In what year did the energy company Enron file for bankruptcy? Enron filed for bankruptcy in 2001.
The Houston-based energy company sought Chapter 11 protection on December 2, 2001. At the time, it was one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in U.S. history, with reported assets exceeding $60 billion. The filing followed revelations that Enron had concealed debt and inflated profits through complex accounting arrangements and off-balance-sheet entities.
Enron’s collapse accelerated after the company restated earlier financial results, lost its investment-grade credit ratings, and saw its stock price collapse. The scandal also damaged its auditor, Arthur Andersen, which was convicted of obstruction of justice in connection with the destruction of Enron-related documents.
A common mix-up is confusing the bankruptcy year with the year the scandal became widely known. Major warnings and financial disclosures emerged in 2001, while the bankruptcy itself occurred in December of that year. The case helped inspire the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002, which strengthened corporate reporting and executive accountability rules.