RealtyTrac released yesterday its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for November 2010, which shows foreclosure filings were reported on 262,339 U.S. properties in November, a 21 percent decrease from the previous month and a 14 percent decrease from November 2009. One in every 492 U.S. housing units received a foreclosure filing during the month.

“Foreclosure activity decreased dramatically in November, with fewer than 300,000 properties receiving a foreclosure notice for the first time since February 2009,” says James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer at RealtyTrac. “While part of the decrease can be attributed to a seasonal drop of 7 to 10 percent that typically occurs in November, fallout from the foreclosure robo-signing controversy forced lenders and servicers to hit the pause button on many foreclosures while they scrambled to revamp their internal procedures and revise or resubmit questionable paperwork.”

Image courtesy of CJ Burton/Corbis

Both the 21 percent month-over-month decrease and 14 percent year-over-year decrease in foreclosure activity were the highest drops recorded since RealtyTrac began publishing the U.S. Foreclosure Report in January 2005.

Foreclosure auctions (NTS, NFS) were scheduled for the first time on a total of 115,956 U.S. properties in November, a 16 percent decrease from the previous month and unchanged from November 2009. Scheduled judicial foreclosure auctions (NFS) decreased 34 percent from the previous month and were down 12 percent from November 2009, while scheduled non-judicial foreclosure auctions (NTS) decreased 7 percent from the previous month but increased 5 percent from November 2009.

Lenders foreclosed on 67,428 U.S. properties in November, down 28 percent from the previous month and down 12 percent from November 2009. Bank repossessions (REOs) decreased month-over-month in 37 states and the District of Columbia. November’s REO total was the lowest since May 2009, but November’s numbers pushed the year-to-date 2010 REO total to more than 980,000 — already above the record year-end total for 2009.

California alone accounted for 22 percent of the national total in November, with 57,378 properties receiving a foreclosure filing during the month — the nation’s highest state total. Default notices in California, which is primarily a non-judicial foreclosure state, decreased 11 percent from the previous month, while scheduled auctions decreased 2 percent and bank repossessions decreased 40 percent.

Other states with foreclosure activity totals among the nation’s 10 highest in November were Illinois (12,941), Nevada (11,371), Ohio (10,458), Arizona (10,384) and Pennsylvania (5,672).