Foreclosure activity has doubled so far this year compared to the same period last year, and the number of foreclosure deeds filed from January through July has already exceeded the total number recorded for all of 2007, according to a new report by The Warren Group, Banker & Tradesman's parent company.

Foreclosure deeds in Massachusetts jumped 34 percent in July from a year ago but declined slightly from the prior month. A total of 1,097 foreclosure deeds were filed in July, up from 819 in July 2007. July’s foreclosures deeds were 3 percent lower than June when 1,131 deeds were recorded.

There were 7,804 deeds filed through July 2008, compared to 3,902 during the same period in 2007. For the full 2007 calendar year, there were “only” 7,653 deeds filed.

“The bad news is that we have more foreclosures so far this year than all of last year. But on a more positive note, foreclosure activity appears to have moderated. The number of foreclosure deeds has dropped 22 percent from a peak in May of this year, when 1,405 deeds were recorded. In addition, the number of auctions scheduled has fallen 33 percent from a high of 2,028 in March,” said Timothy Warren Jr., CEO of The Warren Group.

The most foreclosure deeds in July were recorded in Worcester (68), Springfield (61), Brockton (46), Dorchester (46) and Lynn (46).

Petitions to foreclose, which is the first step in the foreclosure process, rose 43.4 percent to 502 in July from 350 in June. But petitions to foreclose fell 79.8 percent from July 2007, when lenders filed 2,485 foreclosure petitions. The sharp drop-off is connected to a law that took effect in May that requires lenders intending to foreclose to give borrowers 90 days to pay off loan defaults.

Auction announcements in July climbed 5 percent to 1,354 from 1,289 a year earlier. Year-to-date auction announcements jumped 34.7 percent to 11,932 from 8,859.