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The number of Hawaii households and businesses filing for bankruptcy fell in July for 27th time in the last 28 months, although there were signs that further declines may be hard to come by.
There were 180 bankruptcies filed statewide in July, down 9.5 percent from the 199 cases filed the same month a year earlier, according to a U.S. Bankruptcy Court report released Thursday.
Bankruptcy filings have been on a downward trend since 2010 when they averaged 330 a month as the state’s economy was struggling to regain its footing after a deep recession. However, the magnitude of the declines has been shrinking in recent months. And some areas around the state are actually seeing increases in the number of bankruptcy filings.
Bankruptcy cases in Maui County rose to 42 in July from 33 the same month a year earlier, an increase of 27 percent. Filings in Kauai County rose 38 percent to 11 cases from eight.
In Honolulu County there were 108 bankruptcy cases filed in July, down 15 percent from 127 a year earlier. Hawaii County saw a 39 percent decline to 19 cases from 31 cases a year earlier.
"There are always people in trouble who can’t pay their bills because of medical expenses, divorce, separation or an accumulation of debt. Those kinds of things don’t go away," said Edward Magauran, a Honolulu-based bankruptcy attorney. "It’s incredible how much debt people have. They tend to forget about it unless and until they are facing a foreclosure, a lawsuit or an aggressive debt collection."
Hawaii consumers had the second-highest amount of outstanding credit card debt nationally in June at $6,080 per person, according to personal finance company Credit Karma. However, Hawaii consumers also had the nation’s highest average credit score at 667.