RealtyTrac Releases January Foreclosure Filing Data

"January may have been the beginning of a new year, but some things never change. America remains in the throes of a foreclosure epidemic for the fourth straight year.

There was a foreclosure filing of some type on 261,333 U.S. properties in January, but while the numbers were still staggering, there were some encouraging signs. Total foreclosure filings are now well below their peak levels and overall foreclosure activity was down 17 percent from January of 2010, even though it was up 1 percent over the December numbers."