US Foreclosures Up 19 Percent in January

RealtyTrac Staff
Foreclosure Filings Higher Than in Any Month in 2006,
Up 25 Percent From January 2006

A total of 130,511 new foreclosure filings were reported in January, an increase of 19 percent from the previous month and an increase of 25 percent from January 2006. The report also shows a national foreclosure rate of one new foreclosure filing for every 886 U.S. households.

“January’s foreclosure number represented the highest monthly number we’ve seen since we began issuing this report two years ago,” said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. “The month-over-month increase is similar to what we saw last January, when foreclosures shot up 27 percent from the previous month; however, the year-over-year increase of 25 percent is well below the 45 percent annual increase we saw in January last year.”

Nevada, Michigan, Georgia post top foreclosure rates
Nevada replaced Colorado as the state with the highest foreclosure rate thanks to an 8 percent increase in foreclosure filings from the previous month and a slight decrease in Colorado foreclosure filings. The state reported 2,397 new foreclosure filings during the month, a foreclosure rate of one new foreclosure filing for every 362 households — 2.4 times the national average.

A 70 percent increase in foreclosure activity propelled Michigan’s foreclosure rate to second highest among the states. The state reported 11,554 new foreclosure filings, a foreclosure rate of one new foreclosure filing for every 366 households. The state’s foreclosure total was the fourth highest reported by any state and more than twice the number reported in January 2006.

Georgia’s foreclosure rate — one new foreclosure filing for every 372 households — ranked third highest among the states for the fourth month in a row. The state reported 8,328 new foreclosure filings during the month, up 29 percent from the previous month and up 13 percent from January 2006.

Colorado’s foreclosure rate dropped to fourth highest for the month after claiming the top spot in nine out of 12 months in 2006. Other states with foreclosure rates among the nation’s 10 highest included Arizona, Texas, Ohio, Florida, Illinois and New Jersey.

Texas, California, Florida post most new foreclosure filings
Texas documented the highest foreclosure total of any state for the second month in a row, with 14,728 new foreclosure filings in January — a 4 percent increase from the previous month but an increase of less than 1 percent from January 2006. The state’s foreclosure rate of one new foreclosure filing for every 547 households was sixth highest among the states and 1.6 times the national average.

California’s foreclosure total of 14,430 was the nation’s second highest and represented a 14 percent increase from the previous month. The state’s foreclosure rate of one new foreclosure filing for every 846 households registered slightly above the national average and 14th highest among the states. [Note: local rates are miniscule compared to state average.]

Florida reported 11,709 new foreclosure filings during the month, third highest among the states and a 40 percent increase from the previous month. The state’s foreclosure total was up 13 percent from January 2006, and its foreclosure rate of one new foreclosure filing for every 624 households was the nation’s sixth highest.

Other states with foreclosure totals among the nation’s 10 highest included Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Colorado.
Detroit, Greeley, Atlanta document highest metro foreclosure ratesDetroit documented the nation’s highest metro foreclosure rate, replacing Greeley, Colo., which had claimed the top spot for the five previous months. The Detroit metro area (Wayne County) reported 6,653 new foreclosure filings during the month, more than twice the number reported in the previous month and a foreclosure rate of one new foreclosure filing for every 124 households — more than seven times the national average.

Greeley, Colo., (Weld County) reported a 2 percent decrease in foreclosure activity in January, but the metro area’s foreclosure rate of one new foreclosure filing for every 173 households still ranked second highest among the nation’s metro areas.

The 28-county Atlanta metropolitan area documented a foreclosure rate of one new foreclosure filing for every 214 households — the nation’s third highest metro foreclosure rate. The metro area reported 6,791 new foreclosure filings during the month, up 25 percent from the previous month.