Figures from RealtyTrac’s July Foreclosure Report show that the number of foreclosures in the US is continuing to rise with one in every 355 households facing default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions.

The figures showed that notices delivered to property owners increased by nearly +7% from June to July, and are now up +32% from July 2008. This is the third time in the last five months that a new record figure has been recorded.

Nevada continues to lead the nation as the state with the greatest number of foreclosures filings for the 31 st consecutive month, with one in every 56 households receiving a foreclosure filing in July. However, a state law enacted on 1 st July that requires lenders to offer mediation before beginning the foreclosure process reduced initial default notices by -18% in July, according to RealtyTrac, although scheduled auctions and bank repossessions increased more than +20% during the same period.

California and Arizona were second and third, respectively, on the list of top foreclosure activity states, with one in 123 Californian households and one in 135 Arizona homes receiving a notice during the month. Rounding up the top ten states with the highest foreclosure activity in the US are Florida, Utah, Idaho, Georgia, Illinois, Colorado and Oregon.