A report today from foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. shows that 2011 showed the lowest number of homes entering the foreclosure in four years.

As Reuters reports:

Foreclosure filings, which include default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, slid by 34 percent in 2011, the lowest level since 2007, just as the housing market was starting to crumble. RealtyTrac said there were filings on 1,887,777 homes last year.

Yet 2012 does not present a rosy scenario for many homeowners, as the Associated Press reports:

The listing firm anticipates that 2012's foreclosure rate will be higher than last year's, but will remain below the peak of 2010.

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High unemployment, a sluggish housing market and falling home values remain major factors in homeowners falling behind on their mortgage payments. Many borrowers also have simply stopped paying their mortgage because they owe more on the mortgage than the home is worth.

A report from the Los Angeles Times also presents a sad picture:

California and other states are likely to see an enormous wave of long-delayed foreclosure action in the coming year as banks deal more aggressively with 3.5 million seriously delinquent mortgages.