January was the 40^th consecutive month of declining foreclosure activity on a year-over-year basis, according to RealtyTrac’s most recent U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. Foreclosure filings – which include default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions – were down 18 percent from January 2013. Despite the decline, it was the smallest annual decrease since September 2012 and was paired with a month-over-month increase of 8 percent. Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac, said the monthly increase in foreclosure activity was somewhat expected after the holiday lull but data from some states shows that many areas are not completely out of the woods when it comes to cleaning up the wreckage of the housing bust. The report found one in every 1,058 housing units had a foreclosure filing in the month of January. More here.