RealtyTrac reported Thursday that foreclosure filings increased four percent in July – an abrupt departure from the previous three months, which saw consecutive declines in foreclosure activity.

However, even with filings on a total of 325,229 properties during the month, July’s numbers represented a 10 percent decrease compared to July 2009. One in every 397 U.S. homes received a foreclosure filing last month.

James J. Saccacio, RealtyTrac’s CEO, put the July numbers into perspective. He said, “July marked the 17th consecutive month with a foreclosure activity total exceeding 300,000. Declines in new default notices, which were down on a year-over-year basis for the sixth straight month in July, have been offset by near-record levels of bank repossessions, which increased on a year-over-year basis for the eighth straight month.”

According to RealtyTrac’s July market report, the number of properties receiving default notices in July — 97,123 — rose a modest 1 percent from the previous month but was down 28 percent from July 2009.

Foreclosure auctions were scheduled on a total of 135,248 homes last month, an increase of 2 percent from June but a decrease of 2 percent from a year earlier.

Lenders foreclosed on 92,858 U.S. properties in July, a 9 percent increase from the previous month and a 6 percent increase from July 2009. July’s bank repossession total was the second highest since RealtyTrac began tracking REO activity in April 2005.

Nevada continued to document the nation’s highest foreclosure rate for the 43rd straight month, with one in every 82 homes receiving a filing in July. The state held the No. 1 spot despite a nearly 30 percent decrease in foreclosure activity from a year earlier. July was the 10th straight month in which Nevada’s foreclosure filings decreases on a year-over-year basis.

Arizona’s foreclosure activity decreased on a year-over-year basis for the sixth straight month, but the state still posted the nation’s second highest foreclosure rate. One in every 167 Arizona homes received a filing last month – more than twice the national average.

One in every 171 Florida housing units was hit with a foreclosure filing in July, giving it the third highest foreclosure rate among all the states.

California came in at No. 4, with one in every 200 homes in some stage of foreclosure during the month of July.

Foreclosure activity in Idaho increased nearly 19 percent from the previous month, boosting the state’s foreclosure rate to the fifth highest among all the states. One in every 240 Idaho homes received filing in July.

Other states with foreclosure rates ranking among the top 10 were Michigan, Utah, Illinois, Georgia, and Maryland.

Five states accounted for more than 50 percent of the nation’s total filings in July: California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and Arizona.