bankruptcy filings rising again ...

You may recall that last year, new rules were passed that govern bankruptcy filings. They made it tougher to get your debts wiped away, forced more potential filers to undergo credit counseling and take other steps. Bankruptcy filings skyrocketed ahead of the changes, and peaked at 667,431 in Q4 2005. But after dropping all the way to 116,771 in Q1 2006, filings are on the rise again. They climbed to 171,146 in Q3 from 155,833 in Q2. Higher interest rates ... the housing slowdown ... and record-high debt service ratios are all to blame, in my view.