Bankruptcy filings in the U.S. have almost topped 1 million this year, with one month to go.

Another 91,355 companies and individuals sought court protection from creditors in November, according to data compiled by Automated Access to Court Electronic Records, a service of Jupiter ESources LLC in Oklahoma City. A similar number in December would push the total for 2008 to around 1.1 million, up 33 percent from last year.

Amid a severe economic crisis and a credit squeeze leaving people with fewer options, bankruptcy filings in Chicago soared in October and increased significantly for the first 10 months of 2008, reflecting a broad national trend.

Rising energy costs, soaring personal debt and weakness in the housing market fueled the growth of bankruptcy filings for February 2008, according to Jenny Anderson in an article appearing on the website for Automated Access To Court Electronic Records. AACER provides U.S. bankruptcy data to attorneys, lenders, employers and individuals.

Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings climbed above 1,000 in November thanks to a push from such consumer product companies as Circuit City Stores Inc. and Lenox Group Inc.

Don't let other headlines fool you. On a daily basis, the bankruptcy filing rate rose in November and went over 5,000 for the first time since the 2005 changes to the U.S. bankruptcy law.