Record Number of Colorado Foreclosed Houses in 2nd Quarter

Nearly 5,000 foreclosed houses across Colorado were taken back by banks or sold at auction in the second quarter of this year, according to the Colorado Division of Housing.

The nearly 5,000 foreclosures were the ones completed out of a total of 12,135 foreclosure cases filed by banks from April to June, the highest number ever filed for a single quarter.

The increase in foreclosure was highest in Mesa County, where foreclosure filings increased from 108 in the second quarter of 2008 to 264 in this year’s second quarter, a staggering increase of 144 percent. Completed foreclosures increased more than three times to 58 units, compared to only 18 units in last year’s second quarter.

Colorado officials and housing analysts contend that the rise in foreclosures in Mesa County was driven by the decline of oil and gas operations in the Grand Junction region. They however explained that although filings increased, Mesa’s overall foreclosure rate is low compared to other areas in Colorado.

The county with the second highest rise in foreclosure filings is Broomfield, where foreclosure cases increased by 45 percent to 106 filings in this year’s second quarter. Only 73 cases were filed during last year’s second quarter.

In contrast, other Colorado counties experienced improvements in relation to foreclosures in the second quarter.

The counties of Arapahoe, Adams and Denver all posted decreases in completed foreclosures. Completed foreclosures in Denver dropped by 30 percent, completed foreclosures in Adams fell by 19 percent, and completed foreclosures in Arapahoe decreased by 16 percent.

According to Colorado officials, despite the record increase in foreclosures in the second quarter, the state housing market seems to be rising up from the large numbers of foreclosures that clobbered the state in 2007 and 2008.

Across Colorado, according to the housing division, one foreclosure was completed for every 202 housing units in the first 6 months of this year. During the first half of 2008, one foreclosure was completed out of 192 housing units in the state.

In 2008, a total of 39,333 foreclosure cases were filed, and out of these, a total of 21,301 cases were completed.

Ryan McMaken, spokesperson for the Colorado Division of Housing, explained that although there were significant increases in defaults and foreclosures in some areas of the state, the division does not expect completed foreclosures in 2009 to rise as sharply as last year.

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