Florida foreclosures hold national sway

The number of U.S. homeowners ensnared in the national foreclosure crisis grew by more than 70 percent in the third quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2007, according to data released Thursday. RealtyTrac reported that California, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Michigan and Nevada accounted for more than 60 percent of all foreclosure activity in the quarter. Nationwide, nearly 766,000 homes received at least one foreclosure-related notice from July through September, up 71 percent from a year earlier.