Thursday, August 11, 2011

Foreclosures Reach Lowest Level Since 2007

Foreclosure filings dropped again in July, marking the 10th straight month for year-over-year declines and reaching their lowest level since November 2007, RealtyTrac reports. But analysts are still mostly attributing the drop to banks’ processing delays as they take more time to take action against delinquent home owners.

For July, about 212,764 homes received a foreclosure filing — which is a notice of default or auction sale or completed foreclosure — that’s down 4 percent compared to June. Filings were 35 percent lower than July 2010, according to RealtyTrac, and bank repossessions were down 33.6 percent from its peak in September 2010. Also, initial notices of default dropped 39 percent year-over-year to fewer than 60,000, which could be an indication that fewer borrowers are falling behind on their mortgage payments or that lenders are not filing notices as promptly in the past.

"The downward trend in foreclosure activity has now taken on a life of its own," says RealtyTrac CEO James Saccacio. "It appears that processing delays, combined with the smorgasbord of national and state-level foreclosure prevention efforts, may be allowing more distressed home owners to stave off foreclosure."

Las Vegas continued to have the highest rate of foreclosures in the country — a filing for every 99 homes. Overall, for states, Nevada had the highest foreclosure rate of any state (one filing for every 115 homes), followed by California (one in every 239 homes), and Arizona (one in every 273 homes).

Source: “Foreclosure Filings Fall for 10th Straight Month,” CNNMoney (Aug. 11, 2011)

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