More American’s are losing the keys to their houses.
Foreclosures are climbing across the US, with the number of homes repossessed by lenders surging 42% from a year ago as more struggling homeowners reach the end of the foreclosure process.
Lenders repossessed 5,794 properties through completed foreclosures in August, up 22% from July and a 42% from August 2025, according to a new report from real estate data firm ATTOM.
Overall, 40,277 US properties received some form of foreclosure filing — including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — during the month. That was up just 1% from July but 13% from a year earlier, continuing a months-long trend of foreclosure activity running above 2025 levels.
Andy Dean – stock.adobe.com
Florida recorded the largest number of foreclosure starts, at 3,189, followed closely by Texas with 3,126 and California with 2,565. Illinois and Georgia rounded out the top five.
The growing number of homes making it all the way through the foreclosure pipeline was particularly pronounced in Texas.
The Lone Star State recorded 1,835 completed foreclosures in August — more than three times California’s 589. North Carolina followed with 356, Arizona with 296 and Alabama with 286.
Texas cities also dominated the list of major metropolitan areas with the most bank repossessions.
Houston led the country with 448 completed foreclosures, followed by Dallas with 402 and San Antonio with 256. Phoenix recorded 186, while Baltimore had 167.
Where foreclosure rates are worst
South Carolina had the highest foreclosure rate in the country in August, with one in every 1,547 housing units receiving a filing.
Nevada followed at one in every 1,920 homes, while Florida ranked third at one in every 2,397.
Texas, at one in every 2,445 housing units, and Maryland, at one in every 2,530, rounded out the five states with the highest foreclosure rates.
Nationwide, one in every 3,569 housing units received a foreclosure filing during August.
New York fared better overall, ranking 29th among states, with 1,604 properties receiving foreclosure filings — or one in every 5,352 housing units, according to ATTOM’s state-by-state breakdown.
Within the Empire State, Cortland, Greene, Orange and Tioga counties had the highest foreclosure rates.
The distress was particularly concentrated in parts of the Southeast.
Among metropolitan areas with at least 200,000 residents, Columbia, SC, posted the highest foreclosure rate in the nation, with one in every 1,232 housing units receiving a filing.
Punta Gorda, Fla., came next at one in every 1,249, followed by Spartanburg, SC, at one in every 1,262; Fayetteville, NC, at one in every 1,458; and Charleston, SC, at one in every 1,501.
Rob Barber, CEO of ATTOM, told The Post the increase partly reflects the housing market returning to more normal foreclosure levels after several unusually quiet years — but mounting costs are also squeezing some homeowners.
“Homeowners are navigating a range of financial pressures, including higher insurance costs, borrowing costs and everyday living expenses, which could be adding strain to some household budgets,” Barber said.
“Even with those pressures, overall foreclosure activity remains below pre-pandemic norms, so we are not seeing signs of broad-based distress in the housing market.”
