Hawaii foreclosures way up again in April

Hawaii foreclosures way up again

HONOLULU — While there are signs of economic recovery, homeowners in Hawaii continue to struggle to meet their mortgage payments.

The real estate research firm RealtyTrac reports 1,474 properties in the state received foreclosure notices in April. That’s more than double the 684 recorded in the same month last year.

April’s figure was the highest this year, after the count reached 1,534 in December.

Hawaii had a foreclosure rate of one filing for every 348 households last month. That put the state’s with the 11th-worst rate in the country. The national average was one filing for every 387 households.

RealtyTrac says foreclosure activity across the nation in April decreased 2 percent from April 2009.