U.S. initial unemployment claims fell more than expected according to figures released Thursday by the Labor Department. DOL figures put the new jobless claims at a seasonally adjusted level of 348,000 for the week ending February 11, a drop of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level of 361,000. And while the previous week's level was revised up from the 358,000 initially reported it still came in well below the increase to 365,000 expected by most economists. The level of new jobless claims for the week marks the lowest level since March 8 2008.