ATLANTA - New figures show foreclosure activity fell substantially last month in February across a 28-county area of metro Atlanta.

RealtyTrac, a company that tracks foreclosure activity, says the number of metro Atlanta homes repossessed by banks last month fell 25 percent from February 2010 and nearly 40 percent from January.

Total foreclosure activity, which includes filings of foreclosure notices as well as repossessions, fell by 20 percent in the 28-county area compared with the same period the year before, and nearly 22 percent when compared with the previous month.

Nationally, foreclosure activity decreased 14 percent in February from the previous month and 27 percent from the previous year.