Foreclosure Filings Rise 7% in July: RealtyTrac

The number of foreclosure notices delivered to homeowners increased nearly 7% from June to July, and are up 32% from July 2008, according to Irvine, Calif-based RealtyTrac’s Foreclosure Market Report. Foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on 360,149 US properties during the month, about one in every 355 households. “July marks the third time in the last five months where we’ve seen a new record set for foreclosure activity,” RealtyTrac CEO James Saccacio said in a statement. “Despite continued efforts by the federal government and state governments to patch together a safety net for distressed homeowners, we’re seeing significant growth in both the initial notices of default and in the bank repossessions.” Nevada continues to lead the nation as the state with the greatest number of foreclosure filings for the 31st consecutive month, with one in every 56 households receiving a foreclosure filing in July. However, a state law enacted July 1 that requires lenders to offer mediation before beginning the foreclosure process reduced initial default notices 18% in July, RealtyTrac said. But scheduled auctions and bank repossessions increased more than 20% during the same time period. California and Arizona were second and third, respectively, on the list of top foreclosure activity states, with one in 123 California households and one in 135 Arizona homes receiving a notice during the month. Florida, Utah, Idaho, Georgia, Illinois, Colorado and Oregon round out the top 10 states with the highest foreclosure activity. Write to Austin Kilgore.