The number of U.S. properties in foreclosure upon rose 5 percent in January, driven by a jump in bank repossessions, real estate data firm RealtyTrac said on Thursday. Overall, 119,888 properties were at some stage of the foreclosure process, still down 4 percent from a year earlier. The unwinding of distressed housing assets, a multiyear legal process in many states, was gathering pace, RealtyTrac said.