Maryland had the nation’s 37th-highest rate

by gazette staffStaff Writer

Montgomery County’s home foreclosure filing rate in April leapt 54.5 percent from March, but fell 11.9 percent from April 2011, according to new data from RealtyTrac of Irvine, Calif.

With a rate of one filing per 2,410 households, the county had the state’s 12th-highest rate.

Montgomery’s rate was well below the state average of one filing per 1,659 households. The state rate in April fell 7.2 percent from March and 4.4 percent from April 2011.

Maryland had the nation’s 37th-highest rate. The U.S. average last month, one filing per 698 households, was down 5.1 percent from March and 13.9 percent from a year earlier.

Bank repossessions in Maryland fell year-over-year 47 percent last month. That was the fifth-biggest drop in the nation, tied with Virginia.

Prince George’s County again had the highest overall rate in Maryland in April, with one filing per 897 households. That was down 25.8 percent from the previous month and 26.7 percent from April 2011. Prince George’s was followed by Baltimore city, and Charles and Frederick counties.

Cecil County had the lowest rate in the state, with only one filing in April.

Among the nation’s 20 largest metropolitan areas last month, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore had the 18th- and 19th-highest foreclosure filing rates.