Press Release
U.S. foreclosure rate reaches six-year high
- The U.S. foreclosure inventory rate rose to 0.4% in March 2026, up 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier and reaching its highest level in six years.
- Foreclosure increases are widespread, with 77% of U.S. metropolitan areas experiencing higher rates in the first quarter of 2026.
- Metros in Florida and Texas saw the largest increases in foreclosure rates.
IRVINE, Calif., May 28, 2026 – Cotality, a leading global property information, analytics, and data-enabled solutions provider, today released its latest Loan Performance Indicators, which analyzes mortgage delinquencies nationally and across major metropolitan areas. In March 2026, the share of mortgages in some stage of delinquency (30 or more days past due, including foreclosures) was 3%, a 0.2 percentage point increase from March 2025.
The foreclosure inventory rate also increased for the first time in 15 months to 0.4%, a 0.1 percentage increase from March 2025, signaling a shift from the extended period of stability seen since late 2024.
“Foreclosure activity moved higher in March, with the national foreclosure inventory rate rising to 0.4%, the highest level in six years and marking the first increase in more than a year. This shift reflects a gradual transition from the historically low levels seen through 2024, as more loans move through later stages of delinquency,” said Molly Boesel, Senior Principal Economist at Cotality. “The uptick is not isolated — 77% of U.S. metros are now experiencing increases in foreclosure rates, signaling that the trend is broad-based rather than concentrated in a few markets. This is markedly higher than in December 2025, when just under half of metros had increases in their foreclosure rate. In many areas, particularly across parts of Florida and Texas, the rise in foreclosure activity aligns with earlier increases in serious delinquencies, suggesting that once borrowers fall behind, it is becoming more difficult to recover. While overall mortgage performance remains relatively stable, the growing number of metros with rising foreclosure rates points to emerging pressure in pockets of the housing market that warrants close monitoring.”
Cotality examines all delinquency stages to gain a comprehensive view of the mortgage market and loan performance. In March 2026, the U.S. delinquency and transition rates and their year-over-year changes were as follows:
- Early-Stage Delinquencies (30 to 59 days past due): 1.5%, an increase from 1.4% in March 2025.
- Adverse Delinquency (60 to 89 days past due): 0.4%, unchanged from March 2025.
- Serious Delinquency (90 days or more past due, including loans in foreclosure): 1.2%, an increase from 1% in March 2025.
- Transition Rate (the share of mortgages that transitioned from current to 30 days past due): 0.6%, unchanged from March 2025.
State and Metro Takeaways
In March 2026, 40 states saw year-over-year increases in their overall delinquency rate. The locations with the highest increases were Mississippi and Georgia (both up 0.5 percentage points). All other states had changes ranging between -0.3 and 0.4 percentage points.
In March 2026, 294 out of 384 U.S. metropolitan areas posted an annual increase in their overall delinquency rate. The top areas include Pine Bluff, Arkansas (up 1.5 percentage points); Odessa, Texas (up 1.1 percentage points); and Victoria, Texas (up 1.0 percentage point). All other year-over-year changes ranged between -0.9 and 0.8 percentage points.
In March 2026, 333 metropolitan areas posted annual increases in their serious delinquency rates. The top areas include Odessa, Texas (up 1.0 percentage points); Vineland-Bridgeton, New Jersey (up 0.7 percentage points); and San Angelo, Texas (up 0.7 percentage points). All other year-over-year changes ranged between -0.8 and 0.6 percentage points.
The next Cotality Loan Performance Insights Report will be released on August 27, 2026, featuring data for the second quarter of 2026. For ongoing housing trends and data, visit the Cotality Insights Blog.
Methodology
The data in the Cotality LPI report represents foreclosures and delinquency activity reported through December 2025. The data in this report accounts only for first liens against a property and does not include secondary liens. The delinquency, transition, and foreclosure rates are measured only against homes that have outstanding mortgages. Homes without mortgage “liens” are not subject to foreclosure and are, therefore, excluded from the analysis. Cotality has approximately 75% coverage of U.S. foreclosure data. This data is compiled from public records, contributory databases, and proprietary analytics, and its accuracy is dependent upon these sources.
Source: Cotality
The data provided is for use only by the primary recipient or the primary recipient’s publication or broadcast. This data may not be resold, republished, or licensed to any other source, including publications and sources owned by the primary recipient’s parent company, without prior written permission from Cotality. Any Cotality data used for publication or broadcast, in whole or in part, must be sourced as coming from Cotality, a data and analytics company. For use with broadcast or web content, the citation must directly accompany the first reference of the data. If the data is illustrated with maps, charts, graphs, or other visual elements, the Cotality logo must be included on screen or website. For questions, analysis, or interpretation of the data, contact newsmedia@cotality.com. Data provided may not be modified without the prior written permission of Cotality. Do not use the data in any unlawful manner.
About Cotality
Cotality accelerates data, insights, and workflows across the property ecosystem to enable industry professionals to surpass their ambitions and impact society. With billions of real-time data signals across the life cycle of a property, we unearth hidden risks and transformative opportunities for agents, lenders, carriers, and innovators. Get to know us at www.cotality.com.
Media Contact
Charity Head
Cotality
