In the first quarter of this year the amount of people on the verge of losing their homes grew by 24 per cent, according to data released Thursday.

RealtyTrac, an Irvine, Calif.-based company that tracks the foreclosure market, reported that nationwide more than 803,000 homes received at least one foreclosure notice during the first three months of 2009, up from 650,000 in the same time period a year earlier.

The figures were the highest monthly and quarterly totals since online foreclosure concern RealtyTrac began issuing its report in 2005.

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