More American’s are losing the keys to their houses.
asserted
American → lose → 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.
asserted
homeowners → climb → 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.
uncertain
Lenders → repossess → ATTOM
Overall, 40,277 US properties received some form of foreclosure filing — including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — during the month.
asserted
properties → receive → 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.
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That → continue → levels
Florida recorded the largest number of foreclosure starts, at 3,189, followed closely by Texas with 3,126 and California with 2,565.
asserted
Florida → record → 2,565
Illinois and Georgia rounded out the top five.
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Illinois → round → five
The growing number of homes making it all the way through the foreclosure pipeline was particularly pronounced in Texas.
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number → grow → Texas
The Lone Star State recorded 1,835 completed foreclosures in August — more than three times California’s 589.
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State → record → 589
North Carolina followed with 356, Arizona with 296 and Alabama with 286.
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Carolina → follow → 286
Texas cities also dominated the list of major metropolitan areas with the most bank repossessions.
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cities → dominate → repossessions
Houston led the country with 448 completed foreclosures, followed by Dallas with 402 and San Antonio with 256.
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Houston → lead → 256
Phoenix recorded 186, while Baltimore had 167.
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Baltimore → record → 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.
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one → have → filing
Nevada followed at one in every 1,920 homes, while Florida ranked third at one in every 2,397.
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Florida → follow → 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.
asserted
Maryland → round → rates
Nationwide, one in every 3,569 housing units received a foreclosure filing during August.
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one → receive → 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.
uncertain
properties → fare → breakdown
Within the Empire State, Cortland, Greene, Orange and Tioga counties had the highest foreclosure rates.
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counties → have → rates
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.
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Columbia → post → 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.
asserted
Gorda → come → 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.
uncertain
Barber → tell → budgets
“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.”
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we → remain → market
Foreclosure starts — when lenders initiate the process against delinquent borrowers — actually dipped 3% from July to 25,894 properties in August.
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lenders → initiate → August
But they remained 7% higher than a year earlier.
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they → remain → ?
That increase was far smaller than the 42% annual surge in completed foreclosures.
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increase → complete → foreclosures
Barber cautioned that starts and completed foreclosures represent different stages of the process and therefore don’t necessarily move in tandem.
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starts → caution → tandem
“Our data does not point to a specific factor behind the sharper increase in completions,” he told The Post.
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he → point → Post
Still, the rise in foreclosures does not mean the housing market is facing anything resembling the foreclosure crisis that followed the Great Recession.
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that → mean → Recession
“What we are seeing appears to be a combination of foreclosure activity moving higher from relatively low levels and some homeowners facing financial challenges,” Barber told The Post.
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Barber → see → Post
“The year-over-year increases are worth watching, but overall foreclosure volumes remain below pre-pandemic norms,” he added.
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he → watch → norms
“At this point, the data suggests pockets of financial stress rather than widespread distress across the housing market.”
uncertain
data → suggest → market
The latest numbers also extend a broader rise seen throughout 2026.
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numbers → extend → 2026
During the first half of the year, 227,548 US properties received foreclosure filings, up 21% from the same period in 2025.
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properties → receive → 2025
Completed foreclosures jumped 33% during that six-month period, while foreclosure starts climbed 18%, according to ATTOM.
uncertain
starts → jump → ATTOM
The Aporia
