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IRVINE, CA—US foreclosure filings on residential properties increased 7% from the previous month in August, but are still down 9% from a year ago, according to a report from RealtyTrac. Foreclosure filings were reported on 116,913 US properties last month, which amounts to one in every 1,126 housing units with a foreclosure filing during the month.

Scheduled foreclosure auctions increased from a year ago in 24 states, including Colorado, Oregon, Connecticut, New York, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Illinois, South Carolina and Maryland. Also, six of the nation's 20 largest metro areas posted year-over year increases in foreclosure activity: Washington, DC; New York; Baltimore; Atlanta; Philadelphia; and San Francisco.

According to Daren Blomquist, VP of RealtyTrac, “The August foreclosure numbers demonstrate that although the foreclosure crisis is well behind us, the messy business of cleaning up the distress lingering from the housing bust continues in many markets. The annual increase in foreclosure auctions—the first since the robo-signing controversy rocked the foreclosure industry back in late 2010—indicates mortgage servicers are finally adjusting to the new paradigms for proper foreclosure that have been implemented in many states, whether by legislation or litigation or both.”

As GlobeSt.com reported in August, housing markets in California and Florida posted the highest share of distressed sales in July, according to report from RealtyTrac. Markets with the highest share of distressed sales and short sales combined during the month were Las Vegas; Stockton, CA; Modesto, CA; Lakeland, FL; and Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, the report says.

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