Riverside County properties slipping into foreclosure declines 15% from last year

RIVERSIDE - The number of Riverside County properties slipping into foreclosure declined slightly last month and was well below the level of a year ago, a real estate tracking firm said today.

A total 4,770 mortgage default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions were recorded countywide in February, translating to 1 in 168 households in some stage of foreclosure, according to Irvine-based RealtyTrac.

The number of filings was 1 percent lower than in January and nearly 15 percent below February 2011, data showed.

The county had the sixth-highest foreclosure rate in the state, acco...