B.R. ranks last for foreclosures

Baton Rouge had the lowest percentage of foreclosures than any of the 100 largest cities in the U.S. According to RealtyTrac.com, 0.35% of the homes in the market were foreclosed in 2008. That put the city right behind Syracuse, N.Y., where 0.36% of the homes were foreclosed. The foreclosure rate in the Capital Region was slightly better than the state average of 0.39%. Foreclosures were up 81% nationally compared with 2007, but Baton Rouge saw a 34.5% increase. Low home prices and stable employment helped Baton Rouge stave off the wave of foreclosures that hit much of the United States. New Orleans ranked 76th in the report with just under 1% of the homes being foreclosed in 2008. Stockton, Calif., had the highest foreclosure rate of any large U.S. city; nearly 9.5% of the homes in the city were seized in 2008. Louisiana ranked 41st for foreclosures, with 7,837 filings in 2008. The number of filings increased by nearly 80%, slightly less than the national average.