The change in the foreclosure rules was designed in part to address the long foreclosure process in New York, here described as the "1000 day nightmare" in a 2012 article from Banking New York:
http://www.bankingny.com/portal/Features/tabid/71/newsid413/2550/Default.aspx
http://www.bankingny.com/portal/Features/tabid/71/newsid413/2550/Default.aspx