Foreclosure activity among US properties surged last year as the number of default notices, auction sales and bank repossessions jumped by 81 per cent, according to new figures from RealtyTrac.

The number of foreclosures grew to more than 3m in 2008 and 1.84 per cent of all US homes received at least one filing. There were 225 per cent more filings than in 2006, before the housing market collapsed.