PORTLAND (AP) – The number of personal bankruptcy filings in Maine is growing, adding to concerns about Mainers’ debt and the state’s economy.

Last year 1,819 Mainers filed for bankruptcy for an increase of about 75 percent over the number of filings the year before. That’s greater than the national increase in bankruptcy filings of 40 percent in the same period.

While it’s difficult to draw conclusions because of changes in bankruptcy law in 1995, the bankruptcy filing are cause for concern nonetheless.

High fuel and heating costs, slow job growth, credit card debt and the mortgage crisis are expected to drive another surge in bankruptcies this year.

“All of these things are contributing to the increased filings,” said Judge Louis Kornreich, the chief U.S. bankruptcy judge for Maine, based in Bangor. “People are hanging on, trying to do the best they can … Some of them aren’t quite making it.”

Lee Anne Graybeal, a Kennebunk lawyer who has specialized in bankruptcy for 25 years, said the biggest area of growth are couples and individuals who took out adjustable rate home loans a few years back, at the height of the real estate boom.

Many people did not fully understand the terms or figured they could simply sell their properties for a profit, Graybeal said. Instead, the real estate bubble burst.

Credit card debt is another problem.

Leone Browne, 82, was among those who amassed credit card debt and found herself unable to pay the bills. She was doing fine with a modest income from her husband’s pension, her Social Security check and from a boarder at her Bridgton home.

But the renter moved out, and her expenses grew.

“I had too many credit cards,” she said. “I was going along fine, then all of a sudden my income dropped. I used the cards.”

Experts predict Chapter 13 filings will be a popular route for people who need relief, but also hope to keep their homes. In Maine, 465 people filed for Chapter 13 last year, up from 266 a year earlier.

The other path to bankruptcy is Chapter 7, also known as “straight” or “liquidation” bankruptcies.

Jim Haines, the U.S. bankruptcy judge in Portland, said struggling consumers should seek help early, before problems reach the crisis point.

There are a number of free services, especially for low-income residents and the elderly, to assist in managing debt. But Haines warns consumers to know who they are dealing with. Some agencies disguise themselves as helpers, but actually can add to a family’s debt problems.

“There is a huge segment of the credit industry that markets itself on your ability to pay yourself out of trouble,” Haines said.

AP-ES-01-13-08 1145EST