Colorado climbs to fifth-highest foreclosure rate in nation

One in 390 Colorado homes Colorado received a foreclosure filing in October, enough to vault the state to the fifth-highest rate in the nation, up from the 10th-highest the month before, according to figures compiled by RealtyTrac Inc. Weld County led the state in foreclosures, with one in every 216 homes in some phase of foreclosure, according to the Fort Collins Coloradoan.

October foreclosures in Colorado held steady from September but still showed a 24 percent jump from a year ago. In all, 5,374 Colorado homes received foreclosure notices last month. Nationally, foreclosure rates went up 5 percent after dropping 12 percent in September. It’s the 34th-straight month in which national foreclosures have risen from the same month in the previous year, according to the Irvine, Calif.-based real estate tracking firm.

Adams County was close on the heels of Weld County, with one in every 236 homes receiving a notice. Denver was next with one in every 262 homes. This interactive map shows rates by county in Colorado.

For the 22nd consecutive month, Nevada held the top position in the monthly tally of foreclosure rates. One in every 74 homes in Nevada received a foreclosure notice in October. Arizona, Florida and California had the next highest foreclosure rates, followed by Colorado. Rounding out the top 10 were Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois and Ohio.

This RealtyTrac map codes counties by foreclosure rate, with red being the highest and blue the lowest:

RealtyTrac map of foreclosure rates by county in October 2008.
RealtyTrac map of foreclosure rates by county in October 2008.