Foreclosures Down Slightly in August

998 foreclosure deeds (the final step of the foreclosure process) were recorded in Massachusetts in August 2008, down 2% from August 2007 levels. Petitions to foreclose (the first step in the process) were down even more dramatically in August. There were 943 such petitions filed in Massachusetss in August this year, compared to 3,112 in August last year - a drop of nearly 70%.