The number of U.S. households threatened with losing their homes held steady in August, a sign that lenders’ efforts to help distressed borrowers may be having a gradual impact. Louisiana’s figures jumped up 46% from July, but that may have been due to a change in how the statistics were collected.
More than 358,000 foreclosure-related filings were recorded in August, meaning one in 357 U.S. homes received a filing, RealtyTrac Inc. reported today. That number, up 18% from a year ago, includes default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions.
Louisiana ranked 33rd among states and the District of Columbia, with one foreclosure filing per 1,141 homes. While still far below the U.S. average, the figure represents a 158% increase in the number of foreclosure-related filings in Louisiana in August 2008. RealtyTrac says the size of the increase may not be that high, because of changes and improvements in how it collects data in Louisiana.
Despite an 8% monthly decline in foreclosure activity in August, Nevada had the nation’s highest foreclosure rate for the 32nd straight month. Nearly 18,000 Nevada properties received a foreclosure filing, one for every 62 households. That’s an increase of 53% from August 2008. Vermont had the least amount of foreclosure activity, with one filing per 9,437 homes.
