The Warren Group issued a surprising report this morning that foreclosures in Massachusetts are down 26 percent so far this year compared to 2008.

You would expect to see an upward trend given that unemployment is climbing and mortgage delinquencies are rising.

But so far it looks like even the cities that have been hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis are experiencing fewer foreclosures.

 The number of foreclosure deeds recorded in Dorchester and Brockton from January through May dropped 42 percent from a year earlier. In Lawrence, foreclosures fell even more – 44 percent!

Lowell and Haverhill’s foreclosure numbers declined 37 percent, while in Hyannis they were down 38 percent during the same period.

Could it be that all the property owners who were in trouble have already gone through the foreclosure?

One number to keep an eye on is foreclosure petitions.  Petitions to foreclosure mark the start of the foreclosure process. Even though they’re lower than they were a year ago, they remained fairly steady month-to-month.