South Carolina in Top 5 for Foreclosure Filings for January

ATTOM, the leading provider of property data, AI-powered analytics, and real estate intelligence solutions, released its January 2026 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows there were a total of 40,534 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings— default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions — down 10 percent from a month ago and up 32 percent from a year ago. 

"Foreclosure activity in January rose year over year for the eleventh straight month, continuing a trend that has now carried into early 2026," said Rob Barber, CEO at ATTOM. "Foreclosure starts were up 26 percent from a year ago, while completed foreclosures increased nearly 59 percent. Although foreclosure activity has been rising steadily, overall levels remain well below historic peaks, suggesting that most homeowners are still on stable footing even as higher housing costs and broader economic pressures create stress in certain pockets of the market."

Across the nation, one in every 3,547 housing units had a foreclosure filing in January 2026. States with the worst foreclosure rates were Delaware (one in every 1,612 housing units with a foreclosure filing); Nevada (one in every 1,983 housing units); Florida (one in every 2,067 housing units); South Carolina (on in every 2,351 housing units); and Maryland (one in every 2,430 housing units). 

Lenders started the foreclosure process on 26,369 U.S. properties in January 2026, down 7 percent from the previous month but up 26 percent from a year ago.