Bristol County, Mass., foreclosures fall

BOSTON – Following a statewide trend, foreclosure petitions, auction notices and deeds fell in Bristol County, Mass., in March compared with the same month last year, The Warren Group said last week.
The real estate tracking firm said lenders filed 114 foreclosure petitions – the first step in the foreclosure process – in March, down 52 percent from the 238 petitions in March 2010. Auction notices fell 54 percent to 153 from 333 while completed foreclosures dropped 79 percent to 34 from 159.
Across the commonwealth, petitions dropped 59 percent, auction notices 62 percent and completed foreclosures 60 percent.
“Another month of declining foreclosures is a sign that lenders have adopted a ‘go-slow’ approach to foreclosures,” said The Warren Group CEO Timothy M. Warren Jr. “We haven’t seen a drastic improvement in the housing market to signal the foreclosure crisis is over. There are likely more foreclosures in the pipeline, which will come to the surface in coming months.”