TAMPA - Foreclosure activity in Tampa Bay decreased 11 percent in the first quarter, according to California-based RealtyTrac.

But don't get too excited. The drop likely is a result of temporary foreclosure moratoriums by lenders and not because more people are finding ways to keep their homes, said RealtyTrac spokesman Daren Blomquist.

"This decrease happened in a lot of Florida cities," he said. "We expect to see a spike in the numbers next month."

Some lenders agreed to hold off on foreclosures during the holidays and the first part of the year while they worked to modify loans.

Even so, homeowners still are losing their homes. There were 16,464 foreclosure activities - default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions - in the Tampa metro area in the first quarter, according to RealtyTrac.

That's one filing for every 80 households and an 11 percent drop from the previous quarter. Filings are up nearly 40 percent compared with the first quarter last year.

The foreclosure rate in the metro area of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater ranked 23rd among 203 metro areas. The area ranked 18th in the nation in the fourth quarter.

Eight of the top 25 cities were in Florida. Cape Coral-Fort Myers and Port St. Lucie ranked third and 10th, respectively.

In the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area, one household out of every 26 received a foreclosure filing in the first quarter. In Port St. Lucie, one in every 40 households received a filing.

Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804