Home foreclosures are ticking back up

Home foreclosures have ticked back up over the past four months, according to data provider Black Knight. But don't be alarmed — they're still well below pre-2020 levels, and nowhere in the vicinity of the foreclosure crisis of 2008.

Why it matters: This is a return to the before times. Pandemic-era housing assistance programs are winding down. Folks who hadn't been paying their mortgage are either working out new arrangements with lenders, selling their homes or going into foreclosure.

• "We're moving into more of a normal market," says Andy Walden, vice president of enterprise research and strategy at Black Knight.

Plus: While foreclosure starts are increasing, overall levels of distress in the mortgage market are, well, not distressing.

• The national delinquency rate is down 15% from last year, per Black Knight data.