Report Reveals Number of Foreclosures Down From Last Year

By: Esther Cho

A foreclosure report released by CoreLogic Wednesday revealed that the number of homes in foreclosure is decreasing nationwide. The report included monthly data on foreclosures, foreclosure inventory, and 90-plus delinquency rates.

Completed foreclosures for 2011 totaled 830,000, compared to 1.1 million in 2010. The December 2011 completed foreclosures figure was also down to 55,000, compared to 67,000 in December 2010.

Nationally, the number of loans in the foreclosure inventory decreased 8.4 percent in December 2011, compared to December 2010, which is a decline of about 130,000 properties. Data from the report revealed 1.4 million homes, or 3.4 percent of all homes with a mortgage, were in the foreclosure inventory as of December 2011.

A property is counted as foreclosure inventory when the mortgage servicer places the property into the foreclosure process. Foreclosure inventory is only measured against homes with an outstanding mortgage. About one-third of homeowners nationwide own their homes.

“The inventory of foreclosed properties has begun to shrink, and the pace at which properties are entering foreclosure is slowing. While foreclosure filings are being curtailed by a variety of judicial and regulatory constraints, mortgage servicers are completing REO sales faster than they are completing foreclosures,” Mark

Fleming, chief economist with CoreLogic, said in the release. “This is the first time in a year that REO sales have outpaced completed foreclosures, and part of the reason for the decrease in the foreclosure inventory.”

In December 2011, servicers increased the rate at which they were able to process distressed assets, also known as distressed clearing ratio, according to the CoreLogic report.

The distressed clearing ratio is found by dividing the number of REO sales by completed foreclosures. A higher ratio means faster clearing of REO inventory. The distressed clearing ratio was 1.03 in December, up from 0.94 in November.

The share of borrowers nationally that were 90 days or more delinquent decreased to 7.3 percent in December 2011, compared to 7.8 percent in December 2010.

From the start of the financial crisis in September 2008, there have been approximately 3.2 million completed foreclosures, according to the report.

CoreLogic, headquartered in California, provides information, analytics, and services to the private and public sectors.

December 2011 Highlights From the Report

The five states with the highest foreclosure inventory:

• Florida (11.9 percent)
• New Jersey (6.4 percent)
• Illinois (5.4 percent)
• Nevada (5.3 percent)
• New York (4.6 percent)

 

The five states with the lowest foreclosure inventory:

• Wyoming (0.7 percent)
• Alaska (0.8 percent)
• North Dakota (0.8 percent)
• Nebraska (1.0 percent)
• Washington (1.3 percent)

 

Of the top 100 markets measured by Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) population, 34 are showing an increase in the foreclosure inventory in December 2011, compared to 46 in November 2011.