Foreclosure filings dropped 7 percent last month in Ohio compared with May 2007. But with 12,295 properties affected by foreclosure filings, Ohio ranks ninth in the number of foreclosures nationally. RealtyTrac Inx. Reports that May’s number was up from the April total of 11,680. The survey suggests that one in every 410 households in Ohio will receive a foreclosure filing, greater than the national rate of one in every 483 households. The one year decline in Ohio is likely due to the increased efforts of state and federal agencies to contact and work with struggling homeowners.

Foreclosure filings in the U.S were up 48 percent from one year earlier. Nationally, 261,255 households received at least one foreclosure-related filing in May, up 7 percent from April.

Weak housing sales, falling home values, tighter mortgage-lending criteria and a slowing U.S. economy have left financially strapped homeowners with limited options. Unable to sell or refinance, homeowners often find they owe more that their home is worth.