Utah is 12th in U.S. on foreclosures

Utah was 12th in the nation for the number of foreclosure filings in August, with one in every 559 households receiving at least one foreclosure-related notice, according to data released Thursday.

The state had a total of 1,611 filings during the month, an 85 percent increase from August of last year, RealtyTrac Inc. said. But the number of filings in August was a 15.7 percent decrease from July.

Nationally, foreclosure filings in August increased 27 percent compared to the same month a year ago, a significantly slower pace than in previous months. RealtyTrac said 303,800 homes received at least one foreclosure-related notice in August, up 12 percent from July. That means one in every 416 U.S. households received a foreclosure filing last month.

August's increase, however, was smaller than the two prior months. June and July both had year-over year increases in foreclosure filings of 50 percent or more. Still, the total number of foreclosure filings is still the highest since RealtyTrac began issuing its report in January 2005.

RealtyTrac, based in Irvine, Calif., monitors default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions. More than 90,893 properties were repossessed by lenders nationwide last month — up more than half from 43,141 in August 2007, the company said.

The top three states in foreclosure rates were Nevada, California and Arizona, in that order, RealtyTrac said. Florida, Michigan, Georgia, Ohio, Colorado, Illinois and Indiana rounded out the top 10, though Michigan, Georgia, Ohio and Colorado all reported rate decreases year-over-year.

Weak sales, sinking home values, tighter home loan lending practices and a slowing U.S. economy hamstrung by high fuel prices has left some homeowners with few options to avoid foreclosure. Many can't find buyers or owe more than their home is worth and can't refinance into an affordable loan.

Banks and mortgage investors are also holding a glut of foreclosed properties and are slashing prices to get them off the books.

On Thursday, four Democratic senators urged the mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to freeze foreclosures for 90 days on loans they hold. The troubled companies, seized by the government Sunday, should help struggling borrowers swap their mortgages for more affordable loans and stay in their homes, the lawmakers said.

An estimated 2.8 million U.S. households will face foreclosure, turn over their homes to their lender or sell the properties for less than their mortgage's value by the end of next year, predicts Moody's Economy.com.