Will fees for ILR increase again before mid Feb 2012?

I am going to apply for ILR the first week in Feb 2012. Do you think the fees will increase and if so when and how much? Do most people mail in their applications or make an appointment? When do people start getting all the documents together? I am starting now and trying to get everything sorted. I am now on all the bank accounts and some of the bills and council tax. I am starting to put it all together and going to get one folder so it will be a piece of cake... closer to time... Is it just 6 months of bank statements? Do I have to show my bank statements from the US even though I live here?

Yes, they can increase fees twice a year if they wish.  They always want to. 

How much is anyone's guess.  Usually it is a small amount 50 or 60.  The year I applied for FLR the fee went from 500 US dollars to 1,000 with about a month's warning, so bigger raises can happen, but they are unusual. 

You can either mail it in, which is cheaper, but it takes longer.  A lot longer. 

You need documents spread evenly over the two years.  I just kept all my mail in a folder and then sorted it out the month before.  You need to keep things, but no point in getting it all together a year early. 

The fee increases are fixed for April and October every year (though for technical reasons the ILR cost doesn't go up until November for the October increase).  So yes, you will pay the current price when you apply in Feb.

The OP isn't applying until Feb 2012, so the price will have gone up twice by then.  I would plan to save no less than £1,500 for a postal application.  It may not be that much, but better to have too much than too little.

Postal ILR applications are only taking about 4-6 weeks right now. So, yes it does take longer but not as long as postal FLR(M) applications which are at about 14-20 weeks right now.