RealtyTrac just released state and national foreclosure statistics for the month of May. The data show nationwide foreclosures inching up 2 percent from the previous month and 28 percent from May 2005.

“Our May numbers echo the recent report by the Mortgage Bankers Association, which noted that delinquency and default activities were lower in the first quarter of 2006,” commented James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. “While our report confirms that the number of properties entering foreclosure is still significantly higher than it was during the same period of 2005, we’ve now seen two months of decreasing foreclosure rates followed by May numbers that were essentially flat. That three-month trend indicates foreclosure activity has stabilized in most housing markets across the country after spiking sharply at the beginning of this year.”

View the full report and press release.