ATTOM: 227,548 Foreclosure Filings in First Half of 2026 — Up 21% Year Over Year

ATTOM's Mid-Year 2026 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, released this month, shows 227,548 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings in the first six months of 2026 — up 21 percent from the same period in 2025 and up 28 percent from the first half of 2024. Foreclosure starts climbed 18 percent year-over-year to 164,566 properties, while bank repossessions (REO completions) rose 33 percent to 27,983 properties. The average foreclosure timeline fell to 563 days in Q2 2026 — the shortest average since 2013 — suggesting lenders are moving through their delinquency pipelines more efficiently than at any point in the past 13 years. ATTOM CEO Rob Barber described the trend as "gradually returning to more typical patterns" rather than a sign of market stress.

For homeowners who have received a notice of default or are approaching foreclosure, the Texas Foreclosure Resource covers options including selling before auction. The Tax Liens Hub addresses overlapping property tax delinquency situations.

H1 2026 Foreclosure Filings by the Numbers

ATTOM tracks three components of foreclosure activity: total filings (default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions combined), foreclosure starts (first-time default notices), and REO completions (bank-owned repossessions after auction).

The 33 percent increase in REO completions is the most significant single-year jump in lender repossessions since the post-pandemic moratorium period ended. It reflects lenders completing foreclosure proceedings on properties that entered default in 2024 and early 2025 — mortgages that were originated in the low-rate era when buyers stretched beyond their payment capacity at the margins.

States with the Highest Foreclosure Rates

Among all 50 states, Florida, South Carolina, and Indiana recorded the highest foreclosure rates in H1 2026:

Florida's concentration — particularly in Gulf Coast metros — reflects the confluence of elevated home insurance costs, property tax reassessments following the pandemic price surge, and an investor-heavy market where leveraged landlords face cash flow pressure at current rates.

States with the Largest Year-Over-Year Increases

Among states with at least 500 foreclosure filings in H1 2026, the largest year-over-year percentage increases were concentrated in Western and Southern states:

Idaho and Colorado's sharp increases reflect the aftermath of the Sun Belt price surge: homeowners who purchased in 2021–2022 at peak prices with adjustable-rate or high-balance mortgages are now encountering reset payments or negative equity as local values have cooled. Georgia and North Carolina's increases are partially driven by population growth that produced a surge in purchase activity in 2021–2022, a meaningful portion of which was financed with FHA loans that carry lower equity cushions.

Worst Metro Areas: Punta Gorda, Lakeland, Columbia

At the metropolitan level, three markets stood out for their H1 2026 foreclosure rates:

Both Florida metros top the list — consistent with statewide findings — while Columbia, SC reflects South Carolina's state-level ranking as the second-highest foreclosure rate in the country.

What a Shortening Timeline Means for Homeowners

The 13 percent year-over-year decline in average foreclosure timelines — from a longer average to 563 days — is a significant practical development for homeowners in default. A shorter timeline means less time between a first missed payment and a scheduled auction date. In states with non-judicial foreclosure processes — Texas among them — the timeline from default notice to trustee sale can run as short as 45–60 days under Texas Property Code §51.002, depending on when the notice was served.

The practical implication: homeowners who receive a notice of default have a narrower window than the national 563-day average suggests for judicial states. In non-judicial states like Texas, the window is often measured in weeks, not months. Selling before the auction preserves equity and credit that would otherwise be eliminated in a completed foreclosure.

ATTOM CEO: "Gradually Returning to More Typical Patterns"

ATTOM CEO Rob Barber's framing of the H1 2026 data as a "gradual return to more typical patterns" is important context. Foreclosure activity during 2020–2022 was artificially suppressed by the federal CARES Act moratorium and subsequent state-level extensions. The current annual increases — 21 percent year-over-year — reflect a base-effects comparison against those suppressed years rather than a dramatic acceleration above normal historical rates.

However, "more typical" is cold comfort for homeowners directly in the foreclosure pipeline. Whether the aggregate trend reflects a return to normalcy or a credit-stress acceleration depends heavily on the individual circumstances of the borrower — income stability, local home values, remaining equity, and available options.

The Bottom Line

227,548 foreclosure filings in the first half of 2026 puts the full-year pace near 450,000 — still below 2010–2012 crisis levels but well above the moratorium-suppressed 2020–2022 figures. REO completions rising 33 percent and timelines shortening simultaneously suggest lenders are working through delinquency backlogs faster. For homeowners facing default or already in the foreclosure process, the narrowing timeline makes early action — including selling before the auction — more consequential.

Related: Foreclosure Filings Up 21% in First Half of 2026 — Full ATTOM Report → · Texas Foreclosure Timeline Explained → · Sell Before Foreclosure and Keep Your Equity → · Texas Foreclosure Hub →

Sources: ATTOM, Mid-Year 2026 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report; ATTOM, Q1 2026 Foreclosure Market Report; HousingWire, foreclosure analysis August 2026; PRNewswire, ATTOM mid-year foreclosure release 2026.