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Auctions fell 4.9 percent; foreclosure deeds increase 12.8 percent

BOSTON, January 4, 2017 – Foreclosure petitions in Massachusetts fell by 15.9 percent in November compared with November 2015, according to a new report from The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman.

Lenders in Massachusetts filed 880 petitions to foreclose in November, compared with 1,047 filed in November of last year. There have been 11,410 petitions filed year to date in the Bay State, a 6.8 percent increase from last year’s mark through November with 10,680. Petitions mark the first step in the foreclosure process, when lenders file notice of their intention to foreclose with the Commonwealth’s Land Court.

“Foreclosure starts have slowed in the second half of 2016,” said Timothy Warren., CEO of The Warren Group. “After sizeable increases in foreclosure starts for two-and-a-half years, we have seen double digit decreases in each of the past three months.”

There were 602 auction notices filed in November, a 4.9 percent decrease from the 633 filed in November 2015. There have been 8,000 auctions scheduled in Massachusetts in 2016, a 26.4 percent increase from the same stretch in 2015 when there were 6,328. An auction notice is a legal advertisement that the lender has scheduled an auction and publicly announced the time, date and address in local newspapers.

There were 448 foreclosure deeds filed in November, a 12.8 percent increase from the 397 deeds filed at the same time last year. There have been a total of 5,698 deeds recorded in Massachusetts year to date, a 45.0 percent increase from the 3,930 filed through November 2015. Deeds represent completed foreclosures, when lenders record a new deed at the Registry of Deeds indicating there has been a change in the ownership of the foreclosed property.

Customers use The Warren Group to identify new business opportunities through access to comprehensive real estate and mortgage data, analytics, industry news coverage, networking, and education opportunities. Based in Boston, the company was established in 1872 and is now in its fourth generation of family ownership and management. It is publisher of Banker & Tradesman, The Commercial Record and Registry Review and architect behind some of the leading events and conferences for banking, legal, and real estate professionals in all of New England. For more information visit www.thewarrengroup.com.