The foreclosure problem hit New York City homeowners later than most other cities, but the problems are growing. In the first quarter of this year, there were 4,226 foreclosures across the city, up 16.3% from 3,635 foreclosures in the same period a year ago, according to data compiled by the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at New York University.

Queens and Brooklyn were responsible for more than 70% of all foreclosures in the city during the quarter, with 1,556 in Queens and 1,546 in Brooklyn.

Manhattan was last on the quarterly foreclosure list with 164 compared with 98 a year ago, according to the Furman Center.

Write to Constance Mitchell Ford at constance.mitchell-ford@wsj.com