According to new figures released today by California-based foreclosures.com, preforeclosure filings hit record highs in July, both nationally and in 13 individual states and the District of Columbia. The company also said that for the year, 7.2 out of every 1,000 properties nationwide has faced possible foreclosure, with Nevada, Arizona, and Florida reporting the highest state ratios.

States with record pre-foreclosure filings in July:
-Nevada
-New York
-North Carolina
-Tennessee
-Oregon
-Missouri
-Utah
-Pennsylvania
-Nebraska
-New Mexico
-Montana
-Hawaii
-Louisiana

“So far this year, more than 1.25 million Americans faced the risk of losing their homes to foreclosure, up 7.3 percent from June 2008, and up 88.62 percent from July 2007,” said Alexis McGee, president of foreclosures.com. McGee added that the company's most recent findings show the Southwest and Southeast regions of the country have been the hardest hit in terms of growing foreclosures. For pre-foreclosure filings during the month of July, each of these regions reported three and four times more than the Northeast and Midwest.

“Short-term, there's no question that the foreclosure outlook is grim,” said McGee. “But, longer term there is promising news. Foreclosures tend to peak well after the housing market has bottomed, which may be forming as we speak.” McGee pointed to the National Association of Realtors' (NAR) most recent index for existing home sales, which reached its highest point since October 2007, and the doubling of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the second quarter – both of which she says are strong signals of a growing economy.

Foreclosures.com bases its analysis on the number of formal notices filed against a property during the foreclosure process, including notice of default, foreclosure auction, and REO. According to the company, pre-foreclosure filings are the first initial notice and do not all end up foreclosed.

To view foreclosures.com's detailed statistics by state or county, click here.