Foreclosure filings have doubled in the last year, creating a 163 percent spike in the number of unresolved cases, while criminal matters moved faster through the court system, resulting in a 13 percent decline in the backlog, according to a report the state Judiciary released today.

Property owners filed 4,075 foreclosure actions between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, a 97 percent increase from the 2,066 actions filed the prior year. The court sets a goal of completing these cases in a year, but because of the onslaught of cases, the “backlog” of cases not completed within 12 months jumped by 163 percent, according to the report. Read more in Star Ledger.