Lucas Co. foreclosures drop

Filings in Fulton, Wood counties jump in February

3/15/2012

Foreclosure filings in Lucas County in February were down 22.2 percent from January, according to RealtyTrac, a real estate data tracking firm.

In the four-county Toledo metro area, the filings -- which include default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions -- were down 12.7 percent. Filings were up 58.3 percent in Fulton County and 43.6 percent in Wood County, but down 66.7 percent in Ottawa County.

For the four-county area, there were 493 filings, or one of every 611 housing units. Lucas County had 361, or one of every 561 housing units.

In related news, the Ohio Supreme Court released data Wednesday showing that the number of new foreclosure cases filed in county courts last year declined for the second year in a row.

Common pleas courts in Ohio reported 71,556 new foreclosure filings in 2011, a 16 percent decrease over 2010 and the second time the numbers have gone down since 1995.

Numbers reflect both residential and commercial properties.

Eighty-six of Ohio's 88 counties saw foreclosure decreases, with Coshocton and Guernsey counties the exceptions.

Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland, continued to lead the state in foreclosures with 11,544, representing a 10 percent drop.

Franklin County, which includes Columbus, had the next highest number of filings with 7,834, a 19 percent drop. Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati, had the third-highest number of filings with 5,834, an 11 percent drop.