U.S. foreclosures down 16%

U.S. foreclosures completed in April totaled 52,000, a 16 percent decrease from 62,000 in the same month a year ago, according to data released this week from real estate market tracker CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX).

Since September 2008, there have been roughly 4.4 million completed foreclosures nationwide. Prior to the recession, the average amount was 21,000 per month, according to a news release.

As of April, approximately 1.1 million homes in the nation were in some stage of the foreclosure process, compared to 1.5 million in the same month of 2012.

"The shadow of foreclosure and distress continues to fade, with the annualized sum of completed foreclosures having declined for 17 straight months," CoreLogic Chief Economist Mark Fleming said in the release.

For the 12-month period ending April 30, completed foreclosures in Missouri totaled 17,184. The percentage of homes in the state last month in some stage of foreclosure was 1.1 percent, down 0.4 percent from a year ago, the release said.