In January, the number of properties with a foreclosure filing inched up on both a monthly and a yearly basis, according to a report released Tuesday by Attom Data.

In total, 33,270 U.S. properties received a default notice, were scheduled for auction or were undergoing bank repossession last month, up 10% from December and up 5% compared to a year ago. Nationwide, one in every 4,236 housing units had a foreclosure filing in January 2024. 

“We observed a slight uptick in foreclosure filings, which may be partially attributed to the typical post-holiday progression of filings through the legal system,” Rob Barber, CEO at Attom, said in a statement. “However, other external factors may be at play such as escalating interest rates, inflation, employment shifts, and other market dynamics. We remain vigilant in monitoring these trends to understand their full impact on foreclosure activity.”

Foreclosure completions increased in 19 states

Lenders repossessed 3,954 U.S. properties through completed real estate-owned (REO) foreclosures in January. That’s up 1% from one year ago and up 13% from last month, the first monthly increase recorded since July 2023.

Nineteen states saw an increase in completed foreclosures from December to January. Michigan, Minnesota, California, Pennsylvania, and Missouri posted the largest monthly increases.

Meanwhile, Detroit, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco posted the highest number of REOs completed among the 224 metropolitan statistical areas with a population of at least 200,000 people in the analysis.

Delaware, Nevada and Indiana had the highest foreclosure rates in the country.

Lenders started the foreclosure process on 21,770 properties in January, up 6% from December and up 5% from a year ago. California, Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois had the greatest number of foreclosure starts last month.

New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago recorded the greatest number of foreclosure starts in January 2024.