Maryland lawmakers are tired of swaths of neglected homes in neighborhoods hard hit by foreclosures — and they want lenders to pay. A bill introduced last week by delegates from Prince George’s and Charles counties would require banks and investment companies that repossess or foreclose on a home to pay for maintaining and securing the property, a measure just as much about safety as it is appearance, supporters said. “This is exactly the ‘broken widow theory’ we worry about,” said Del. C.T. Wilson, D-Charles, a co-sponsor of the bill. “When people know that the place is not kept up, that’s when the criminals move in.” In January, more than 700 homes went into foreclosure in Prince George’s County, nearly five times the total of Montgomery County. The more than 4,000 foreclosed homes in the county account for nearly one-third of the state’s total.

Prince George’s has the highest foreclosure rate in the state with one of every 457 homes filing for foreclosure in January, followed by Dorchester and Charles counties.