Calif. Foreclosures Jumped 19% in Year

Lenders foreclosed 92,000 properties in California last year, 19% more than in 1995, according to Experian, a provider of real estate data.

A year ago it seemed that an economic turnaround might halt the long uptrend in defaults. Foreclosures scarcely rose in 1995.

Declining home prices have been a major factor in the foreclosure trend, as homeowners with little equity in their homes are more likely to default. Experian said some 477,000 California homeowners have negative equity in their homes-that is, their homes are worth less than the amount of the mortgage.