Foreclosure Starts, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Loans
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans referred to foreclosure each month
Where the Foreclosure Starts, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Loans stands now
The Foreclosure Starts, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Loans was 8,000 in May 2026, down from the 10,000 peak in December 2025. It has been higher than a year earlier for one straight year, though it dipped from April 2026.
What it means for households: Foreclosure Statistics Behind on payments? Foreclosure: What to Know
How the Foreclosure Starts, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Loans has moved since 2024
Foreclosure Starts, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Loans: up since 2024
Foreclosure starts per month, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans, FHFA Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report: 8,000 in May 2026, up from 7,000 a year earlier. Monthly, 2024–2026.
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The quote: Servicers referred 7,979 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans to an attorney to begin foreclosure in May 2026, 577 more than a year earlier. A start begins the legal process; it is not a foreclosure sale. The count covers only the two companies' single-family loans, not FHA, VA or bank-portfolio loans. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report.
What the Foreclosure Starts, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Loans measures
Measurement basis: Number of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac single-family loans referred to an attorney to begin the legal foreclosure process in the calendar month (FHFA's glossary: loans not in foreclosure the month before and referred to foreclosure in the current month). A monthly count of loans from the Mortgage Performance table on the Highlights page of FHFA's Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report. FHFA's quarterly editions print only quarter totals, which are never used as a month; a month with no monthly figure is left out.
This product uses FHFA data but is neither endorsed nor certified by FHFA.
Foreclosure Starts, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Loans by month, 2024 to 2026
| Month | Count | Change from a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 8K | +1K |
| Apr 2026 | 8K | +1K |
| Mar 2026 | 8K | +1K |
| Feb 2026 | 8K | +2K |
| Jan 2026 | 9K | +1K |
| Dec 2025 | 10K | +2K |
| Nov 2025 | 7K | +1K |
| Oct 2025 | 9K | +2K |
| Sep 2025 | 9K | +2K |
| Aug 2025 | 8K | 0 |
| Jul 2025 | 8K | +1K |
| Jun 2025 | 7K | +2K |
| May 2025 | 7K | — |
| Apr 2025 | 7K | — |
| Mar 2025 | 7K | — |
| Feb 2025 | 6K | — |
| Jan 2025 | 8K | — |
| Dec 2024 | 8K | — |
| Nov 2024 | 6K | — |
| Oct 2024 | 7K | — |
| Sep 2024 | 7K | — |
| Aug 2024 | 8K | — |
| Jul 2024 | 7K | — |
| Jun 2024 | 5K | — |
Monthly · Federal Housing Finance Agency, Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report
Counties with the highest default and legal scores
There's no county figure for this measure, so this list uses the default and legal part of our County Distress Index.
| Rank | County | Score (0–100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coahoma County, MS | 99 |
| 2 | Clayton County, GA | 98.8 |
| 3 | Petersburg city, VA | 98.8 |
| 4 | Russell County, AL | 98.2 |
| 5 | Dougherty County, GA | 98.2 |
| 6 | Dallas County, AL | 98.1 |
| 7 | Bibb County, GA | 97.8 |
| 8 | Lauderdale County, TN | 97.1 |
| 9 | Crittenden County, AR | 96.9 |
| 10 | Montgomery County, AL | 96.9 |
Common questions about the Foreclosure Starts, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Loans
What is a foreclosure start?
A loan referred to an attorney to begin the legal process of foreclosure in a given month, when it was not in foreclosure the month before. That is how FHFA's glossary defines it.
Does a foreclosure start mean the home is lost?
No. A start is the referral that begins the legal process. A foreclosure sale, if one happens, comes later, and FHFA counts those sales separately.
How is this different from ATTOM's foreclosure numbers?
ATTOM's figures cover foreclosure activity on all mortgages. This count covers only Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans, as the two companies report them to FHFA.
Where does this data come from?
The Federal Housing Finance Agency's Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report, which FHFA publishes as a PDF with no release calendar: a monthly edition for eight months of the year and a quarterly edition for March, June, September and December. We read the Highlights table of each new edition with an automated parser and check every number against the PDF's own text before it is saved.
Sources and method for the Foreclosure Starts, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Loans
- Federal Housing Finance Agency, Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report Measurement basis: Number of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac single-family loans referred to an attorney to begin the legal foreclosure process in the calendar month (FHFA's glossary: loans not in foreclosure the month before and referred to foreclosure in the current month). A monthly count of loans from the Mortgage Performance table on the Highlights page of FHFA's Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report. FHFA's quarterly editions print only quarter totals, which are never used as a month; a month with no monthly figure is left out. We use the monthly figures as published, from June 2024 through May 2026, with no adjustment of our own. Federal Housing Finance Agency doesn’t adjust this count for the season, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Federal Housing Finance Agency’s report