SPRINGFIELD, IL - Illinois' third-quarter home foreclosure activity rose 31 percent compared to the same period last year.
 
A report released Thursday by Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac shows Illinois with 42,176 foreclosure filings from July through September. That represents one in every 126 housing units - the fourth-highest rate in the nation.
 
That rate is almost 4 percent higher than in the second quarter of this year. On a monthly basis, Illinois foreclosures dropped 20 percent in September compared to August. 
 
Filings include default notices, auction-sale notices and bank repossessions. 
 
Florida had the nation's highest third-quarter foreclosure rate - one in every 117 housing units. Arizona and California also have foreclosure rates higher than Illinois.
 
Nationally, third-quarter foreclosure activity fell 13 percent compared to 2011.