County foreclosures down
Foreclosure activity in Shasta County and across the country was down in 2011.
But local and national experts say that doesn't mean the crisis is on the brink of ending.
"Foreclosures were in full delay mode in 2011, resulting in a dramatic drop in foreclosure activity," RealtyTrac CEO Brandon Moore said today in a release accompanying his firm's annual report.
But Moore added the second half of 2011 showed signs the documentation and legal issues plaguing the foreclosure process were easing, so he expects a boost in activity in 2012.
While foreclosures across the country in 2011 dropped by about a third, the falloff wasn't as significant in Shasta County.
There were 4,464 foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions — reported on 2,630 properties in Shasta County last year, according to RealtyTrac.
The number of properties that received a foreclosure notice in 2011 dropped 2.6 percent, while filings were down 3.2 percent.