South Florida foreclosures up 36 percent: report

The number of foreclosure filings in South Florida rose 36 percent in the third quarter, according to a report from Condo Vultures. That represented a total of 13,200 foreclosure filings, with 35,700 initial filings in South Florida for the year. “Lenders are stepping up their foreclosure efforts in South Florida some two years after the ‘robo-signer’ controversy first surfaced late in the third quarter of 2010,” said Peter Zalewski, founder of Condo Vultures. “As the South Florida real estate market increasingly shows signs of improving, lenders appear to be intensifying their efforts to work through the region’s foreclosure mess.” — Alexander Britell