Dive Brief:

• The inventory of homes under foreclosure in April declined 23.9% since April 2014, and completed foreclosures dipped by 19.8% — to 40,000, according to CoreLogic.

• Still, 521,000 homes are in some stage of the foreclosure process nationwide, the report noted. That’s 1.4% of all homes, down from 694,00 homes, or 1.8% a year ago.

• The number of completed foreclosures was 65.8% lower than in September 2010, when foreclosure activity reached its peak. Completed foreclosures indicate the number of homes actually lost to foreclosure.

Dive Insight:

Since the financial crisis began in September 2008, 5.7 million homeowners have lost their properties to foreclosures. But it appears the number of homes in foreclosure will continue to fall, as the report also said the number of homes in serious delinquency — when the owners are 90 days or more past due on their mortgage payments, but the banks have not yet begun foreclosure proceedings — declined from 22.1% since April 2014. This is the lowest delinquency rate since February 2008.

Fewer serious delinquencies now means fewer foreclosures down the road.

Still, CoreLogic President Anand Nallathambi, said 1.4 million mortgages are delinquent, and that’s too many. While the number of homeowners in mortgage trouble is at its lowest in more than seven years, it remains about double the pre-2007 rate. “Too many families remain in default of their mortgage obligations,” he said.