Foreclosure Activity Nationwide Shows Slight Decline In April – NMP Skip to main content

Foreclosure Activity Nationwide Shows Slight Decline In April

May 15, 2024
foreclosure
Staff Writer

Foreclosure starts decreased 7% from last month and completed foreclosures increased 8% from last month

KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • One in every 4,453 housing units nationwide had a foreclosure filing in April 2024.
  • Maryland was the state with the highest foreclosure rate, with one in every 2,214 housing units with a foreclosure filing.

ATTOM's April 2024 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report shows there were a total of 31,649 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions — down 4% from a month ago and down 4% from a year ago.

“April’s foreclosure numbers highlight a mixed landscape in the U.S. housing market,” said Rob Barber, CEO at ATTOM. “While there is a general downtrend in foreclosure starts and filings, we have also seen an increase in completed foreclosures. This mixed activity underscores the importance of closely monitoring these developments to understand the ongoing dynamics in the real estate market.”

Nationwide, one in every 4,453 housing units had a foreclosure filing in April 2024. States with the highest foreclosure rates were Maryland (one in every 2,214 housing units with a foreclosure filing); Illinois (one in every 2,517 housing units); Nevada (one in every 2,546 housing units); South Carolina (one in every 2,573 housing units); and Florida (one in every 2,854 housing units).

Among the 224 metropolitan statistical areas with a population of at least 200,000, those with the highest foreclosure rates in April 2024 were Elkhart, Ind. (one in every 1,565 housing units with a foreclosure filing); Columbia, S.C. (one in every 1,689 housing units); Cleveland, Ohio (one in every 1,859 housing units); Lakeland, Fla. (one in every 1,861 housing units); and Flint, Mich. (one in every 1,998 housing units).

Lenders started the foreclosure process on 21,753 U.S. properties in April 2024, down 7% from last month and down 3% year over year.

States that had at least 100 foreclosure starts in April 2024 and saw the greatest monthly decline included: New Jersey (down 51%); Indiana (down 32%); Colorado (down 31%); Massachusetts (down 21%); and Connecticut (down 20%).

The top three states that had at least 100 foreclosure starts in April 2024 and saw the greatest monthly increase included: Maryland (up 85%); Oregon (up 80%); and Oklahoma (up 65%).

Lenders repossessed 2,904 U.S. properties through completed foreclosures (REOs) in April 2024, up 8% from last month but down less than 1% from last year.

Those states that had the greatest number of REOs in April 2024 included: Illinois (244 REOs); Pennsylvania (241 REOs); California (233 REOs); New York (225 REOs); and Maryland (200 REOs).

About the author
Staff Writer
Sarah Wolak is a staff writer at NMP.
Published
May 15, 2024
Jobs Report Comes In Weak After Mortgage Rates Surge

Employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, sending Treasury yields lower and offering a potential counterweight to the recent rise in mortgage rates

Oct 02, 2026
Price Cuts Hit Four-Year High As Mortgage Rates Top 7%

More than one in five listings took a price cut in September, but pending sales still posted their sharpest annual decline since March 2025

Oct 01, 2026
Serious Mortgage Delinquencies Rise 19% After Five Months Of Improvement

ICE data shows 574,000 mortgages were at least 90 days past due in August, while early-stage delinquencies remained below year-ago levels

Sep 29, 2026
Smaller Down Payments Give Buyers More Room, But Rates Limit The Savings

The typical down payment fell 9% from a year ago, while shifting market conditions are giving originators different affordability conversations across the country

Sep 25, 2026
Mortgage Rates Break 7% Just As Builders Find A Way To Move Buyers

New-home sales rose 6.4% in August as builders cut prices, offered incentives, and sold more lower-priced homes. Now mortgage rates are moving against buyers again

Sep 25, 2026
Borrowers Want Digital Closings, But Some Originators Remain Hesitant

ServiceLink finds 45% of surveyed LOs cite borrower reluctance as a barrier, even though most recent buyers say digital options would influence their choice of mortgage provider

Sep 23, 2026