Banks seize 367,000 homes as housing pain spreads across US… and it is about to get much worse https://t.co/YWpfrzWOTz
— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) January 15, 2026
The past year was difficult for homeowners — but experts warn that 2026 could be even more challenging.
Foreclosures — when a bank or lender takes back a home after missed mortgage payments — rose 14 percent from a year earlier.
In total, 367,460 US properties faced foreclosure filings in 2025, meaning they were in some stage of being taken over by a lender, according to ATTOM’s data.
Experts warn even more homes may be seized in 2026. ‘If the job market weakens, and it may very well, then we could unfortunately down the road see the increase in the foreclosure rate significantly accelerate,’ said economist Michael Szanto.
Indeed, the outlook for the housing market — and the wider economy — is increasingly bleak. In total, the US added only around 584,000 jobs in 2025, making it the weakest year for job growth outside a recession since 2003.
As foreclosures rise, neighborhoods are flooded with discounted, bank-owned homes, dragging down nearby property values. For homeowners, that often means losing equity simply because of where they live.
A surge in foreclosure filings are a symptom of deeper financial problems: homeowners squeezed by higher taxes and interest costs are falling behind, as they fail to pay other debts, such as credit cards and car loans, as well.
That dynamic is reviving fears of a downturn reminiscent of 2008.