What's in a headline?

Consider these two headlines out of Massachusetts today:

• Foreclosures in Mass. plummet 58.6% in May - Boston Globe
  
• New foreclosure proceedings jump in May - SouthCoastToday.com
  

Hurray! Oh noes! Surprised to learn they're reporting the same story? The Boston Herald takes a more balanced approach:

• Massachusetts foreclosures fall, but actions to seize homes rise - Boston Herald

In any event the drop in foreclosures seems significant, and the rise in proceedings seems in part to be a reflection of an artificially low number last year. From the Herald:

Timothy Warren, CEO of the Warren Group, noted that foreclosure petitions were “artificially depressed” in May 2008 by a state law that required lenders intending to foreclose to give delinquent borrowers 90 days to catch up on missed mortgage payments. ... In May, 582 foreclosure deeds - the number of homes that were actually foreclosed upon - posted a dramatic 59 percent drop from 1,405 in May 2008. Experts said the dropoff shows that lenders are modifying troubled loans with better terms.