From Bloomberg:

U.S. Foreclosures Rose 53% in June, Bank Seizures Almost Triple

U.S. foreclosure filings rose 53 percent in June from a year earlier and bank repossessions almost tripled as deteriorating property values and higher payments on adjustable mortgages forced more people to give up their homes.

More than 252,000 properties, or one in every 501 U.S. households, were in some stage of foreclosure, RealtyTrac Inc., an Irvine, California-based seller of default data, said today in a statement. Nevada, California and Arizona had the highest foreclosure rates.

“The foreclosure problem is getting worse and will stay with us well into the next decade,” Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Economy.com in West Chester, Pennsylvania, said in an interview. “The job market is eroding and homeowners have less equity. Lenders are much less willing to work with you if you’ve got negative equity, and you’re more likely to give up your house if you’re deeply underwater.”

About $3.5 trillion in homeowner equity has been wiped out since the spring of 2006, when housing prices were at their peak, Zandi said. Home prices fell the most on record in April, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller index of 20 U.S. metropolitan areas. June was the second straight month in which more than a quarter million properties received foreclosure filings, RealtyTrac said. Filings fell 3 percent from May.
…
“The year-over-year increase of more than 50 percent indicates we have not yet reached the top of this foreclosure cycle,” James Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac, said in the statement. Bank repossessions, which increased 171 percent in June, are rising at a “much faster pace” than default notices and auction notices, he said.

From the AP:

US foreclosure filings surge 53 percent in June

From Reuters:

U.S. June home foreclosures up 53 pct

U.S. home foreclosure filings jumped 53 percent in June from a year earlier, although they were down 3 percent from May, and foreclosures are expected to rise further, real estate data firm RealtyTrac said on Thursday.

Foreclosure filings rose on an annual basis in 39 states to a total of 252,363 properties during the month, with Nevada, California, Arizona and Florida posting the highest foreclosure rates.

One out of every 501 U.S. households received a notice of default, auction sale or bank repossession in June, RealtyTrac said.

“June was the second straight month with more than a quarter million properties nationwide receiving foreclosure filings,” said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. “We have not yet reached the top of this foreclosure cycle.”

The decrease from May, the first monthly dip since February, was not a fluke but it does not signal a trend, either, said Rick Sharga, vice president of marketing at RealtyTrac, based in Irvine, California, in an interview.