The number of U.S. homes receiving at least one foreclosure filing jumped 57 percent compared to the same month last year and rose 5% over February figures. The housing market continues to worsen as correction is ongoing. The housing woes are far from over.

RealtyTrac, an online marketer of foreclosure properties based in Irvin, California, reported Tuesday that 234,685 homes were hit with foreclosure filings last month. These include default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions.

During this month 51,393 homes were lost to foreclosure. This is a 10% increase over the number of homes lost in February.

On a year over year basis, the number of homes repossessed by banks rose 129% but the number of foreclosed going up for auction increased a comparatively low 32% since March 2007.

That discrepancy suggests that more troubled borrowers are simply walking away from their homes after defaulting, according to RealtyTrac CEO James Saccacio.

"When people have nothing left in the home, they get a foreclosure notice and they're gone," said Rick Sharga, a RealtyTrac spokesman.

Most of the troubled properties were in Nevada, California and Florida. These are places where home prices plummeted as the housing bubble burst.

Nevada got the worst foreclosure rate for the 15th straight month with one in every 139 households receiving a foreclosure filing in March which is about 4 times the national average. There was an increase of 62% versus March 2007.

California was the second highest in the nation, with one in every 204 homes being hit with a foreclosure filing last month. Foreclosure filings included 64,711 California properties in March. There was a 21% increase from the previous month and up almost 106% compared to last year.

The latest numbers indicate that homeowners are still struggling with mortgage payments, despite attempts of government, lenders and consumer groups to improve the housing market.
Foreclosure rate in Florida was third highest, with one in every 282 households receiving a foreclosure filing last month. That's a decrease of nearly 7% from February, but an increase of about 112% from March 2007.

All three states saw spectacular increases in home prices during the housing boom as buyer speculators flooded the market. But home prices in these states have fallen sharply since the housing market started to fall last summer.