November foreclosure trends mixed

The axiom that all real estate is local applies to foreclosures, too.

Some areas of the Gulf Coast such as Cape Coral-Fort Myers saw substantial declines in the number of foreclosure actions in November compared with the same month a year ago, according to RealtyTrac.

Other areas, such as Punta Gorda and Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice, saw big increases in November compared with November 2008.

Still, it's hard to make comparisons to November 2008 because of the self-imposed foreclosure moratorium by some lenders at this time last year. And lenders aren't keen on generating bad publicity by foreclosing on homeowners during the holidays, a fact that could distort the numbers.

Area Nov. 2009 foreclosures Annual % change
Cape Coral-Fort Myers 3,740 -36%
Naples-Marco Island 989 -30%
Punta Gorda 949 101%
Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice 2,183 48%
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater 6,148 -9%
Source: RealtyTrac