NEW YORK–Lenders repossessed 5,794 U.S. properties in August, up 42% from a year earlier and 22% from July, as more properties reached the end of the foreclosure process, according to real estate data firm ATTOM.
Overall, 40,277 properties received foreclosure filings, including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions. That was up 13% from August 2025 and 1% from July, extending a trend of foreclosure activity exceeding year-earlier levels, ATTOM reported.
Nationwide, one in every 3,569 housing units received a foreclosure filing during August.
Completed Foreclosures Rise
Texas led the nation with 1,835 completed foreclosures, more than three times California’s total. The five states with the most lender repossessions were:
- Texas: 1,835.
- California: 589.
- North Carolina: 356.
- Arizona: 296.
- Alabama: 286.
Texas cities also led major metropolitan areas in completed foreclosures. Houston recorded 448 repossessions, followed by Dallas with 402 and San Antonio with 256. Phoenix had 186, while Baltimore recorded 167, according to ATTOM.
Highest Foreclosure Rates
South Carolina had the nation’s highest foreclosure rate, with one filing for every 1,547 housing units. The five states with the highest rates were:
- South Carolina: One in every 1,547 housing units.
- Nevada: One in every 1,920.
- Florida: One in every 2,397.
- Texas: One in every 2,445.
- Maryland: One in every 2,530.
Among metropolitan areas with at least 200,000 residents, Columbia, South Carolina, had the highest rate, with one filing for every 1,232 housing units.
It was followed by Punta Gorda, Florida, at one in every 1,249; Spartanburg, South Carolina, at one in every 1,262; Fayetteville, North Carolina, at one in every 1,458; and Charleston, South Carolina, at one in every 1,501.
New York ranked 29th among states, with 1,604 properties receiving filings, or one in every 5,352 housing units. Cortland, Greene, Orange and Tioga counties had the state’s highest foreclosure rates, according to ATTOM.
Foreclosure Starts Decline Monthly
Lenders initiated foreclosure proceedings on 25,894 properties in August, down 3% from July but up 7% from a year earlier.
Florida recorded the most foreclosure starts, with 3,189, followed by Texas with 3,126 and California with 2,565. Illinois and Georgia rounded out the top five.
The annual increase in foreclosure starts was substantially smaller than the 42% rise in completed foreclosures. ATTOM CEO Rob Barber said the measures reflect different stages of the process and do not necessarily move together.
“Our data does not point to a specific factor behind the sharper increase in completions,” Barber told the New York Post.
Financial Pressures Persist
Barber said the increases partly reflect foreclosure activity returning toward more normal levels after several unusually quiet years, although rising household costs also may be contributing.
“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 told the New York Post.
“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.”
Barber characterized the findings as evidence of pockets of financial stress rather than widespread housing market distress.
The August figures continued a broader increase during 2026. In the first half of the year, 227,548 U.S. properties received foreclosure filings, up 21% from the same period in 2025, according to ATTOM. Completed foreclosures rose 33% during that period, while foreclosure starts increased 18%.
