Foreclosures on the decline in Riverside County

With Inland Empire foreclosures at pre-recession lows,Riverside County’s foreclosure rate dropped to No. 21 statewide in April.

A total 1,403 mortgage default notices, auction sale notices and bankrepossessions were recorded in April, meaning 1 in 566 households was in somestage of foreclosure, according to Irvine-based RealtyTrac.

Riverside County ranked No. 21 in foreclosure activity in Californialast month, while neighboring San Bernardino County ranked No. 16.

With the exception of Imperial County, No. 4 on RealtyTrac’s list, theremaining top 10 counties were all in Northern California.

In Riverside County, the number of foreclosure filings was down 17percent from March and down 64 percent compared to a year ago, figures showed.

Nationally, 144,790 properties slipped into foreclosure in April, a 5percent decline from March and a 23 percent drop compared to a year ago,according to RealtyTrac.

California ranked No. 13 in U.S. foreclosure activity in April, with16,161 properties going into default, or 1 in 843, according to RealtyTrac. Thefigure was 13 percent below the number of filings in March and 59 percent lessthan a year ago.

Nevada had the highest foreclosure rate nationwide, with 1 in 360households in default last month.