NEW YORK (VINnews)-Foreclosure filings across the United States ballooned in the first half of the year, reaching nearly 228,000 from January through June — a 21% increase from the same period a year earlier and 28% higher than two years ago, according to data released Thursday by real estate analytics firm ATTOM.

The rise points to mounting financial pressure on homeowners, often triggered by job loss or other life events that lead to missed mortgage payments, ATTOM CEO Rob Barber said in a statement.

“Rising foreclosure rates indicate that more homeowners are in financial distress,” Barber said. ATTOM tracks foreclosures as default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions.

States seeing the sharpest increases included Idaho, up 59% from the first half of 2025; Colorado, up 57%; and Georgia, up 52%.

Florida led the nation in overall foreclosure activity. In June alone, one in every 2,106 housing units in the state had a foreclosure filing.

Nationwide, foreclosures had totaled 640,864 in 2019 before dropping during the pandemic. They are now returning to pre-pandemic levels, the data shows.

“The increases also suggest that some homeowners may be facing greater financial strain than they were a year ago,” Barber added.

Short sales — in which homeowners sell properties for less than the mortgage balance to avoid foreclosure — are also climbing, according to separate data from Realtor.com, providing another indicator of homeowner challenges.