CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Foreclosure activity continued to climb nationwide in January 2026, with 40,534 U.S. properties reporting a foreclosure filing, while Pennsylvania ranked among the top states for completed foreclosures and the Philadelphia metro area, which includes Chester County, recorded 165 repossessions, according to ATTOM.
ATTOM’s January 2026 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report showed foreclosure filings were up 32% from a year earlier, marking the 11th consecutive month of annual increases. Filings were down 10% from December.
Lenders began the foreclosure process on 26,369 properties nationwide in January, up 26% year over year. Completed foreclosures, or real estate owned properties, totaled 4,714, up 59% from January 2025.
Pennsylvania recorded 311 completed foreclosures in January, placing it among the states with the highest number of repossessions. The Philadelphia metropolitan statistical area logged 165 REOs during the month.
“Foreclosure activity in January rose year over year for the eleventh straight month, continuing a trend that has now carried into early 2026,” ATTOM Chief Executive Officer Rob Barber said in a statement. “Foreclosure starts were up 26 percent from a year ago, while completed foreclosures increased nearly 59 percent. Although foreclosure activity has been rising steadily, overall levels remain well below historic peaks, suggesting that most homeowners are still on stable footing even as higher housing costs and broader economic pressures create stress in certain pockets of the market.”
In Chester County, the broader rise in distressed activity comes as the housing market remains competitive. As of January 31, 2026, the county’s median home sale price was approximately $537,500, up 5.4% from a year earlier.
The Chester County Sheriff’s Office held a real estate sale on January 15. Sheriff sales are scheduled for the third Thursday of each month, with the next sale set for February 19.
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