Hawai'i home foreclosure filings stayed on the upswing in June, but the rate of increase was the smallest for any month since May 2007, according to the latest survey by RealtyTrac.

There were 134 foreclosure filings statewide last month, up 19 percent from June 2007. The percentage point increase was the lowest since filings declined 1.5 percent in May 2007, and compares with a range of 24 percent to 414 percent increases over the prior 12 months.

Still, Hawai'i's foreclosure count continues what has been a steady rise in troubled mortgages since mid-2007. They negatively impact what is still a relatively healthy local real estate market compared with many Mainland locales.

Hawai'i's foreclosure rate, at one filing per 3,732 households, was the sixth lowest among states, according to the California-based real estate research firm.

Hawai'i also ranked sixth lowest in March, but has been as high as 15th in the past 12 months.

The 134 foreclosure filings compare with 300 to 400 foreclosure lawsuits filed per month during the state's mid-1990s housing slump.

The historical comparison is muddied somewhat because most Hawai'i foreclosure cases in recent years occur outside court, which makes cases more difficult to precisely track.

Some local foreclosure attorneys estimate that nonjudicial foreclosures represent as much as 90 percent of all foreclosures in Hawai'i.

RealtyTrac's data includes nonjudicial foreclosure sale notices, but the company's count could overstate or understate the number of actual foreclosures. That's because RealtyTrac counts a range of document filings that include default notices and auction notices, which means more than one filing on the same property may be counted.

Also, auction notices are typically publicized for three consecutive weeks. But RealtyTrac also may miss counting nonjudicial default notices that typically aren't published.

Industry observers say Hawai'i has avoided a dangerous level of foreclosures because home prices remain stable and because local borrowers generally were more conservative and didn't take out as many risky loans as in some Mainland markets, where interest rates resetting at dramatically higher rates have created a foreclosure deluge.

Also, the state's limited land supply and restrictive development rules prevented developers from oversaturating the market with unsold new homes, while unemployment and personal income remain healthy despite local economic growth heading to a near standstill.

In many Mainland markets, plummeting home values, a glut of inventory and weak buyer demand have prevented troubled owners from refinancing or selling their property.

In some extreme cases, waves of foreclosures have eroded property tax bases and placed municipal budgets in peril.

Nationally, the number of foreclosure filings was up 53 percent in June to 252,363, or one filing per 501 households.

The worst foreclosure rate measured by RealtyTrac was in Nevada, where there were 8,713 filings, or one for every 122 households.

The best rate was in North Dakota, where there were 11 filings, or one per 27,982 households.