06.15
Banks are seizing more foreclosed homes even as the number of people falling behind on their mortgages is declining.
Bank repossessions hit a record monthly high in May, according to RealtyTrac, the online marketer of foreclosed properties. Lenders took back 93,777 properties, up 1% from the previous month’s record and 44% from the same period a year earlier.
Foreclosure filings, meanwhile, fell by 3% from a month earlier and edged up less than 1% from May 2009. One in every 400 homes received a foreclosure notice last month.
“Lenders appear to be ramping up the pace of completing those forestalled foreclosures even while the inflow of delinquencies into the foreclosure process has slowed,” said James Saccacio, RealtyTrac’s chief executive.
After foreclosure: How long until you can buy again?
Overwhelmed by the mortgage meltdown, lenders have been relatively lax in repossessing homes as they try to cope with the flood of borrower defaults. As the housing market starts to stabilize, however, they are turning their attention to taking back homes.
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