RIVERSIDE - The number of Riverside County properties falling into foreclosure crept up last month but remained below year-ago levels, a real estate tracking firm reported today.

A total of 7,140 mortgage default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions were recorded in Riverside County in February -- a 2 percent increase from January, but 27 percent below a year ago, according to Irvine-based RealtyTrac.

With 1 in 108 households in default last month, the county had the second-highest foreclosure rate in the state, figures showed.

Stanislaus County was No. 1, while Madera County followed Riverside at No. 3, with San Joaquin County at No. 4, just ahead of San Bernardino County at No. 5, according to data.

Nationally, California ranked No. 4 in foreclosure activity in February, recording 68,562 filings -- 1 for every 195 households -- Advertisement

[ Chatton and Associates ] down 4 percent from January and off 15 percent compared to a year ago, according to RealtyTrac.

The company's chief executive officer, James J. Saccacio, said foreclosures overall dipped 2 percent nationwide but were still 6 percent higher than a year earlier.

He said the slowdown in defaults cannot be attributed to fewer economically distressed homeowners, arguing instead that "foreclosure prevention programs, legislation and other processing delays are, in effect, capping monthly foreclosure activity."

"In addition," he said, "severe winter weather appears to have temporarily slowed the processing of foreclosure records in some northeastern and mid-Atlantic states."

Nevada was No. 1 in foreclosure activity, with 1 in 102 households in default, followed by Arizona with 1 in 163, and Florida, with 1 in 164, data showed. Michigan was just behind California, with 1 in 226 households in default.