Foreclosure Activity Increased in 1H 2026: ATTOM
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ATTOM, Irvine, Calif., found more than 227,000 properties with foreclosure filings in the first six months of 2026, up 21% from the same period a year ago and up 28% from two years ago.
Foreclosure filings include default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions.
Among states with at least 500 foreclosure filings in the first half of 2026, the largest year-over-year increases in foreclosure activity were recorded in Idaho (up 59%), Colorado (up 57%), Georgia (up 52%), North Carolina (up 47%) and Mississippi (up 45%), the data firm’s Mid-Year 2026 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report said.
“Foreclosure activity continued to increase in the first half of 2026, but the broader picture remains one of a market that is gradually returning to more typical patterns,” noted Rob Barber, CEO at ATTOM. “The combination of rising foreclosure starts, increased foreclosure completions, and shorter timelines points to a continued normalization of the foreclosure process, although the increases also suggest that some homeowners may be facing greater financial strain than they were a year ago.”
Foreclosure Starts
A total of 164,566 U.S. properties started the foreclosure process in the first six months of 2026, up 18% from the first half of last year and up 66% from the first half of 2020.
Bank Repossessions
Lenders foreclosed (REO) on 27,983 U.S. properties in the first six months of 2026, up 33% from the first half of 2025 but down 26%from the first half of 2020.
Average Foreclosure Timelines
Properties foreclosed in Q2 2026 had been in the foreclosure process for an average of 563 days, the lowest level since 2013. That figure was down 2% from the previous quarter and down 13% from a year ago, ATTOM reported.
Discussing the data, Mirza Hodzic, managing director of mortgage servicing solutions with BlackWolf Advisory Group, Jacksonville, Fla., noted the increase in foreclosure activity is being driven by a mix of financial pressure and continued normalization after several years of unusually low activity. “Higher taxes, insurance, and everyday household costs are making it harder for some borrowers to recover once they fall behind, even when the mortgage payment itself has not changed,” he said.
Hodzic said he expects foreclosure activity to remain elevated through the rest of 2026, “although not at crisis levels,” he added. “Shorter timelines, rising starts, and higher completions suggest the process is moving more efficiently, but they also mean servicers have less room for delays, weak handoffs, or incomplete borrower outreach.”
The geographic concentration is important, Hodzic added. “Florida, South Carolina, Indiana, and several Southern markets continue to show higher foreclosure rates, so servicers should not treat this as a uniform national trend. Capacity, vendor coverage, and borrower outreach need to reflect where the pressure is actually building,” he said.
