Nationwide foreclosure filings, including default notices, auction sale notices, and bank repossessions, decreased 12.48 percent in September, according to the latest report from RealtyTrac.

Still, foreclosures remained nearly 21 percent above last year as foreclosure filings affected one out of every 475 households.

Not too much should be made of the 12 percent decrease, as it can be primarily attributed to changes in state laws that have temporarily slowed the pace of foreclosures.

For example, California, which accounts for close to one-third of nationwide foreclosure filings, recently enacted a law which requires an additional 30-day notice before foreclosure proceedings can be started.

Nevada remained the top state for foreclosures, with one out of every 82 homes receiving a foreclosure notice. Georgia, which ranked sixth last month, moved up to fifth.

In Georgia, foreclosures increased from August to September by 6.21 percent. The year-to-year increase was 12.88 percent, and one out of every 417 households were in some stage of foreclosure during the month of September.

Atlanta ranked as the city with the 20th largest percentage of foreclosures in the nation.

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