TAMPA - Foreclosure filings continued to rise in the first quarter, but analysts see signs that lenders are beginning to make a dent in the backlog of distressed properties.

RealtyTrac, which monitors foreclosures, said the rising number of bank repossessions indicates lenders are starting to clear inventories of troubled housing. Repossessions reached a record high across the nation during the first quarter, the group said.

In addition, a slowing of initial default filings indicated fewer households are entering the foreclosure process. The report states that default filings rose 1 percent from last quarter and were down 1 percent from a year ago.

Locally, the Tampa-Clearwater-St. Petersburg area mirrored the trend with 27 percent more foreclosures than in the previous quarter. Compared with last year, however, activity was up 17 percent. There were 19,284 filings in the most recent quarter.

In March, Tampa area foreclosures grew 11 percent from February and were up 7 percent from March a year ago.

Florida again was second in the nation for the quarter, behind California, with 153,540 properties here the subject of a filing of some sort. It ranks third behind Nevada and Arizona in terms of foreclosures per household. One in 57 Florida households was the subject of a filing in the quarter.

Filings for the quarter rose nearly 29 percent from a year ago but were up only 7 percent from the fourth quarter of 2009.

Across the nation, foreclosures continue to mount. RealtyTrac said 932,234 properties received a filing, a 7 percent jump from last quarter and 16 percent higher than a year ago.

Editor Dale Hokrein can be reached at (813) 259-8416.