Watauga County had a record number of foreclosure filings last year, mirroring a statewide increase, and finishing a year in which two-thirds of all counties saw foreclosure increases. In Watauga County, foreclosures jumped nearly 15 percent, up to 264, as recorded by the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts. Watauga had 48 recorded foreclosures in 1999 and 94 foreclosures in 2004. Since then, the number of foreclosures has increased each year: to 95 in 2005, 107 in 2006, 184 in 2007 and 231 in 2008. Foreclosures filings in North Carolina continued to climb rapidly to a new annual high in 2009 of 63,341, an increase of nearly ten thousand over the high in 2008 of 53,960.  The highest number reported was in Mecklenburg County with 12,774, up from 8,384 in 2008. Wake, Durham, and New Hanover counties saw increases while Guilford county decreased.