Annmarie Rosenquist, the research wiz on the WCNC assignment desk, found a Web site that tracks foreclosures from the time the first paperwork is filed up until the home is bank owned or up for auction. She was astonished by the numbers she found and noticed a trend. A pre-foreclosure is when the mortgage holder first starts the process. In one Charlotte area zip code, in mid December there were 650 of these cases. That's in addition to hundreds more where time had already run out and the bank foreclosed. How does this happen? That's one of the things I set out to find.

Years ago, before I learned what I know today about mortgages, house payments and the like, I had an adjustable rate mortgage myself. It was an interest-only arrangement, and the rate was incredibly low when I first took out the loan. Six months in, interest rates started rising and so did my payment. My finances tightened, as I quickly started looking for a way out. I sold the property and learned a lesson. I see how this can happen to people wanting the "American dream" and not realizing the consequences of a shifting economy.

With that said, our story narrows in on two zip codes where we, over a three month period, consistently found the highest number of at-risk homes. One is in the University and Derita areas of Charlotte, where I met a woman who's watched as the home next door to her foreclosed twice. In the second zip code -- East Chralotte and Mint Hill -- a woman named Misty told me about her close call. She and her husband saw their mortgage increase and their income decline. They came close to losing their house!

There is hope on the horizon. The government, it seems, is now breathing down the neck of lenders to help homeowners at risk. There are also state legislators here in North Carolina working to see what the state can do. We look at that in our investigation, and show you how to check for foreclosures were you live.

One final note now if you find yourself in the same situation as Misty, who I mentioned above. I had a financial planner tell me recently that people need to call their bank or mortgage company as soon they think they're falling behind. That planner says lenders are more willing now than ever to work with you. I'm no expert, but that seems to be worth a try.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope you'll watch the story as well tonight at 11. E-mail me with questions or comments at bsisk@wcnc.com.