Florida No. 3 in 2010 foreclosures

Florida registered the nation’s third highest foreclosure rate in 2010, with 5.51 percent of its housing units (one in 18) getting at least one foreclosure filing during the year, according to RealtyTrac, an Irvine, Calif.-based online marketplace of foreclosure properties.

Florida was one of five states that accounted for 51 percent of the nation’s total foreclosure activity in 2010. The others were California, Arizona, Illinois and Michigan. In those five states together, nearly 1.5 million properties got a foreclosure filing.

The good news for Florida: The 2010 number was down 6 percent from 2009. However, the rate was 25.95 greater than 2008.