Several states saw an increase orrnmore than 20 percent in default notices compared to one year earlier, with hugernincreases in Maryland (100 percent) and Pennsylvania (112 percent). Otherrnstates with big increases were Florida (36 percent), Massachusetts (27rnpercent), and Connecticut (23 percent).  </p

States with big increases inrnscheduled auctions included Illinois and Indiana which were both up 141 percentrnon an annual basis, South Carolina (79 percent), Massachusetts (57 percent) andrnMinnesota (24 percent).  REO activityrnjumped in Massachusetts, up 75 percent, New Hampshire (62 percent), Indiana (60rnpercent), and Illinois (52 percent).  </p

It is difficult to draw conclusionsrnabout the state level figures however, because in some cases the base was relativelyrnsmall.   Massachusetts, for example, sawrnbig increases in all three categories of filings but even after the increasesrnforeclosure activity overall was one filing per 1,191 households, about halfrnthe national rate.  The big jumps in defaultrnnotices in Pennsylvania and Maryland were against even smaller existingrnnumbers.  In the case of Illinois,rnFlorida, and a few others of the states above the increases came in statesrnwhere rates were already devastating, in Illinois, for example, the rate is onernfiling per 369 households and in Florida one in 363.</p

The three states that have toppedrnthe list of filings for years continue to have problems but are finally improving.rn  Nevada’s filings fell by 52 percent fromrnfigures a year earlier and are now at a 52 month low with one in 198 propertiesrnaffected.  California’s activity was alsornat a multi-year low, down 23 percent from a year earlier.  Still, one in every 265 housing units wasrnsubject to a filing during the month.  InrnArizona the annual rate was down 44 percent however the state saw an uptick ofrn14 percent from December.  The rate isrnArizona is one in 325 properties.</p

Even better news; the decreases inrnall three states were driven by drops in the numbers of default notices – the firstrnstep in the foreclosure process.  InrnNevada these filings have averaged fewer than 1,200 per month since Octoberrncompared to more than 4,000 per month in the first nine months of the year andrnin California default notices were at the rate of 18,000 in December andrnJanuary compared to an average over 28,000 in the three previous months.  Arizona also saw a big drop in foreclosurernstarts which averaged 4,300 during the last two months after averaging morernthan 7,500 in the previous 12 months.</p

Other states still suffering highrnforeclosure rates are Georgia (one in 328) and Michigan (one in 354).

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