Foreclosure Filings Drop in April - First Decline Since 2005, says RealtyTrac

Nationwide, RealtyTrac Inc. is reporting the first annual decline in monthly foreclosures since it started tracking filings in 2005. The Irvine, Calif.-based firm says foreclosures may be leveling off, even though they likely will remain at a high level for a while. In Florida, many counties report foreclosure filings are down for April, 2010, as compared to previous months. Broward foreclosures were down 30 percent in April from a year ago. Palm Beach county had far fewer filings in April -- 3,037 -- but that was still a 7 percent increase from a year ago. In Southwest Florida, Sarasota County's 927 filings represented a 31 percent drop from a month ago and a 28 percent decline from April 2009, while Charlotte County's 561 filings represented a 42 percent drop from the previous month and a 26 percent decline from a year ago