TAMPA - Foreclosure activity remains high in Tampa Bay, but the area is seeing a decline in filings, unlike other parts of the country, according to Calif-based RealtyTrac.

There were 17,012 Tampa metro properties with foreclosure filings in the third quarter, down 4.99 percent from the same period a year ago and down 6.13 percent from last quarter.

Still, that means one in every 77 households received a filing during the quarter, compared to one in every 136 households nationwide.

The decreases in activity could point to improvement in states that have been leading the housing downturn.

While Florida, California and Nevada accounted for the 10 highest foreclosure rates in the third quarter among metro areas, five of the top 10 metro areas reported a year-over-year decrease in foreclosure activity. In contrast, many of the other metro areas with top 50 foreclosure rates reported sharp increases in foreclosure activity.

For example, the Jacksonville area saw a 64 percent increase in the third quarter, compared to the same quarter last year. The metro ranked No. 26 among 203 metros ranked.

The Tampa,-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area ranked 34th among metros.

The Cape Coral-Ft. Myers area ranked No. 3 in the nation for its foreclosure rate of one in 27 households. Port St. Lucie came in at No. 10. The foreclosure rate there is one in every 38 households.

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