The Top 10 Foreclosure States as of February

From RealtyTrac:

RealtyTrac has released its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for February:

Foreclosure filings — default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions — were reported on 290,631 U.S. properties during the month, an increase of nearly 6 percent from the previous month and an increase of nearly 30 percent from February 2008. The report also shows one in every 440 U.S. housing units received a foreclosure filing in February.

“The increase in foreclosure activity from January to February is somewhat surprising, given that many of the foreclosure prevention efforts and moratoria in place in January were extended through most of February as well,” said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. “There were some notable exceptions to this: a 45-day voluntary moratorium in Florida expired at the end of January, and foreclosure activity there was up 14 percent from the previous month; and many New York foreclosure proceedings delayed by a new law for an extra 90 days appear to have hit the system in February, when the state’s foreclosure activity increased 23 percent from the previous month.”

Which states have the highest foreclosure rates?

1. Nevada: 1 in 70 homes

2. Arizona: 1 in 147 homes

3. California: 1 in 165 homes

4. Florida: 1 in 188 homes

5. Idaho: 1 in 358 homes

6. Michigan: 1 in 360 homes

7. Illinois: 1 in 369 homes

8. Georgia: 1 in 389 homes

9. Oregon: 1 in 446 homes

10. Ohio: 1 in 451 homes