Distressed

The share of seriously underwater homeowners also grew in 45 states compared to a year ago, with the South Central region most affected, according to Attom.

A rule change requiring trial modifications before other loss-mitigation options is creating workflow and liquidity challenges, especially for smaller servicers without deep resources.

The government guarantor aims to distinguish delinquencies reported as a result of a Federal Housing Administration rule change from broader market trends.

Delinquencies also showed signs of overall improvement in March, despite an increase in foreclosure numbers, ICE Mortgage Technology said.

Foreclosure auctions available jumped on both a quarterly and yearly basis, but the sales rate did not move in tandem, according to a new report.

About two-thirds of respondents to a NewDay survey said their education about the benefit was lacking either during their time in the service or afterwards.

Sun Belt states saw a noticeable surge in liens filed last year, with Florida accounting for 17% of the national total, according to Benutech.

Quarterly filings are far from historic highs but rising more consistently, with concentrations in Florida, California and Texas, Attom's latest numbers show.

Half of Gen Z homeowners and 44% of millennial homeowners were at risk of missing at least one mortgage payment over the last two years, ServiceLink found.

Sheer luck kept all but one hurricane from U.S. shores in 2025; one landfall in 2026 could devastate servicers.

Warren called the administration's approach to the issue a "dereliction of its duty" and said she remained concerned for Americans at risk of losing their houses to debt collectors that revive the loans. 

The national delinquency rate ticked up seven basis points to 3.72% last month, coupled with a 10-basis-point increase in prepayment speed, according to ICE.

The number of homes with default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions last month was down from January but up 20% from a year ago.

While overall delinquencies eased in January, foreclosure starts jumped to their highest point since early 2020, signaling growing strain among late-stage borrowers despite steady mortgage performance.

Total consumer debt in the United States hit $18.2 trillion by the end of last year, with $12.8 trillion attributed to first mortgages, according to Equifax.

For five of the six private mortgage insurers, the surge of originations during the fourth quarter led to more new business versus the prior three months.

About 1.3% of residential properties in the United States were vacant at the beginning of the year, Attom found.

TransUnion projected moderate growth in 2026 for mortgages, projecting purchases and refinances to increase 4% and 4.2% year over year.

Mortgage delinquencies increased across loan types, and while 30-day late payments showed overall improvement, later-stage distress worsened.

Borrowers in the lowest-income areas have seen their 90 or more day delinquency rates soar since 2021, jumping from 0.5% to nearly 3%, the New York Fed said.