Bay area foreclosure activity rose 15 percent in February, even as two area counties improved, according to data released Wednesday by Calif.-based RealtyTrac.
Foreclosure filings - default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions - jumped by 31 percent and 27 percent in Hillsborough and Hernando counties, respectively. Meanwhile, filings in Pasco County dropped 16 percent compared to a year ago and filings rose just 3 percent in Pinellas County.
There were 6,681 filings in February in the Bay area, up 10 percent from January.
"This is a roller coaster ride," said Daren Blomquist, spokesman for RealtyTrac. "Some counties are up, while nearby counties are down. The bottom line, unfortunately, is that the increase shows that the foreclosure problem isn't over and there are still distressed properties out there."
Florida's foreclosure rate of one filing for every 163 households was third-highest in the nation. There were 54,032 filings in Florida in February, up 15 percent from January and up 16 percent from a year ago.
This follows last month's report that showed filings were down 15 percent from December but up 15 percent from the same month the previous year.
RealtyTrac includes Hillsborough, Pinellas, Hernando and Pasco counties in its Tampa report.
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