Foreclosures

Filings rose at the start of 2025 following the end of a federal foreclosure moratorium, but new numbers from Attom suggest normalization of certain trends.

Demand is brisk enough that zombie home counts have stayed low, according to Attom, which is nevertheless keeping an eye on rising distressed mortgage activity.

Numbers jumped after the expiration of a moratorium at the end of 2024, but rates of foreclosure rose across all loan types, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Completed foreclosure sales reach their highest level since the second quarter of 2023, with a 20% quarter-to-quarter increase, Auction.com said.

Sellers have roughly a month to bring transactions involving properties from the "claims without conveyance of title" and REO programs in line with the changes.

There still is potential for the Supreme Court to review nuances of its landmark Tyler v. Hennepin County decision as other lawsuits raise questions about it.

The systematic miscalculations diverted thousands of dollars from people who fell behind on loans, said documents filed in federal court in Brooklyn.

These mortgages held by low credit score borrowers, made up 90% of the rise in the number of loans 30 days or more late on payments, ICE Mortgage Tech said.

Donna Ferrato stopped paying her mortgage more than 15 years ago, yet she's still living in her Manhattan condo. Her case is part of a broader power struggle between mortgage lenders and homeowners in New York state.

The Department of Veterans Affairs ended a break for borrowers put at a disadvantage by a discontinuation of pandemic aid as they transitioned to a new program.

With proposed tariffs on homebuilding materials working looming and a cloudy forecast for mortgage rates, young homebuyers are facing increased volatility.

Foreclosure filings increased 7% in January from December, which could be a housing market starting to experience trouble, or a post-holiday return to normal.

Completed foreclosure auctions should be 8% lower this year, but if home value and unemployment expectations change, all bets are off, Auction.com said.

Only some of the increase compared with October can be attributed to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, as annual rates have increased six months in a row, ICE Mortgage Technology said.

For the fourth month in a row, overall mortgage delinquency rates have increased, with loans 30 days or more late up 0.2 percentage points in September.

Delinquent borrowers in areas hit by Hurricanes Helene and Milton will get a few additional months to find solutions before servicers can resume legal actions.

Serious mortgage delinquencies are at their highest since May 2023, and early payment default activity is also a concern, ICE Mortgage Technology said.

Just because millions of empty properties are located in U.S. cities, it doesn't counter the fact that an inventory shortage exists, or fix it, LendingTree said.

Property insurance and taxes account for over one-third of current loan performance risk, according to Auction.com's recent survey of default servicing leaders.

On the whole, foreclosure times are back where they were before the pandemic, but in one state the average is over 10 years, according to Attom's latest data.