the opposite direction, as the first figures from local courts show: it is falling drastically. But this is not an indication of positive economic development. According to courts and authorities, there are other causes – and the big end could still come.
Retail, service providers, industry – many sectors have warned of a wave of insolvency in Germany in the past few weeks. Even the number of private bankruptcies will increase, the information company Crifbürgel said at the end of March. It will be a long time before you can assess across the Hesse whether the forecasts are true. The State Statistical Office in Wiesbaden will publish the bankruptcy figures for the first quarter in June.
At the district courts in Hesse, however, the first figures for April are already available – and they are a surprise: there is no wave of insolvency, rather the opposite, said Roland Glöckner, spokesman for the Frankfurt district court. There, the number of bankruptcy applications has almost halved. 63 entrepreneurs and corporate bankruptcies were filed in April, 21 consumer bankruptcies. That makes a total of 84 applications – significantly less than in April 2019 with 177 applications. At the beginning of this year, a completely different development was indicated. A large number of applications were received in the first two months.
However, the corona crisis has given statistics a “dent”. According to Glöckner, it is striking that tax offices and health insurance companies are holding back. As a creditor, they can file bankruptcy applications for debtors in the event of tax or contribution outstanding. However, steps taken because of the Corona crisis changed the situation. How the bankruptcy applications developed in the long term is unclear. “As soon as this dam is gone, you have to see,” said Glöckner.
The Darmstadt District Court also received significantly fewer applications to open insolvency proceedings: 48 came in April, compared to 130 a year ago. The district court also refers to the Corona crisis and the law to mitigate the consequences of the Covid 19 pandemic to categorize the figures. The federal government had suspended the obligation to file for bankruptcy – provided the insolvency is the result of the corona pandemic and there is hope for the company. This is to prevent companies from having to file for bankruptcy if aid does not arrive on time. According to the chief financial officer in Frankfurt, the tax authorities’ right to file for bankruptcy was also restricted.
“This law could mean that fewer bankruptcy applications are currently being received as usual and can only be expected in autumn 2020,” said Erik Geisler, Vice President of the Darmstadt District Court. Because the bankruptcy obligation is only suspended until September 30th.
A spokesman for the district court in Kassel also confirmed the development: in April 2019, the district court received 63 bankruptcy applications and private bankruptcy applications – this year there were only 18. It is also clear how the number of applications this year from February (60 ) drops to March (44) and finally plummets in April.
The regional finance department of the State of Hesse believes that the development will continue in the coming months. For the time being, a significant increase in insolvency openings is not to be expected. “In fact, a decrease in the corresponding number of cases is actually to be expected,” said a spokeswoman.
Why the health insurance companies are reluctant to file for bankruptcy is unclear. “We could only speculate about the reasons why we do not comment on this,” said the umbrella organization of statutory health insurance companies. The association of Hessian business associations did not want to comment on the decline in the number of insolvencies.
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