The number of foreclosures initiated by lenders in Massachusetts increased by 20.8 percent in April compared to the same month a year ago, according to Boston-based real estate tracker The Warren Group.
The number of foreclosures completed in April surged by 80 percent to 1,372 from 764 in April of last year. And the number of advertised auction notices increased by 154.8 percent over last year.
The 2,431 petitions to foreclose filed by lenders in April was a decrease from 2,581 filed in March. Between January and April, lenders have filed 9,008 petitions to foreclose, a 4.2 percent increase over the first four months of 2009.
