Real estate foreclosures in Hawaii are close to flat with last year’s levels after five months in which case volume surged through March before settling back down in April and May.

The latest statistics from the state Judiciary show there were fewer new foreclosure cases initiated statewide in April and May compared with the same months last year.

There were 156 April cases, down 26 percent from 211 in the same month last year. And in May there were 157 new cases, down 16 percent from 187 a year earlier.

The recent declines reversed elevated case counts during the first three months of the year where the increases ranged from 10 percent to 42 percent.

For the first five months of the year, there were 842 new cases. That was up 0.8 percent from 835 cases in the year-earlier period.

Annually, Hawaii foreclosure cases have been declining for two consecutive years. This trend is generally expected to continue given that employment and personal income are growing, interest rates remain low and real estate values are appreciating.

Still, there are many reasons why homeowners face foreclosure from lenders over delinquent mortgage debt, including job losses, illnesses and divorces.

Hawaii foreclosure cases reported by the Judiciary involve mostly residential properties but also can include commercial real estate. Cases also can include foreclosures initiated by homeowner associations against homeowners who are delinquent in paying maintenance or association fees in condominiums, though it is more common for these kinds of foreclosures to be conducted out of court in a nonjudicial process that state lawmakers effectively abolished for mortgage lenders in 2011.