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
Higher Mortgage Rates Shrink Purchase Demand, Expand Buyer Leverage

Pending sales fell to their lowest level since early April, but lower asking prices and reduced competition give originators more options to structure deals for qualified borrowers

Jul 31, 2026
Even Stable Public-Service Careers No Longer Guarantee Homeownership

Younger teachers, health care workers, first responders, and military households can afford median-priced homes in only a fraction of major metros

Jul 31, 2026
Buyers Gain Negotiating Power In 41 Major Housing Markets

Price cuts and longer listing times are creating opportunities for loan officers to help borrowers negotiate seller concessions, but leverage varies sharply by metro

Jul 30, 2026
Fannie Mae Purchase Volume Jumps 33% In Second Quarter

The GSE financed 201,000 home purchases, while appraisal alternatives pushed estimated borrower closing-cost savings to $3 billion

Jul 29, 2026
Second-Home Lending Grows Faster Than Primary-Home Market

Vacation-home mortgages rose 4.1% in 2025, led overwhelmingly by affluent borrowers

Jul 28, 2026
Credit Score Battle Picks Up Speed With FICO, VantageScore Gains

FICO 10T enrollment tops 70 lenders while VantageScore 4.0’s presence in TransUnion mortgage credit pulls jumps from less than 5% to roughly 30%

Jul 28, 2026