Utah bankruptcy filings fall by 79% with 311 in February

Bankruptcy filings in Utah fell to 311 in February, a 79 percent drop from 1,503 filings made during the same month in 2005 but up slightly from 233 filings made in January 2006, according to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Utah.

New bankruptcy rules that took effect Oct. 17, 2005, made it more difficult to file for bankruptcy and have deterred people from filing, according to bankruptcy experts.

Filings for the first two months of 2006 decreased by 81 percent compared with the same two-month period in 2005.