Foreclosures Continue to Drop Month on Month: RealtyTrac

Foreclosure filings decreased 3% in October but remains 19% higher from a year ago, according to a report from RealtyTrac.

RealtyTrac is an online market place of foreclosure properties, holding more than 1.5m listings.

During October, 332,292 properties received a foreclosure filing, or one in every 385 homes. Foreclosures, however, decreased for the third consecutive month.

The three states leading the way in foreclosures are the usual suspects. Despite, Nevada’s 26% decline in foreclosure activity from the previous month, the sand sate still holds the nation’s highest foreclosure rate. One in every 80 homes in Nevada forecloses, totaling 13,842 properties in October. But it’s a 4% decrease from October 2008 – the first ever year-over-year decline in Nevada since RealtyTrac began calculating the change in January 2006.

California came in second for the second month in a row. One in every 156 homes received a foreclosure filing in October. A total of 85,420 properties foreclosed during the month, a 1% drop from September but still nearly 50% above the level seen in October 2008.

Florida had the third highest foreclosure rate with one in every 168 homes foreclosing. For October, 51,911 properties foreclosed, a 6% decrease from the month before and a 4% drop from a year ago. It marked the first year-over-year decrease for Florida since July 2006, according to the report.

“Three consecutive monthly declines is unprecedented for our report, and on first blush an indication that the foreclosure tide may be turning,” said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac.

However, Saccacio added, high-risk mortgages, negative equity and unemployment continue to fuel foreclosure activity.

“And despite all the efforts and resources directed at helping homeowners avoid foreclosure, we continue to see foreclosure activity levels that are substantially higher than a year ago in most states,” Saccacio said.

The Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) is one effort. Through HAMP, the US Treasury allocates capped incentives to participating servicers for the modification of loans on the verge of foreclosure. Housingwire reported that servicers have started 650,000 trial modifications since the program’s launch in March 2009 through October.

Write to Jon Prior.