That's in line with what court officials and bankruptcy attorneys had predicted nine months ago.
Experts differ on why the numbers of bankruptcies locally and in the state are increasing.
Some say the rise in bankruptcy filings is driven by a bill in Congress that would make it tougher to file for bankruptcy. Others say bankruptcies are increasing because of a slowing economy. For the quarter, the number of bankruptcies filed in the state was 3,163. That compares to 2,505 bankruptcies filed in the first quarter of 2000. In Wichita, bankruptcies totaled 1,443 for the quarter, compared to 1,158 in the same period a year ago.