NETWORK INDIANA _ Personal bankruptcy filings continue on a downward trend in Indiana. Bankruptcy attorney Mark Zuckerberg says personal filings are down about 17-percent from last year. Zuckerberg says in the past, people would file Chapter-13 to save their homes, but now there are many government programs that allow people to hold onto their homes without filing bankruptcy.

He says many people are using the programs, but he says the downward trend could reverse come October. That‘s when the eight-year waiting period on Chapter-7 filing expires. He says many attorneys are anticipating people who have previously filed will have made it eight years and may file again. Statistics show that many people who file bankruptcy once will file again.

Zuckerberg says bankruptcy remains designed to help people get a fresh financial start and no longer has the stigma that it once had. However, he adds it should be avoided and filings remain on your credit report for 7-10 years.