Statistics provided by the Ohio Supreme Court show that foreclosure filings declined in the state in 2014 for the fifth straight year.
The court reported Thursday the 43,727 new common-pleas filings of residential, commercial, and tax foreclosure cases last year was a decline of nearly 18 percent from 2013.
That number was 50 percent lower than in 2009 when the state reached an all-time high of more than 89,000 new filings.
Significant declines were seen in some of Ohio's largest counties. Foreclosures fell more than 20 percent in Cuyahoga County; more than 22 percent in Hamilton County, and nearly 16 percent in Summit County.
Eighty of the state's 88 counties saw declines last year.
The Supreme Court began tracking foreclosures in 1990.