ICE First Look: Mortgage Performance Remains Stable as Foreclosure Inventory Growth Slows to Nine-Month Low
Industry Update
September 28, 2026
Source: ICE Mortgage Technology
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE), one of the world’s leading providers of financial market technology and data powering global capital markets, today released the August 2026 ICE First Look at mortgage delinquency, foreclosure and prepayment trends.
Key takeaways from this month’s findings include:
National delinquency rate rose on calendar effects: The national delinquency rate rose 14 basis points (bps) to 3.53% in August but was effectively flat after accounting for the prior month’s calendar-driven decline. The delinquency rate is up a modest 10 bps year over year but remains 35 bps below its August 2019 level and below every pre-pandemic August on record.
Early-stage delinquencies remained below year-ago levels, while serious delinquencies climbed: Loans 30 and 60 days past due rose in August but remain down 21,000 from a year ago. Seriously delinquent loans rose by 11,000 to 574,000, ending five months of declines, and remain 19% above last year. Still, at 1.04% of active loans, the serious delinquency rate is in line with the 2017-2019 pre-pandemic August average of 1.03%.
Foreclosure starts and sales eased: Starts fell 6% in August, though still up 29% annually. Sales dipped 2%, running at just 57% of August 2019’s pace despite being up 12% year over year.
Foreclosure inventory held largely flat: Pre-sale inventory rate was unchanged at 0.54%, matching its highest reading since February 2020. Active inventory rose just 2,000, the smallest monthly build since November 2025, but is up 89,000, or 41%, year over year.
Prepayment speeds fell to a 17-month low: Single-month mortality (SMM) was down 11 bps to 0.64%, marking a fifth consecutive monthly decline as mortgage rates trended higher. Recent originations from 2023-2025 led the pullback, with SMM easing to 0.91% from a March peak of 2.32%.
“While overall performance remains sound, the market isn’t moving uniformly,” said Bob Hart, President of Mortgage Technology at ICE. “ICE is committed to giving lenders and servicers a clear view of the data, analytics and workflow tools they need to identify borrowers who may need assistance earlier, manage those cases more effectively and help keep people in their homes.”
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