Hawai'i foreclosure filings soared past 300 last month for the first time since mortgage troubles in the local housing market began building in early 2007.

The surge to 336 foreclosure filings was a 132 percent increase from 145 filings in the same month last year, and followed only two months in which the number of filings was more than 200, according to California-based real estate research firm RealtyTrac.

The previous peak since RealtyTrac began issuing its reports in January 2005 was 229 filings in July. Since mid-2007, filings in most months have been between 110 and 160.

Local foreclosure attorney Marvin Dang said the RealtyTrac figures may be overstated because of reporting methodology, but that the level of foreclosures he is seeing is starting to become a concern.

"Obviously the way things are increasing, it is a cause for some concern," he said.

According to RealtyTrac, which counts a variety of filings, the increase was the result of a spike in default notices, typically the first formal notification that a lender makes to legally begin the process to repossess a home.

The number of Hawai'i homes repossessed by lenders last month was 22, close to what it has been in recent months but up from just a few early in the year and in recent years.

August's surge in default notices suggests that lender repossessions may begin to rise dramatically in the coming months, which would increase the amount of distressed residential real estate available for sale and increase pressure on the local housing market that has remained in fair shape.

The median price paid for single-family homes on O'ahu in the first eight months of the year was down 2.8 percent to $629,000, while the median condominium price was up 1.5 percent to $330,000.

The price weakness, though mild, has made it more difficult for people who bought homes in the last couple of years to refinance if they have little equity and face a rate hike on an adjustable-rate mortgage.

Also putting pressure on homeowners is the wave of layoffs that in recent months has spread across the state and caused unemployment to creep higher.

During the state's housing slump in the mid-1990s, there were typically 300 to 400 foreclosure lawsuits filed per month.

The historical comparison, however, is muddied because the great majority of Hawai'i foreclosure cases in recent years occur outside court in what are called nonjudicial cases, which makes foreclosures more difficult to count.

RealtyTrac's data includes nonjudicial foreclosure sale notices that are typically publicized for three consecutive weeks, which means more than one filing on the same property may be counted.

Local economists say Hawai'i's housing market is still relatively healthy compared with many Mainland locales where plummeting home values, glutted inventories and weak buyer demand have in some cases contributed to waves of foreclosures that erode property tax bases and drain municipal budgets.

In Hawai'i, there was one foreclosure filing per 1,488 households. Over the past 12 months, Hawai'i has ranged from sixth lowest to 15th lowest.

Nationally, the number of foreclosure filings was up 27 percent in August to 303,879, or one filing per 416 households.

The worst foreclosure rate measured by RealtyTrac was in Nevada, where there were 11,706 filings, or one for every 91 households.

The best rate was in West Virginia, where there were 43 filings, or one per 20,414 households.