The number of Hawaii residents filing for bankruptcy in October fell below 300 for the first time in eight months, according to federal Bankruptcy Court statistics.

The 297 filings were 8.4 percent more than in October 2009. It was the smallest increase in nearly a year, the court reported.

Although the volume of cases is relatively high by historical standards, filings have been trending down since peaking at 391 in April.

The bulk of the October cases, 177, were filed on Oahu. The Big Island accounted for 55 cases, while Maui had 53 and Kauai had 12.