MORE FORECLOSURES HEAD FOR THE MARKET - 12/1/2008

LEE COUNTY UPS FORECLOSURE PROCEDURES

Lee County courts tackle housing crisis
Circuit judges will blitz 25,000-foreclosure backlog
BY RYAN LENGERICH NEWS PRESS• November 30, 2008

Next week the circuit court in Lee County launches its assault on more than 25,000 foreclosures backed up in the system.

Two circuit and four senior judges will start the process with a docket of 902 foreclosure cases Thursday. A recent typical day might have about 100 or more, said Wendy McCabe, civil supervisor.

During the next three to four months, judges will try to work down the buildup caused by more than 2,000 foreclosure filings per month.

Lee County is among the leaders nationwide in foreclosures. The Cape Coral-Fort Myers area was first in the state and second only to Las Vegas nationwide for percentage of foreclosures filed in October, according to statistics released by Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac.

One in every 75 housing units received a foreclosure filing in October here. Las Vegas had one in 62.

Cape Coral-Fort Myers had 2,352 foreclosure actions filed in October, according to RealtyTrac.