COLUMBUS, Ohio – More homeowners got foreclosure notices last month, even as the housing recovery grows stronger, and Ohio was especially hard-hit.
Ohio recorded the fourth-highest foreclosure rate in the nation in February, 26 percent higher than in January and up 12 percent from a year ago, according to the California-based tracking firm RealtyTrac.
Ohio foreclosure activity has increased on an annual basis in 11 out of the past 13 months.
Franklin County saw a 39 percent year-to-year drop in the number of foreclosure filings, according to Clerk of Courts Maryellen O’Shaughnessy’s website.
Foreclosure filings nationwide jumped 10 percent in February.
“Dangerous foreclosure flare-ups are still popping up in states where foreclosures have been delayed by a lengthy court process or by new legislation making it more difficult to foreclose outside of the court system, RealtyTrac vice president Daren Blomquist said.
More than 71,000 foreclosures began, which is 25 percent fewer than in February of 2012.
Florida had the highest foreclosure rate in the nation for the sixth month in a row, followed by Nevada and Illinois.
