WASHINGTON — Foreclosure filings were started on 272,171 properties in July, an 8% increase from the previous month and a 55% rise from July 2007, according to a report released today by RealtyTrac, an online seller of foreclosed properties.

During July, one in every 464 U.S. households received a foreclosure filing. The highest rates were in Nevada, California and Florida, where the rates were one in 106, one in 182 and one in 186, respectively.

The highest number of foreclosures occurred in California (72,285), Florida (45,884) and Ohio (13,457).

The Cape-Coral-Ft. Myers, Florida metropolitan area had the highest foreclosure rate, one in 64 households.

“Bank repossessions, or REOs, continued to be the fastest growing segment of foreclosure activity in July, posting a 184 percent year-over-year increase–compared to a 53 percent year-over-year increase in default notices and an 11 percent year-over-year increase in auction notices,” James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac said in a statement. “The sharp rise in REOs, combined with slow sales, has resulted in a bloated inventory of bank-owned properties for sale.”