Foreclosure filings in the US rose 16% in the first quarter from a year earlier and bank seizures hit a record as lenders stepped up action against delinquent homeowners, according to RealtyTrac.

A total of 932,234 homes, or one out of every 138 households, received a default or auction notice, or were repossessed by banks, the Irvine, California-based firm said today. In March, filings rose 8% to the most in any month since RealtyTrac began publishing reports in January 2005.

bloomberg.com