Last month, the wave of foreclosures ap peared to be subsiding, as postings for the February auction were up just 2 percent from a year earlier. It was the smallest increase in months.

But 1,038 properties have been posted for the March 2 auction, up 26 percent from March 2009, according to Foreclosure Listing Service Inc. The Addison company collects foreclosure information for 25 counties in Texas, including Travis, Williamson, Hays and Bastrop.

For the first three months of the year, the 3,958 postings are 36 percent higher than for the same quarter of 2009, although down 2 percent from the year’s final quarter.

Early signs of a recovery in Austin’s economy could help ease foreclosures. Austin’s job losses have been slight compared with other large Texas cities, and job growth in the region — which several economists have forecast his year — could help people keep their homes.

Local foreclosure postings
The local breakdown for the March 2 auction:

Travis County: 667 postings, up 23 percent from March 2009

Williamson: 403 postings, up 23 percent

Hays: 151 postings, up 51 percent

Bastrop: 78 postings, up 30 percent

Foreclosures increase despite recent signs of improvment is a post from: Austin Real Estate Agent