Foreclosure activity increased across the United States during the first half of 2026, continuing a gradual return toward more typical market patterns.
According to ATTOM’s Midyear 2026 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, 227,548 U.S. properties had a foreclosure filing during the first six months of the year. Filings included default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions. The total was up 21 percent from the same period in 2025 and 28 percent from the first half of 2024.
Florida and South Carolina Record the Highest State Foreclosure Rates
Nationwide, 0.16 percent of all housing units, or one in every 632, had a foreclosure filing during the first half of 2026.
States with the worst foreclosure rates were:
- Florida: 0.27 percent of housing units
- South Carolina: 0.26 percent
- Indiana: 0.25 percent
- Delaware: 0.25 percent
- Illinois: 0.23 percent
Several states also experienced sharp annual increases in overall foreclosure activity. Among states with at least 500 filings, Idaho recorded the largest increase at 59 percent. Colorado followed at 57 percent, with Georgia up 52 percent, North Carolina up 47 percent and Mississippi up 45 percent.
Florida Metros Stand Out
Florida markets accounted for several of the nation’s worst metro foreclosure rates. Among metropolitan areas with populations of at least 200,000, the worst rates were recorded in:
- Punta Gorda, Florida: 0.50 percent of housing units
- Lakeland, Florida: 0.48 percent
- Columbia, South Carolina: 0.43 percent
- Macon, Georgia: 0.36 percent
- Fayetteville, North Carolina: 0.36 percent
Cape Coral, Jacksonville and Ocala also ranked among the 10 metros with the highest foreclosure rates during the first half of the year.
Foreclosure Starts and Repossessions Increase
A total of 164,566 U.S. properties entered the foreclosure process during the first six months of 2026, up 18 percent from the first half of 2025.
The states with the greatest number of foreclosure starts were:
- Texas: 20,739
- Florida: 20,358
- California: 16,040
- Georgia: 8,164
- Illinois: 7,424
Completed foreclosures also increased. Lenders repossessed 27,983 properties during the first half of 2026, up 33 percent from a year earlier. However, completed foreclosures remained 26 percent below the level recorded during the first half of 2020.
Foreclosure Timelines Continue to Shorten
Properties foreclosed in the second quarter of 2026 spent an average of 563 days in the foreclosure process, the lowest level since 2013. The average timeline declined 2 percent from the previous quarter and 13 percent from a year ago, marking the seventh consecutive quarterly decrease.
Timelines varied considerably by state. Louisiana recorded the longest average foreclosure timeline at 3,491 days, followed by Hawaii at 2,293 days and New York at 2,007 days. Texas had the shortest average timeline at 155 days, followed by New Hampshire at 157 days and Wyoming at 173 days.
To learn more and access more detailed or get the data behind the stories, contact one of ATTOM’s data experts.