Recent research by RealtyTrac Year-End 2009 Foreclosure Market Report reveals that 3,957,643 foreclosure filings were reported on 2,824,674 U.S. properties in 2009. This includes scheduled foreclosure auctions, default notices and bank repossessions.

That’s a twenty one percent increase in properties from numbers in data collected in 2008, and a one hundred and twenty percent increase in total properties from 2007. The report also revealed that one in forty five housing units, 2.21 percent, received at least one foreclosure filing during 2009, up from 2008′s 1.48 percent and 2007′s 1.03 percent.

Just in the month December, foreclosure filings were reported on 349,519 properties in December. That’s a fourteen percent jump from the previous month of November and a fifteen percent increase from 2008. Nevertheless, even though there was an increase in December, foreclosure activity in the fourth quarter of 2008 has decreased by seven percent.

Of all of the Amercian states, Nevada has the nation’s highest state foreclosure rate; more than ten percent of housing units obtained at least one foreclosure filing in 2009. This marks Nevada’s third consecutive year at the top of the foreclosure list. Nevada’s foreclosure activity in December has grown twenty seven percent from the previous month, but still was down by twenty two percent from December of 08.

Arizona claimed the country’s second highest state foreclosure rate in 2009 with even more than six percent of properties that received at least one foreclosure filing during 2009, and Florida was the country’s third highest foreclosure rate at 5.93 percent of its properties getting at least one foreclosure during the filing year.

This raises issues in the collection’s industry. Recent trends have told collections officials that consumers are purposely pumping up their credit debt and downplaying their assets to get lower payment plans. The fact that they are increasing debt on their credit cards to receive lower payment plans does not look promising.

Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection agency. Also she composes articles on business and finance, consumer spending and collection agencies. Unique version for reprint here: Foreclosures On The Rise.