Foreclosure petitions reached the highest number in more than a year in August, while foreclosure deeds increased for the eighth straight month in Massachusetts, according to The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman.

Foreclosure petitions – the first step in the foreclosure process in Massachusetts – jumped to 2,713 in August, a 13.23 percent increase from a year ago, when there were 2,396 starts. Foreclosure petitions were also up in August from the 2,307 starts recorded a month ago. A total of 18,358 foreclosure petitions have been recorded so far this year, a slight decrease from the 19,108 recorded during the same period in 2009.

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