Lenders completed foreclosures on 5,794 U.S. properties in August, up 42% from a year earlier and 22% from July, according to ATTOM’s August 2026 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report released Sept. 17. Completed foreclosures, which ATTOM counts as bank repossessions, or REOs, grew far faster than overall filings, which rose 13%. Texas alone accounted for nearly a third of the month’s repossessions, even as ATTOM said foreclosure activity nationally remains below pre-pandemic norms.
August’s 5,794 Repossessions Mark the Final Stage
ATTOM’s August 2026 foreclosure report tracks three phases of the process: default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions. A completed foreclosure is the last of those. It means a lender has taken back the property after the legal process ran its course, rather than a borrower receiving a warning that can still be cured through a repayment plan, modification or sale.
ATTOM, an Irvine, California, property data firm, builds the count from foreclosure documents collected in more than 3,000 counties that together account for more than 99% of the U.S. population. Its method checks whether the same type of document was already filed against a property within the state’s typical foreclosure timeframe, and if so, the property is not counted again. That keeps a single home from appearing repeatedly as its case moves forward.
Because a repossession is the endpoint, the 42% annual jump carries more weight than an early-stage notice count. Each of the 5,794 properties represents a household whose case moved through state law, lender decisions and, in some states, a court calendar, and ended with the home changing hands. For an owner, the result can include the loss of years of accumulated equity and a forced move.
“August’s data shows that foreclosure activity continues to trend above year-ago levels, particularly in completed foreclosures, which saw a notable annual increase,” said Rob Barber, ATTOM’s chief executive. “While some homeowners are still facing financial challenges, overall foreclosure volumes remain well below historical norms and the broader housing market continues to demonstrate resilience.”
Relief that waits to be asked for: Long before a case reaches repossession, property taxes, utility bills and repair costs strain the same budget as the mortgage, and senior relief on those costs is rarely applied automatically. See the 5 kinds of property-tax relief in The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit.
Texas Led the Nation in Completed Foreclosures
The repossessions were heavily concentrated. Texas recorded 1,835 REOs in August, more than three times the next state. California followed with 589, then North Carolina with 356, Arizona with 296 and Alabama with 286.
Among metro areas with populations above 200,000, three of the top five were in Texas. Houston had 448 completed foreclosures, Dallas 402 and San Antonio 256. Phoenix recorded 186 and Baltimore 167.
State law shapes how quickly cases reach this stage. Some states require lenders to go through the courts, which can stretch a foreclosure over many months or longer, while others allow a faster nonjudicial sale under a deed of trust. A repossession counted in August may stem from a default that began well before the summer, so a monthly completion total is not a same-month measure of new hardship.
Filings and Starts Rose More Slowly
The broader numbers moved at a more modest pace. ATTOM counted 40,277 U.S. properties with a foreclosure filing in August, up 13% from a year earlier and 1% from July. Nationwide, one in every 3,569 housing units had a filing. South Carolina posted the highest foreclosure rate, one filing for every 1,547 housing units, followed by Nevada, Florida, Texas and Maryland.
Lenders started the foreclosure process on 25,894 properties in August, up 7% from a year earlier but down 3% from July. Florida led in starts with 3,189, followed by Texas with 3,126 and California with 2,565. Some metros moved against the national trend: Cleveland’s starts fell from 281 a year earlier to 175, and Washington, D.C.’s fell from 364 to 227.
The gap between the pace of starts and the pace of completions matters. Starts up 7% suggests the flow of new cases is rising only gradually. Completions up 42% indicates that more cases already in the pipeline reached their end in August. That can happen when servicers work through older cases or when court-supervised cases that began months earlier finally go to sale. ATTOM’s national report does not assign the increase to a single cause.
What the Numbers Mean for Older Homeowners
For older Americans who still carry a mortgage, the time before a foreclosure is completed is when options exist. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says that, generally, the legal foreclosure process cannot start until a borrower is at least 120 days behind on the mortgage. After that, the time until a sale varies by state.
The CFPB advises borrowers having trouble paying to contact their servicer quickly and ask about loss mitigation programs, the formal term for alternatives such as repayment plans and loan modifications. HUD-approved housing counseling agencies offer free help with that process, and the bureau’s housing counselor locator lists agencies by area. The CFPB’s phone line, (855) 411-2372, can also connect callers with a counselor.
Retirees on fixed incomes face a particular squeeze, because a mortgage payment that includes escrowed taxes and insurance can rise even when the loan’s interest rate does not. A shortfall that starts with a higher tax or insurance bill can grow into missed payments if it goes unaddressed. Once a foreclosure is completed, the chance to catch up, sell on the owner’s own terms or preserve home equity is largely gone.
ATTOM’s August data put the final stage at 5,794 homes, a 42% annual increase, while overall activity remains below historical levels. For the households behind those numbers, the difference between a notice and a completed sale is measured in months, and in whatever steps are taken during them.
Home Costs That Stack Up Before a Crisis
A completed foreclosure is usually the end of a long run of housing costs, not a single missed bill. Property taxes, energy bills and repairs each have their own relief programs for older owners, and each one has to be found and filed separately while there is still room in the budget.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit includes the 5 kinds of property-tax relief, the circuit-breaker credit that includes renters, and heating, cooling and home-repair help, gathered in an 11-page kit.
Compare the relief categories before the next tax or utility bill arrives in The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit.
This article was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed against the linked official sources.
