The Northeast Could Become A Foreclosure Danger Zone.

So far this year, 4,742 more Massachusetts homeowners have teetered on the edge of losing their homes than at the same time last year.

Announcements of foreclosure auctions jumped 170% during the first six months of 2007, compared to the first six months of 2006, according to The Warren Group.

This year, 7,539 homeowners have faced one of the final steps in the foreclosure process, the announcement of an impending auction. By the end of June 2006, only 2,797 homeowners in the Bay State had faced imminent foreclosure.

Auction announcements during the month of June also rose when compared to June 2006 numbers. There were 719 announcements in June 2006 and 1,322 in June 2007, an increase of 83.9%. Announcements in June fell 11.1% compared to May 2007, when there were 1,487 announcements.

Petitions to foreclose are the first step in the foreclosure process, and do not always end in actual foreclosure. Some homeowners eventually sell their homes or refinance. Announcements are placed in newspapers to advertise a scheduled auction, but are not a final count of actual foreclosure auctions. Some homeowners sell their homes before the auction happens.

"Petitions to foreclose and auction announcements are still rising at staggering rates," said Timothy Warren Jr., CEO of The Warren Group. "Nearly every county in the state is being hit hard by this trend, and individual homeowners across Massachusetts are finding it difficult to keep up with mortgage payments as interest rates reset."

Massachusetts is still relatively low in foreclosures compared to other areas of the country.