> AMERICAN INDIVIDUALS and businesses went bankrupt in record numbers last year. The number of bankruptcies filed during the year jumped 19 per cent to 1.49 million from 1.25 million in 2000. That total surpassed the previous record of 1.44 million filings in 1998. Economists had predicted bankruptcies would reach new highs in 2001 as the recession took its toll on the finances of consumers and corporations.