The number of county court judgments (CCJs) against businesses in England and Wales has halved in the five years since the recession’s 2009 peak, figures released today reveal.

There were 53,795 CCJs issued against corporate and non-corporate businesses in the first half of 2014, 10% down on the same period last year and less than half the 111,633 judgments recorded in the first half of 2009.

The total value of these judgments also fell to a new low of £194m, compared with a peak of £510.2m in 2009.

The CCJ figures were reflected in the latest results from the Insolvency Service, which reported 8,757 company insolvencies in the first half of 2014 – down 8% on the same period last year.

Malcolm Hurlston (pictured), chair of the non-profit Registry Trust, which published the CCJ figures, said: ‘The number of CCJs against businesses has halved in the five years since the recession bit. The economy appears to be set fair.’

High Court judgments against businesses also fell to a new low of 99, the first time the number has dipped below three figures since the recession began.

The Registry Trust collects judgment information from jurisdictions across the British Isles and Ireland. In England and Wales, it runs the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines for the Ministry of Justice. Read judgment records here.