SUFFOLK COUNTY CLERK CLOSES 2009 WITH RECORD COURT VOLUME

Index Numbers REACH High Point and Judgments of Foreclosure Rise 50% in 2009

(Riverhead, N.Y.) – In 2009, the Suffolk County Clerk’s Office processed 50,913 Supreme Court index numbers.  This number rose 4,696, or approximately 9%, from the previous record high of 46,217 in 2008.

Index numbers are the sequential number assigned to each legal action initiated in Suffolk County Supreme Court.  Examples of legal actions that begin with the purchase of an index number are matrimonial actions, judgments, foreclosures, etc   

Additionally, in 2009 the Suffolk County Clerk’s Office processed a total of 2,798 foreclosure judgments, up 50% from 1,920 in 2008.  Judgments of divorce remained almost exactly the same from the preceding year, from 3,670 in 2008 to 3,674 in 2009.

“As court volume continues to rise and as judgments of foreclosure double, what is also important to point out is that a total of 12,794 notices of pendency were filed in 2009 against properties in Suffolk County,” commented Suffolk County Clerk Judith A. Pascale. 

Notices of pendency are the preliminary document associated with the beginning of the foreclosure process. This number rose considerably from 9,400 in 2008; representing a 37% increase.

“While it is my sincere hope that the year 2010 will bring about a calming of the foreclosure process, the number of newly filed notices of pendency in Suffolk County is certainly something to be keep mindful,” commented Pascale.  “However, what may be a silver lining throughout these times is that the number of deed transactions processed in the final quarter of last year, a time historically when property transfers often stagnate, were up compared to 2008.”