The number of Hawaii residents and businesses filing for bankruptcy fell in February for the eighth consecutive month, according to a report issued Monday by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
The 149 cases filed in February was 11 percent fewer than the 168 cases filed the same month a year earlier. Bankruptcy filings have been on a downward trend since early 2011, tracking improvements in Hawaii’s job market and the broader economy. Bankruptcies had peaked in mid-2010 as the local economy struggled to recover from the 2008-2009 recession.
Bankruptcies fell in all counties except Maui County, where they rose to 28 in February from 27 the same month a year earlier. In Hono–lulu County bankruptcy filings fell to 92 in February from 106 a year earlier. Filings dropped to 22 cases from 27 in Hawaii County and to seven cases from eight in Kauai County.