Foreclosures in metro area rise slightly

Foreclosure-related activity in the Toledo metro area fell 9.6 percent in July from a year ago but rose less than 1 percent from June, according to figures released Thursday by real estate data firm RealtyTrac Inc.

In metro Toledo -- which includes Fulton, Lucas, Ottawa, and Wood counties -- a total of 670 housing units were in some part of the foreclosure process in July, or one unit for every 450 homes, according to California-based RealtyTrac.

In Lucas County, foreclosure activity was down 8.6 percent from July, 2011. It fell 63 percent in Ottawa County and 36 percent in Fulton County but increased 20 percent in Wood County.

In Ohio, 9,718 housing units were in some stage of foreclosure in July, or one for every 528 housing units. That was an increase of 16 percent from a year ago but a decrease of 3.7 percent from June. The total placed Ohio eighth-highest in the nation in foreclosures, according to RealtyTrac.

Michigan had the seventh-highest foreclosure rate in the nation, with 8,757 housing units somewhere in the foreclosure process, or one unit for every 518 homes. Michigan's foreclosure rate was down 19.6 percent from a year ago but up 2.3 percent from June.

The worst state for foreclosures was California, which had 42,081 units in foreclosure, or one for every 325 homes. North Dakota had the lowest foreclosure rate, with just three homes in foreclosure in July, or one unit for every 105,833 homes.

Nationally, RealtyTrac said 191,925 foreclosures were filed in July, or one for every 686 homes. The firm said the national foreclosure rate in July decreased 9.8 percent from a year ago and 3 percent from June.

The worst metro area in the nation for foreclosure remained Stockton, Calif., which in June became the largest metro area in the nation to file for bankruptcy. Stockton had 1,529 filings in July, or one foreclosure for every 153 housing units.