The number of home repossession cases in Scotland has doubled since the start of the credit crunch, it was reported today.
The number of home repossession cases in Scotland has doubled since the start of the credit crunch, it was reported today.
Official statistics from the Scottish Courts Service found there were 1,031 court actions for home repossession in September this year.
This is more than double the 504 reported in January 2007, Scotland on Sunday reported.
The newspaper said the data also showed repossession cases had exceeded 1,000 a month for the past three months.
The number of sheriff court acquisitions in Edinburgh rose from 226 in the first quarter of 2007 to 297 in the third quarter of this year.
Court actions in Glasgow rose from 472 to 598 and in Aberdeen they jumped from 22 to 59.
Gwilym Pryce, Professor of Urban Economics and Social Statistics at the University of Glasgow, told SoS: "The figures are scary. It shows lenders are being very quick off the mark."
The figures come as UK Treasury minister Yvette Cooper demanded fewer home repossessions by banks as mortgage holders increasingly struggle to keep up with repayments.
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is said to be working with the Ministry of Justice on tightening requirements on lenders seeking repossession orders in the courts.
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) predicted 45,000 properties would be repossessed this year - up from 26,200 last year.
Meanwhile, figures released earlier this week revealed the number of bankruptcies in Scotland had risen following the introduction of new rules making the process easier.
The Accountant in Bankruptcy said there were 4,055 cases between July and September this year, 42% more than in the previous quarter and an increase of 162% on the same time last year.
The Scottish Government said court actions for repossession did not necessarily result in actual repossession or eviction.
A spokeswoman said: "The Scottish Government is committed to doing all we can within the powers we possess to help households across Scotland during these difficult times.
"That's why last week the First Minister outlined a six point programme to boost economic development and why we have brought forward up to £100 million this year and next to help meet the demand for affordable housing.
"We have programmes in place to help people experiencing difficulties with their mortgage repayments, including a new £25 million Home Owners Support Fund that will allow home owners in serious financial difficulties to retains ownership of their house. We expect to build on these announcements in due course."
She added that the Scottish Government would shortly be launching a national publicity campaign to encourage more people to seek early help before their financial problems got out of control.
The Scottish Court Service said data collected prior to April 2008 was "not comparable" with data collected afterwards.
A spokeswoman said this was due to changes in data definition, which now included actions for repossession of properties in breach or default of a loan.
She added: "The Scottish Court Service is working with Justice Analytical Services to improve the accuracy and level of detail of the civil judicial statistics it collects."
