Judges in Cleveland trim foreclosure list

One attorney said the improvement is noticeable.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Judges in Ohio's most populous county have trimmed the average time it takes to handle home foreclosures from 18 months to less than one year, the standard set by the Ohio Supreme Court, a study has found.
The courts in Cuyahoga County also reduced the total number of foreclosure cases by 13 percent, to 11,398 as of Oct. 6.
"The backlog is shrinking," said Alan Weinstein, a Cleveland State University urban-studies and law professor who headed the study. "It's pretty impressive progress."
The study warns that foreclosures could soar if payments on interest-only or adjustable-rate mortgages rise and defaults increase. The county needs to do a better job of reaching homeowners with counseling and education before they face such legal action, the study says.
Inner-ring suburbs concerned about abandoned homes had called for accelerating the foreclosure process more than a year ago. Officials said neighborhoods suffered from blight as cases dragged on, sometimes for years.
Critics blamed nitpicking by magistrates, who handle the cases until judges make final rulings. Defenders said the magistrates were overwhelmed by the foreclosure rate, the highest in a state that leads the nation.
About 1,200 new cases are filed in the county each month.
Jim Sassano, a lenders' attorney who pushed for reform, said the improvement is noticeable. "The vast majority of my cases are going through without a hitch," he said.
This year, the county computerized records, increased the number of magistrates from nine to 13 and expanded the staffs of the court and sheriff's office, which auctions foreclosed property.
The Cleveland State study said the sheriff's office has cut the time for issuing deeds after auctions from five months to two months or less.