Foreclosure filings in Hawaii soared more than 130 percent in August when compared to the same month in 2007, led by a sharp increase in filings on Kauai.

Still, the actual number of filings remains relatively low. There were 336 foreclosure filings, up from 145 in August 2007.

In Hawaii last month, there was one foreclosure for every 1,488 households, according to the monthly report from California-based RealtyTrac released Friday. The state ranked 34th among the states and the District of Columbia.

Nationally, foreclosure filings were up 27 percent in August compared to August 2007. Foreclosure filings were reported on 30,879 properties last month, or one in every 416 households.

That figure was a 12 percent increase over July, according to RealtyTrac. Foreclosure filings include default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions.

Hawaii’s August numbers were up 47 percent from July, when there were 229 filings, or one in every 2,183 housing units.

Kauai saw the greatest increase from July to August — there were 138 filings on the Garden Island last month, a 700 percent increase from the 17 filings in July. That pushed Kauai’s foreclosure rate to one in every 205 households up from one in every 1,665 households.

What drove the increase was apparently the foreclosure on 100 condominium units within the Kauai Beach Resort, owned by developer Brian Anderson. Foreclosures include every kind of property, from primary residence to a vacation condominium or a time share

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(Source: Pacific Business News)