Foreclosures fell in April compared with March, but still posted an annual gain for the 14th straight month, Attom reported Thursday.
Foreclosure filings, which include default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, were reported on 42,430 properties in the United States last month, down 8% from the month prior but up 18% from a year ago, the data and analytics company's latest foreclosure market report showed.
"Foreclosure activity continued its gradual trend higher in April, with both foreclosure starts and completed foreclosures posting annual gains," Attom CEO Rob Barber said in a press release. "While overall filings declined from the previous month, the year-over-year increases suggest lenders may be working through distressed inventory as higher borrowing costs and affordability challenges impact some homeowners. Even so, foreclosure activity remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels."
Housing inventory as a whole grew 2.4% annually in April, HouseCanary found, but fluctuating mortgage rates have put pressure on buyers.
Foreclosure starts increased 12% year over year to 28,414 in April, which was still 6% less than the previous month. Florida, Texas and California tallied the most foreclosure starts of any state at 3,505, 3,154 and 2,786, respectively. Among metropolitan areas with a population of at least 500,000 and a minimum of 100 foreclosure starts, Pittsburgh, Austin, Texas, and Raleigh, North Carolina, saw the largest annual increases, according to Attom.
Lenders repossessed 5,098 properties in the United States through completed foreclosures, a 3% drop from March but up 42% from April 2025. Texas, California and Florida again led all states in completed foreclosures, followed by Pennsylvania and Illinois. Midwest metros recorded the largest annual declines in completed foreclosures, with Kansas City, Missouri, Flint, Michigan, and Cleveland each cracking the top five. Atlanta and Macon, Georgia, rounded out the group, the report found.
Where were foreclosures most common?
One in every 3,388 housing units across the United States filed for a foreclosure in April.
Delaware posted the country's worst foreclosure rate at one in every 1,739 properties, trailed closely behind by South Carolina at one in every 1,745. Florida at one in every 2,092, Indiana at one in every 2,129 and Illinois at every 2,262 filled out the rest of the top five, the report showed.
Among metro areas with a population of 500,000 or more, Lakeland, Florida, recorded the worst foreclosure rate at one in every 1,221. Columbia, South Carolina, at one in every 1,287, Charleston, South Carolina, at one in every 1,483, Bakersfield, California, at one in every 1,566 and Cape Coral, Florida, at one in every 1,628 also posted notably high rates.
