In an indication that U.S. homeowners may be starting to feel the sting of economic pressures, March property foreclosure filings increased 11% from the prior month and 9% from the same month a year ago, according to a report released Thursday by Attom.
For the quarter, foreclosure filings were up 11% from the fourth quarter of 2024, though they were down 2% from the first quarter of last year.
“Following three consecutive quarters of decline, foreclosure activity ticked up in the first quarter of 2025, with notable growth in both starts and completions,” Attom CEO Rob Barber said in a press release. “While levels remain below historical averages, the quarterly growth suggests that some homeowners may be starting to feel the pressure of ongoing economic challenges.”
But Barber added that “strong home equity positions in many markets continue to help buffer against a more significant spike in distress.”
In total, there were 35,890 foreclosure filings in March. Put another way, 1 in every 3,965 properties had a foreclosure filing last month.
States with the highest foreclosure filing rates in March included Delaware, Nevada, Illinois and Connecticut.
Properties that had started the foreclosure process in March totaled 25,070, which is up 10% from February and 8% from March of 2024.
Lenders completed the foreclosure process on 3,687 U.S. properties last month, up 22% from the previous month and 37% year over year.
