The number of mortgage default notices sent to California homeowners increased during the fourth quarter of 2005, rising 19% from the third quarter, according to a recent report by DataQuick Information Systems. Lending institutions sent default notices to nearly 15,000 homeowners between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, up 15.6% when compared with the 12,978 default notices sent during the same period one year earlier.

Declining home appreciation rates impacted the rise in default activity during the fourth quarter, according to the report. While all regions of California experienced an increase in foreclosures, mortgage loans were least likely to go into default in Marin County and most likely in the Central Valley and Inland Empire.