5 states with the biggest foreclosure problems

Christine DiGangi
Updated
How Foreclosure Hurts Your Credit Score
How Foreclosure Hurts Your Credit Score


Foreclosures on U.S. housing units continue to decline, falling to a nearly 10-year low in January, according to real estate data company RealtyTrac. Last month, there were 95,186 homes with a foreclosure filing — notice of default, scheduled auction or bank repossession — down 8% from December 2015 and down 11% from January 2015. Much of the foreclosure activity is concentrated at the end of the process (bank repossession), with completed foreclosures up 32% from the same time last year. Completed foreclosures (which RealtyTrac uses interchangeably with bank repossessions, or REOs), have increased year-over-year for 7 months in a row.

Meanwhile, foreclosure starts (notices of default) were down 18% from January 2015. Foreclosure starts have decreased year-over-year for 7 straight months, as well, and are at pre-recession levels, according to RealtyTrac.

Struggling to repay a mortgage can be seriously detrimental to your financial well-being and credit scores. You can see how your mortgage affects your credit by regularly reviewing your free credit scores, updated monthly, on Credit.com. These tips on saving your home from foreclosure can also be helpful.

For the last few months, it has seemed like U.S. homeowners have been able to keep on top of their mortgage payments better than they had been for several years as the country recovered from the mortgage crisis. The housing markets in some states have struggled more than others to recover, and many have quite a backlog of foreclosures to work through. Here are the states where homeowners continue to feel the effects of high foreclosure rates.

10. California

January 2016 Foreclosure Rate: 1 in every 1,237 housing units
Change from December 2015: Up 8% (was ranked No.14)
Change from January 2015: Down 11%

9. South Carolina

January 2016 Foreclosure Rate: 1 in every 1,197 housing units
Change from December 2015: Up 9% (was ranked No.12)
Change from January 2015: Up 2%

8. Illinois

January 2016 Foreclosure Rate: 1 in every 1,189 housing units
Change from December 2015: Down 15% (was ranked No. 8)
Change from January 2015: Down 38%

7. Indiana

January 2016 Foreclosure Rate:1 in every 1,039 housing units
Change from December 2015: Up 29% (was ranked No.15)
Change from January 2015: Down 1%

6. Ohio

January 2016 Foreclosure Rate: 1 in every 1,019 housing units
Change from December 2015: Down 22% (was ranked No.5)
Change from January 2015: Down 9%

Related: 10 affordable US cities

You can see the other five states with the biggest foreclosure problems on Credit.com.

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This article originally appeared on Credit.com.

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