Some affluent Boston suburbs were among communities with the highest rates of foreclosure proceedings against homeowners in the first quarter.
A report on foreclosure activity released yesterday noted the number of proceedings initiated against homeowners in the quarter more than doubled in Boxborough, Medfield, and Weston, compared to the year-ago period. Some of these communities had just a small number of foreclosures, so even a few more could mean a large percentage increase.
Two other Boston suburbs had three times or more the number of foreclosure cases. Belmont had 36 in the first quarter versus 12 a year ago; Nahant cases increased to 17 from 5. Other communities where cases more than doubled include Chelsea, Millis, and Winthrop, according to the report from ForeclosuresMass.com.
In the first quarter, lenders and mortgage investors filed 9,114 foreclosure petitions in the state's Land Court, up sharply from 6,624 in the 2007 period, according to the firm.
"Things have gotten worse," said Jeremy Shapiro, president of ForeclosuresMass.com. His firm blamed subprime and exotic mortgages with adjustable rates, which a growing number of people are unable to afford.
Virtually every county had significant increases, topped by Dukes and Nantucket where filings more than doubled compared with a year earlier.
KIMBERLY BLANTON
