REAL ESTATE

California Foreclosures Up Slightly: Lenders started foreclosure proceedings on 32,904 homeowners during the first quarter, up 4.0% from 31,644 for the same period a year ago, Dataquick Information Systems reported. The number went down 0.8% in the Southland, while it increased 8.3% in the Bay Area and 29.4% in the Central Valley. “Southern California accounted for a higher portion of the state’s foreclosure activity a year and two years ago. The region was hit early and hard by the declines in home prices, and foreclosures skyrocketed. That spike in activity is what the region is coming down from right now,” noted Dataquick CEO Donald L. Cohn. On a house-by-house basis, the Southland still has almost twice the problem the rest of the state has, Dataquick said.