The number of properties in some stage of the foreclosure process rose by 14% from July 2014 to July 2015, RealtyTrac reported. The uptick, the real estate data firm said, is due to the fact that financial institutions moved to close their books on properties that lingered for months or even years in the foreclosure process.

July was the fifth consecutive month in 2015 during which foreclosure numbers were higher than they were a year before, the Irvine, Calif.-based firm said.

The number of properties that were repossessed – the final step in the foreclosure process – stood at 47,000 in July 2015, which represents a 29% increase since June 2015 and an 81% increase since July 2014, RealtyTrac said. Foreclosures are now at their highest level since January 2013, according to the firm's data. However, the firm also reported that the number of July 2015 repossessions is less than half than the number reported in September 2010, when they were at their peak, the firm added.