From January through August of 2026, mortgage servicers mailed 65,265 notices of intent to foreclose to Maryland homeowners. That is up 10.5% from the same eight months of 2025. Foreclosure cases filed in court grew faster, from 5,657 to 7,122, an increase of about 26%. The figures come from filings reported to the state's Office of Financial Regulation.
Four counties carry a large share of it. Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George's County, and Harford County together account for 32,544 of those notices, nearly half the statewide total, and 2,973 of the court filings.
What the three numbers measure
Maryland tracks foreclosure at three points, and each one means something different.
A notice of intent to foreclose is the letter a mortgage servicer has to mail a homeowner before it can start a foreclosure. The servicer reports a copy to the state within five business days of mailing it. This is the earliest warning. According to the state, most homeowners who receive one are never foreclosed on, because they reach a resolution first.
A notice of foreclosure is filed with the state within seven days after the servicer files the foreclosure case in court. This is the point where it becomes a court case. Even here, not every property ends up foreclosed.
A foreclosed property registration is filed by whoever buys the house at the foreclosure sale, within 30 days of that sale. This is the count of sales that actually happened.
How 2026 compares statewide
Notices of intent have climbed two years in a row. Maryland servicers mailed 51,759 of them in the first eight months of 2024, 59,066 over the same months of 2025, and 65,265 this year.
The later stages rose more sharply. Court filings were up about 26% over 2025, and foreclosure sale registrations went from 1,091 to 1,627, an increase of about 49%.
One ratio puts the numbers in proportion. Across the state this year, servicers mailed about nine notices of intent for every foreclosure case filed in court. That gap fits what the state says about notices of intent: most of them end in a resolution before anything reaches the courthouse.
Baltimore County
Baltimore County homeowners received 9,181 notices of intent from January through August, up 12.1% from 2025. Court filings rose 11.4% to 753, and foreclosure sale registrations rose to 147 from 113. August alone brought 1,206 notices of intent and 82 court filings, the same number of filings as August 2025.
Prince George's County
Prince George's County has the most foreclosure activity of the four counties by a wide margin. Its 15,750 notices of intent through August are about a quarter of the statewide total and 11.3% more than the same months of 2025. Court filings grew faster, up 27.9% to 1,440. Foreclosure sale registrations reached 216, up from 184. In August the county saw 1,917 notices of intent and 175 court filings.
Anne Arundel County
Anne Arundel County recorded 5,119 notices of intent through August, up 9.7% from 2025. Court filings rose 7.8% to 525, and foreclosure sale registrations went from 61 to 79. August brought 636 notices of intent, slightly fewer than August 2025, but 70 court filings against 56 a year earlier.
Harford County
Harford County is the smallest of the four, with 2,494 notices of intent through August, up 8.4%. Its court filings rose the most in percentage terms, up 42.5% to 255 from 179. With counts this small, a few dozen cases swing the percentage a long way. Foreclosure sale registrations went from 18 to 28. In August the county saw 319 notices of intent and 30 court filings.
If you received a notice of intent
A notice of intent is the start of a process, and you have more time than the letter makes it feel like. Maryland law requires it before a servicer can file in court, and the case moves through several more steps before any sale can happen.
Your first call should be to your servicer, to find out exactly what it would take to bring the loan current or change its terms. A HUD-approved housing counselor can go through those options with you for free, and a real estate attorney can tell you where you stand legally.
Selling is one option among several. It makes sense when keeping the house is not realistic, or when you would rather take your equity and move on.
About this data
Every number in this post comes from Maryland Foreclosure Notice Data by County, published on the state's open data portal by the Office of Financial Regulation, as it stood when this post was written in early October 2026. The most recent month available was August 2026. Year-over-year comparisons use the same January through August period in each year.
The state notes that these are filings reported by third parties. They can contain duplicates and errors, and they can differ from the official court records. Statewide totals include every Maryland county and Baltimore City.
How a sale works with Memorable Home Buyers
We buy houses directly from owners in Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George's County, and Harford County. There is no agent and nothing to repair first.
If you are weighing whether to sell, we will walk through the numbers with you and tell you honestly whether a sale helps. If it does not, we will say that too.
To talk through where you stand, call or text us at 443-363-0949. No pressure, and no commitment to sell.
Related reading
For what happens after a notice of intent, and what selling looks like in each county: