Memo to Tampa Bay homeowners facing foreclosure: Seattle feels some of your pain.

So does Chicago, Atlanta and even one of the country's most recession-resistant metro areas, Houston.

California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona cities still account for all of the top 10 foreclosure rates in the third quarter, as well as 19 of the top 20 metro foreclosure rates, according to a RealtyTrac report being released today.

But the report - which details foreclosure filings in the third quarter - also showed a clear shift: a foreclosure crisis born out of the housing bust has evolved into a much broader nationwide issue because of the recession.

Indeed, many of the metros hit hardest by the housing bust saw foreclosure filings fall from year-ago levels while some of the more stable housing markets suffered double-digit increases in filings.

All told, 65 percent of the 206 metro areas followed by RealtyTrac posted year-over-year increases in foreclosure activity.

Of the country's 20 largest metros, 11 saw foreclosures rise. Leading the way was Seattle with a 71 percent increase in foreclosure filings compared with a year ago. Chicago was second, with a 35 percent increase. Next highest were Houston (up 26 percent), Detroit (up 23 percent) and Atlanta (up 20 percent).

In contrast, housing-bust epicenters such as Las Vegas and Orlando saw foreclosure activity fall 20 percent and 16 percent, respectively, compared with a year ago. The Tampa Bay area ranked 23rd highest among all metros, with one in every 69 homes receiving a foreclosure filing during the quarter, up 13 percent from a year ago.

Out of the 10 worst foreclosure markets, all but Miami-Fort Lauderdale did better than last year. With the housing bust so deep, however, residents of those improving markets might not notice much of a difference.

A case in point: Cape Coral-Fort Myers, where the number of foreclosure filings has dropped 22 percent since last year. Despite the improvement, Cape Coral still posted the second-highest foreclosure rate in the country, with one out of every 35 homes receiving some type of foreclosure filing last quarter. No. 1 was Las Vegas with a rate of one out of every 25 homes, despite its significant drop in filings.

The only other Florida metro in the top 10 was Miami, ranking seventh with a rate of one in every 41 homes receiving a foreclosure filing. With 58,624 filings in the quarter, Miami had more activity than any other major metro.

RealtyTrac CEO James Saccacio said he doesn't envision historically high foreclosure rates falling until the core problems behind the numbers go away.

"The underlying problems that are causing homeowners to miss their mortgage payments - high unemployment, underemployment, toxic loans and negative equity - are continuing to plague most local housing markets," he said.