NEW YORK: US mortgage foreclosure filings fell for a second straight month in September, but remained near a record high, amid ongoing and sweeping efforts to keep borrowers in their homes, a report released yesterday showed.

Foreclosure filings - including mortgage default notices, house auctions and home repossessions by banks - were reported on 343,638 properties in September, down 4 percent from August, but up 29 percent from the year-earlier month, real estate data firm RealtyTrac said.

September's decrease was much bigger than August's month-on-month drop of less than 1 percent from July's all-time high, indicating foreclosure prevention efforts may be gaining traction.