Foreclosures Increase 19 Percent in January According to RealtyTrac(TM) U.S. Foreclosure Market Report

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- RealtyTrac(R) (http://www.realtytrac.com/), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, today released its January 2007 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows that 130,511 new foreclosure filings were reported during the month, 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.

RealtyTrac publishes the largest and most comprehensive national database of pre-foreclosure and foreclosure properties, with over 800,000 properties from nearly 2,500 counties across the country, and is the foreclosure data provider to MSN Real Estate, Yahoo! Real Estate and The Wall Street Journal's Real Estate Journal.

"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.

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 rates

Detroit 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.

The RealtyTrac Monthly U.S. Foreclosure Market Report provides the total number of homes entering some stage of foreclosure nationwide and by state over the preceding month. Data is also available at the individual county level. RealtyTrac's report includes properties in all three phases of foreclosure: Defaults -- Notice of Default (NOD) and Lis Pendens (LIS); Auctions -- Notice of Trustee Sale and Notice of Foreclosure Sale (NTS and NFS); and Real Estate Owned, or REO properties (that have been foreclosed on and repurchased by a bank).

         U.S. Foreclosure Market Statistics by State -- Jan 2007

                                                       1 for %Change %Change
  Rate  State                                          every   from    from
  Rank  Name  NODs   NTSs  NFSs   LISs   REOs   Total   #HH   Dec 06  Jan 06
  -- U.S.  27,317  52,326 6,983 19,980 23,905 130,511     886  19.02   25.07
  34 Alabama    3     315     0      0    339     657   2,988   0.77  544.12
  26 Alaska     0      88     0      0     12     100   2,052  26.58    3.09
  5  Arizona    0       3 3,908      6    248   4,165     526  64.95  106.19
  16 Arkansas  12   1,107     0      0     67   1,186     989  54.63  -11.03
  14 Califor-
     nia   10,106   3,232     0      0  1,092  14,430     846  14.32   54.27
  4  Colo-
     rado     119   3,694     0      0  1,040   4,853     377  -0.23   29.52
  17 Connec-
     ticut  1,079     208     0      0      0   1,287   1,077  19.83   66.71
  35 Delaware   8      50     0      0     49     107   3,206 234.38  197.22
     District
     of
     Columbia   1       1     0      0      0       2 137,423 -50.00  -71.43
  8  Florida  107      15 1,801  9,362    424  11,709     624  40.72   13.31
  3  Georgia   11   6,319     0      0  1,998   8,328     372  29.02   13.43
  41 Hawaii    10      69     0      0     11      90   5,117 109.30  164.71
  28 Idaho      1     230     0      0      8     239   2,200 198.75  -10.49
  9  Illinois  31      13   706  6,307    623   7,680     637  11.26   69.54
  11 Indi-
     ana    1,222   1,858     1      0    659   3,740     675   8.85  -15.37
  23 Iowa      32     371     0      0    226     629   1,960  32.98   64.66
  31 Kansas   165     272     0      0      0     437   2,581  23.10   80.58
  29 Kentucky 199     363     0      0    223     785   2,230  51.84   28.48
  37 Louisi-
     ana       43     345     0      0    154     542   3,475  37.22  340.65
  49 Maine      5       4     0      0      0       9  72,432  50.00  -59.09
  36 Maryland  10     639     0      0      8     657   3,261 236.92   12.69
  15 Massachu-
     setts  2,222     555     0      0      0   2,777     944 -42.66 1191.63
  2  Michi-
     gan    3,372   3,527     0      0  4,655  11,554     366  69.61  147.30
  33 Minne-
     sota      14     562     0      0    162     738   2,802   2.93  270.85
  44 Missis-
     sippi      4     136     0      0     40     180   7,049   6.51  164.71
  21 Missouri   6     622     0      0  1,053   1,681   1,450 -14.89   34.27
  38 Montana    0     102     0      0      5     107   3,851  22.99   25.88
  27 Nebraska  10     276     0      0     48     334   2,151  30.47   -8.49
  1  Nevada 1,031   1,205     0      0    161   2,397     362   8.31   33.54
  48 New
     Hampshire  1       6     0      0      9      16  34,189  33.33   23.08
  10 New
     Jersey 3,679   1,106     0      0    168   4,953     668  28.15   42.57
  30 New
     Mexico   240      55     0      0     37     332   2,351   5.73  -50.45
  22 New York  34      11   567  4,305    231   5,148   1,492   9.77   -1.10
  24 North
     Carolina 683     146     0      0    942   1,771   1,988  40.56  -26.09
  46 North
     Dakota     6       1     0      0     21      28  10,345 100.00  -17.65
  7  Ohio     267   4,323     0      0  3,914   8,504     562  15.72    2.85
  19 Okla-
     homa     321     581     0      0    302   1,204   1,241  59.26  -29.80
  42 Oregon     5     180     0      0     27     212   6,867 -20.90  -69.93
  20 Pennsyl-
     vania  1,300   2,274     0      0    172   3,746   1,402   1.13  -10.60
  25 Rhode
     Island     1     217     0      0      0     218   2,018 327.45 7166.67
  40 South
     Carolina  54      96     0      0    257     407   4,306  16.95  -50.18
  47 South
     Dakota     0      21     0      0      0      21  15,391   5.00  -32.26
  12 Tennessee  9   1,974     0      0  1,113   3,096     792   8.56  -15.62
  6  Texas     19  11,737     0      0  2,972  14,728     547   3.75    0.40
  13 Utah     284     577     0      0     61     922     834  27.70   -1.50
  50 Vermont    2       0     0      0      0       2 147,191 100.00  -85.71
  39 Virginia  10     486     0      0    199     695   4,153  88.35   43.30
  18 Washing-
     ton       27   1,999     0      0     98   2,124   1,126  68.44   37.30
  45 West
     Virginia   0     115     0      0      0     115   7,345   4.55   22.34
  32 Wiscon-
     sin      551     226     0      0     60     837   2,751  42.11  110.30
  43 Wyoming    1      14     0      0     17      32   6,995   3.23  146.15



  About RealtyTrac Inc.

Ranked as the third largest real estate site by MediaMetrix and No. 53 on Inc. magazine's 2006 Inc. 500 list of the nation's fastest-growing private companies, RealtyTrac Inc. (http://www.realtytrac.com/), is the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, providing all the resources that home seekers, investors and real estate agents need to locate, evaluate and buy properties below market value.

Founded in 1996, RealtyTrac publishes the largest and most comprehensive national database of pre-foreclosure, foreclosure, For Sale By Owner, resale and new construction properties, with more than 1 million properties across the country, property reports, productivity tools and extensive professional resources. RealtyTrac hosts nearly 3 million unique visitors monthly and has been chosen to supply foreclosure data to MSN Real Estate, Yahoo! Real Estate and The Wall Street Journal's Real Estate Journal. For more information, visit http://www.realtytrac.com/.