I’m told by my government keepers the economy is booming, jobs are being added by the millions, home prices are rising, and consumers are spending. Then why did foreclosures in the country jump by 6% over the prior year, marking the first increase in 26 months? This real data doesn’t match the government storyline. RealtyTrac reports the hard truth. And this is just the beginning. The next leg down in housing is upon us.

A total of 55,906 U.S. properties started the foreclosure process in November, a decrease of 1 percent from the previous month but a 6 percent increase from a year ago, the first year-over-year increase following 27 consecutive months of year-over-year decreases. 50,102 U.S. properties were scheduled for foreclosure auction during the month, down 16 percent from an 18-month high in the previous month but up 5 percent from a year ago.

“Foreclosure rates on 2014-originated loans are actually higher than 2013-originated loans nationwide and in many markets, indicating that lenders are open to a slightly higher level of risk than we’ve seen over the past five years of extremely tight lending standards,” Blomquist continued.

Scheduled foreclosure auctions increased from a year ago in 30 states, including Kentucky (up 163 percent), Tennessee (up 159 percent), North Carolina (up 157 percent), New Jersey (up 117 percent), Oregon (up 114 percent), New York (up 76 percent), Texas (up 34 percent), Pennsylvania (up 13 percent), Georgia (up 8 percent), and Washington (up 7 percent).

REOs increased from a year ago in 15 states, including Maryland (up 93 percent), North Carolina (up 66 percent), New York (up 64 percent), Kentucky (up 56 percent), New Jersey (up 54 percent), Iowa (up 29 percent), and Massachusetts (up 29 percent).

Five of the nation’s 20 largest metro areas posted year-over-year increases in foreclosure activity: New York (up 71 percent), Houston (up 70 percent), Philadelphia (up 43 percent), Boston (up 27 percent) and Baltimore (up 22 percent).

Among the nation’s 20 largest metros, those with the five highest foreclosure rates were Miami (one in every 394 housing units with a foreclosure filing), Tampa (one in every 432 housing units), Baltimore (one in every 576 housing units), Philadelphia (one in every 625 housing units), Chicago (one in every 716 housing units) and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario in Southern California (one in every 725 housing units).