More Mainers in credit trouble

PORTLAND – Bankruptcy courts in Maine were busier than ever last year as consumers continued to struggle with debts.

Business bankruptcy filings were at their lowest level in a decade, but 4,397 individuals filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001 for an increase of 13.3 percent over the previous year.

The jump in personal bankruptcy filings is part of a trend toward consumers taking on greater debt, causing the number of bankruptcy cases in Portland and Bangor to double in seven years, the American Bankruptcy Institute said.

Neil Shankman, a Yarmouth bankruptcy lawyer, blames credit-card companies for filling people’s mailboxes with attractive-sounding offers without regard to whether these consumers are worthy of the loans.

He said he once acquired a card in his name and the name of his 14-year-old daughter so she could make purchases on skiing trips. Soon, his daughter was receiving cards and offers on a regular basis, he said.

“I don’t think the credit-card companies are the victims,” Shankman said. “I believe they’re more villain than victim.”

The credit-card industry denies it is to blame for the surge in bankruptcies or that it markets cards irresponsibly.

Competition drives card companies to send multiple offers to individual consumers, said Lynn Strang of the American Financial Services Association, which represents credit-card companies and other lenders.

“Generally speaking I don’t think that the intent is to try to overload anybody’s wallet with a large number of cards, but the companies hope a consumer will choose the card it issues over the others,” she said.

Nonetheless, some consumers who have gotten into hock with plastic money also believe the companies recruit customers too aggressively.

Mary Coates, an elderly Old Orchard Beach woman who filed for protection this month with $13,430 in credit-card bills, said she felt cards were “getting shoved down my throat.” She said making the minimum payments on her cards left her with little money for other expenses. She said she accepts responsibility for her plight, too.

“I’m not out of my mind,” said Coates, who also has $8,113 in unpaid medical bills and does not work. “I could have said no. But it’s an easy way to go.”

Bankruptcy lawyers hear similar stories every day.

“Most people are not happy about having to do this,” said David Brandt, a lawyer in Windham. “Most of them have been fighting it for years. The credit-card companies would have you believe there’s a lot of abuse, but I keep the tissue handy for clients. I see people crying. I see people in distress.”