The number of homes facing foreclosure in the Dallas-Fort Worth area has jumped by more than 30 percent.

The big rise in the number of homes scheduled for foreclosure in February follows a moderation in postings in recent months.

More than 5,300 homes in the four-county area are set to be sold at next month's foreclosure auctions, Addison-based Foreclosure Listing Service said Thursday. That's a 31 percent increase in foreclosures from the same month in 2007.

The biggest increase was in Denton County, where postings were up 50 percent.

Dallas County had the smallest increase: 22 percent.

February's foreclosure total for D-FW was the highest ever for the month.

And Dallas, Collin and Denton counties all set records for the largest number of postings in any month, according to Foreclosure Listing Service.

One reason for the substantial increase in February postings may be that the January auction fell on New Year's Day, said George Roddy, president of Foreclosure Listing Service.

"I'm not convinced this isn't an anomaly," Mr. Roddy said. "About 10 to 15 percent of the postings scheduled for January were pushed off to February."

By law, lenders in Texas are allowed to take properties through foreclosure only on the first Tuesday of each month.

Also, some mortgage firms may have decided to step up their efforts to foreclose on problem home loans.

"It may be that some of these lenders are saying let's get the bad news out and move on," Mr. Roddy said. "The March postings will tell us more. One month does not make a trend."

Between 50 percent and 60 percent of the monthly foreclosure postings result in an actual forced sale of the property. In some cases, the sales are delayed, or the borrower reaches a new agreement regarding the debt.

Almost 43,000 Dallas-Fort Worth area homes were posted for foreclosure in 2007 – an increase of 10 percent for the year.

Home foreclosure rates in the area have been some of the largest in the country in recent years due in large part to lax lending standards, analysts say. Many homeowners who took adjustable-rate loans a year or two ago couldn't afford the monthly payments when the interest rates rise.

And, despite lots of publicity, government and mortgage industry relief plans have so far not had much impact.