937,840

Number of foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repos) reported nationwide in the third quarter of 2009, according to RealtyTrac, which has been tracking foreclosures since 2005. The filings represent a 5 percent increase over the second quarter and an almost 23 percent jump over a year earlier.

Nevada, Arizona, and California saw the greatest foreclosure activity last quarter, says RealtyTrac, with one in 23 homes in Nevada receiving a foreclosure filing; the rate in Arizona and California is one in 53 properties. Florida, Idaho, Utah, Georgia, Michigan, Colorado, and Illinois round out the foreclosure top 10.—Steven H. Saltzman | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: If you're considered taking out a reverse mortgage to try to fend off foreclosure, read "Reversals of Fortune" and this recent post from our Money blog to avoid the pitfalls of these loans. And check out Buzzwords: Fearclosure and Foreclobia to learn about the impact foreclosures are having on the American psyche.