Florida foreclosures decline 17 percent in 3rd quarter

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Florida’s foreclosure activity has declined 17 percent in the last year.

The research firm Realty Trac said Thursday that 1 in every 186 homes in Florida had a foreclosure filing in the third quarter of this year.

That still gives Florida the nation’s second-highest foreclosure rate. New Jersey had the highest rate.

Realty Trac says foreclosure starts in Florida were down 28 percent from a year ago, and scheduled foreclosure auctions were down 46 percent year-over-year.

But banks repossessions in Florida increased by more than a third from a year ago.