Foreclosures keep setting records.

• Position: Statewide

Few English words inspire as much fear as foreclosure, and North Carolinians have heard it a lot lately. Through the first 10 months of 2009, the state was on pace to set a record for foreclosure filings--just as it did the three previous years. Through October, filings were up 8.8% from the year before. The western region saw the biggest jump, 27.2%, but the much larger Charlotte region's 25% increase put more upward pressure on the state rate. The Triad experienced the largest decrease, 8.9%. With the statewide unemployment rate hovering near 11% most of the year, delinquent mortgage payments and foreclosure filings have risen as people run through their unemployment benefits and savings. And it's not just borrowers with poor credit and subprime loans feeling...