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Despite the economic fallout and job loss from the pandemic, the number of US properties with foreclosure filings in February was 11,281, down 77% from last year, according to ATTOM Data Solutions . This is likely thanks to the COVID-19 foreclosure moratorium for federally guaranteed mortgages, which has been extended to June 30, 2021. (Note: President Joe Biden’s executive order also extended the mortgage payment forbearance enrollment window to June 30, 2021.)

While foreclosures were down for the month compared to last year, they were up compared to the previous month: specifically, foreclosures in February were up 16% compared to January. Read on for the top 30 states with foreclosures in February 2021—plus top counties within those states.

States with the Highest Foreclosure Rates: 1 -10

The top 10 states are not located in any one region. That said, the South had five states in the top 10: Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Georgia. The Northeast had none.

1. Utah

With a total 1,087,112 housing units, Utah’s foreclosure rate was 1 in every 3,883 homes in February. The 31st most populated state in the country, the state saw a total 280 foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions). The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Utah, Ulintah, Beaver, Juab and Carbon.

2. Delaware

With a total 433,195 housing units, Delaware’s foreclosure rate was 1 in every 5,219 homes. Ranking 45th for population, the state had 83 foreclosure filings in February. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Kent, Sussex, and New Castle.

3. Florida

The third most populated state, Florida was also third for most foreclosures. Of its 9,448,159 homes, 1,516 went into foreclosure–making the state’s foreclosure rate 1 in every 6,232. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Highlands, Levy, Hendry, Madison and Taylor.

4. Illinois

With a total housing unit count of 5,360,315, Illinois had 846 homes go into foreclosure, resulting in the state’s foreclosure rate of 1 in every 6,336. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Power, Boundary, Fremont, Payette, and Bannock.

5. Louisiana

With the 25th largest population in the country, Louisiana’s foreclosure rate of 1 in every 7,923 homes put it in the number five spot. Of its total 2,059,918 housing units, 260 went into foreclosure. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Washington, West Baton Rouge, Caddo, Jackson, and Union.

Recommended: Tips on Buying a Foreclosed Home

6. Indiana

With a total 2,886,548 housing units in the state, Indiana’s foreclosure rate was 1 in every 7,930 homes. Ranked the 17th most populated, the state ranked 6th for foreclosures with a total 364 filings. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Vermillion, Clinton, Jasper, Fountain, and Huntington.

7. Ohio

Just like Florida, Ohio’s population ranking (7th) matches its foreclosure rate ranking. With 1 in every 8,310 households going into foreclosure, the state had 626 homes of a total 5,202,304 go into foreclosure. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Lake, Fairfield, Trumbull, Marion, and Cuyahoga.

8. South Carolina

With 1 in every 8,565 homes going into foreclosure, South Carolina was a close eighth to Ohio. Ranked 23rd for population, South Carolina has 2,286,826 housing units and saw 267 foreclosure filings. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Mccormick, Allendale, Fairfield, Darlington, and Bamberg.

9. Wyoming

Though it’s the least populated state in the country, Wyoming ranks 9th for foreclosures with 1 in every 8,651 homes. Of its 276,846 homes, 32 homes were foreclosed on. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Weston, Carbon, Uinta, Campbell, and Lincoln.

10. Georgia

Eighth for most populated state, Georgia was tenth for most foreclosures. It has 4,283,477 housing units, of which 472 went into foreclosure—making the state’s foreclosure rate 1 in every 9,075 households. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Berrien, Baker, Terrell, Oglethorpe, and Candler.

States with the Highest Foreclosure Rates: 11 – 20

With the next group of states, the trend of the South (North Carolina, Missouri, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Mississippi) dominating foreclosure rates continues. The Northeast appears with Maine and New Jersey and the West Coast debuts with California.

11. Maine

Ranked as the 9th least populated state, Maine saw a total 81 foreclosures in February. With a total 742,788 housing units, its foreclosure rate was 1 in every 9,170 homes. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Oxford, Penobscot, Franklin, Waldo, and Somerset.

12. California

The most populated state is only 12th for foreclosures. Of its 14,175,976 homes, 1,427 went into foreclosure, making for a foreclosure rate of 1 in every 9,934 homes. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Calaveras, Sutter, Trinity, Kern, and Butte.

13. North Carolina

The 9th most populated state has 4,627,089 homes, of which 462 homes went into foreclosure. That makes the state’s foreclosure rate 1 in every 10,015 homes. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Hyde, Anson, Lenoir, Onslow, and Bertie.

14. Missouri

Of Missouri’s 2,790,397 housing units, 265 homes went into foreclosure in February. The 18th most populated state’s foreclosure rate is 1 in every 10,530 households. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Moniteau, Pike, Montgomery, Greene, and Adair.

Recommended: What Is a Short Sale?

15. Iowa

The 30th most populated state, Iowa is 15th for most foreclosures. Of its 1,397,087 homes, 128 were foreclosed on. That puts the state’s foreclosure rate at 1 in every 10,915 households. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Guthrie, Wayne, Hamilton, Davis, and Adair.

16. Oklahoma

With 154 of its 1,731,632 homes going into foreclosure, Oklahoma’s foreclosure rate is 1 in every 11,244 households. In the 28th most populated state, the counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Roger Mills, Pawnee, Pontotoc, Muskogee, and Choctaw.

17. Alabama

Ranked 24th for most populated, Alabama was 17th for foreclosures. Of its 2,255,026 homes, 198 went into foreclosure, making for a foreclosure rate of 1 in every 11,389 homes. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Marshall, Jefferson, Coffee, Autauga, and Shelby.

18. New Jersey

New Jersey has a total of 3,616,614 housing units and 317 homes are in foreclosure. While it’s ranked 11th most populated state, its foreclosure rate of 1 in every 11,409 homes puts it in 18th place. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Salem, Atlantic, Sussex, Gloucester, and Cumberland.

19. Alaska

The third least populated state, Alaska has 314,670 homes, of which 26 went into foreclosure in February. That means its foreclosure rate is 1 in every 12,103 homes. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Matanuska-Susitna, Anchorage, Fairbanks North Star, Juneau, and Kenai Peninsula.

20. Mississippi

In the number 20 spot for most foreclosures,Mississippi ranks as 33rd for most populated–and has 1,322,808 homes. A total 107 went into foreclosure in February, making the state’s foreclosure rate 1 in every 12,363 households. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Scott, Simpson, Lawrence, Bolivar, and Pike.

States with the Highest Foreclosure Rates: 21 – 30

The remaining states (21 to 30) in our rankings of the highest foreclosure rates are mainly located in the Northeast: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. The Midwest and Southwest were tied with two states each: Wisconsin and Nebraska and Texas and Arizona.

21. Connecticut

With housing units totaling 1,516,629, Connecticut saw 116 homes go into foreclosure. That puts the 29th most populated state in 21st place, with a foreclosure rate of 1 in every 13,074 homes. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Windham, Litchfield, Tolland, Hartford, and Middlesex.

22. Arizona

Though ranked as the 14th most populated state, Arizona’s total 228 foreclosures (out of 3,003,286 total housing units) puts it in 22nd place for most foreclosures. The state’s foreclosure rate is 1 in every 13,172 households. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Apache, Mohave, Pima, Santa Cruz, and Pinal.

23. Pennsylvania

With a total 5,693,314 housing units, Pennsylvania saw 421 homes go into foreclosure. That puts the foreclosure rate for the 5th most populated state at 1 in every 13,523 households. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Philadelphia, Lycoming, Cambria, Luzerne, and Wyoming.

24. Maryland

The 19th most populated state ranks 24th for foreclosures. Of its 2,448,422 housing units, 170 went into foreclosure, making for a foreclosure rate of 1 in every 14,402 homes. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Somerset, Allegany, Prince George’s County, Caroline, and Baltimore City.

25. Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, the 20th most populated state, there were 179 foreclosures (out of 2,694,527 housing units.) That puts its foreclosure rate at 1 in every 15,053 homes. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Florence, Ashland, Langlade, Vernon, and Grant.

26. Massachusetts

Ranked 15th for most populated, Massachusetts came in as 26th for foreclosures. With 2,897,259 housing units and 172 homes in foreclosure, the state’s foreclosure rate was 1 in every 16,845 households. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Hampden, Franklin, Berkshire, Worcester, and Barnstable.

Recommended: Home Buying 101: How Much House You Can Afford

27. Texas

The second most populated state was 27th for foreclosures. Of 10,937,026 homes, 636 went into foreclosure, making for a foreclosure rate of 1 in every 17,197 households. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Liberty, Atascosa, Franklin, Mills, and Mcculloch.

28. New Hampshire

New Hampshire’s total number of foreclosures was only in the double digits: 35. But in a state with the 10th smallest population (and 634,726 housing units), that number put it in the 28th spot for foreclosures, making for a foreclosure rate of 1 in every 18,135 households. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Cheshire, Sullivan, Merrimack, Belknap, and Strafford.

29. Nebraska

With 46 of a total 837,476 housing units in foreclosure, Nebraska’s total number is also in the double digits. But with a foreclosure rate of 1 in every 18,206 households, the 14th least populated state holds 29th for foreclosures.. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Cuming, Nemaha, Red Willow, Scotts Bluff, and Antelope.

30. Virginia

Last but not least, Virginia saw 192 homes go into foreclosure in February. That nabbed the 12th most populated state the 30th spot on our list. With 3,514,032 total housing units, the state’s foreclosure rate was 1 in every 18,302 households. The counties with the most foreclosures per housing unit were (in descending order): Emporia City, Norton City, Nottoway, King William, and Lancaster.

The Takeaway

Of the top 20 states with the highest foreclosure rates, half were in the South: Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Missouri, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Mississippi. Of the top 30 states, Florida had the most number of foreclosures (1,516) and Alaska had the least (26).

Looking to buy a home? SoFi offers competitive rates, exclusive member discounts, and guidance from mortgage loan officers and member specialists.

Discover more about home loans at SoFi.

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SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC). For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. Equal Housing Lender.

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This month’s to-do list may include submitting a student loan application for a child starting college next year, shopping for a used car now that the old one is making that sputtering sound again, paying a mortgage bill, and paying a credit card statement balance. (Plus a little extra because there weren’t enough funds last month to pay off the statement balance.)

These are fairly run-of-the-mill chores for any adult’s to-do list. But there’s something out there that affects each of those four tasks. It’s called the LIBOR.

Every item on that list—a student loan, car loan, mortgage payment, and credit card bill—comes with an interest rate. The London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, affects interest rates across the globe.

Chances are, the LIBOR rate has affected almost every American today, either directly or indirectly. So, what is this LIBOR rate that is affecting everyone’s finances?

LIBOR is the interest rate that serves as a reference point for major international banks. Just as average joes might take out loans that carry interest rates, banks loan each other money at an interest rate. This rate is the LIBOR.

The LIBOR rate is recalculated every day and published by the Intercontinental Exchange, aka ICE, an American financial market company.

The LIBOR rate should not be confused with the US prime rate. The LIBOR rate is floating, meaning it changes every day. The US prime rate is another benchmark interest rate, but it stays fixed for an extended period of time.

The LIBOR is an international rate, so it’s based on five currencies: the American dollar, British pound, European Union euro, Swiss franc, and Japanese yen.

It also serves seven maturities, or lengths of time: overnight (also referred to as “spot next”), one week, one month, two months, three months, six months, and one year.

The combination of five currencies and seven maturities results in 35 separate LIBOR rates each day. Borrowers might hear about the one-week Japanese yen rate or six-month British pound rate, for example.

The most common LIBOR rate is the three-month U.S. dollar rate. When people talk about the current LIBOR rate, they’re most likely referring to the three-month U.S. dollar LIBOR.

Every day, ICE polls a group of prominent international banks. The banks tell ICE the rate at which they would charge fellow banks for short-term loans, which are loans that will be paid back within one year.

ICE takes the banks’ highest and lowest interest rates out of the equation then finds the mean of the numbers that are left. This method is known as the “trimmed mean approach,” or “trimmed average approach,” because ICE trims off the highest and lowest rates.

The resulting trimmed mean is the LIBOR rate. After calculating the LIBOR, ICE publishes the rate every London business day at 11:55 a.m. London time, or 6:55 a.m. in New York.

How LIBOR Is Calculated

So far, we know that a group of international banks submits interest rates to ICE, and ICE calculates the trimmed mean to find the LIBOR rate. But there’s more to it than that. Which banks are involved, and how do the banks decide what rates to submit?

ICE selects a panel of 11 to 16 banks from the countries of each of its five currencies: The United Kingdom, United States, European Union, Switzerland, and Japan. This group of banks is redetermined every year, so banks may come and go from the panel.

The chosen banks must have a significant impact on the London market to be selected. (The L in LIBOR does stand for London, after all.) Some of the current US banks are HSBC, Bank of America, and UBS, just to name a few.

The banks have a pretty complex way of determining their rates called the “Waterfall Methodology.” There are three levels to the waterfall. In a perfect world, every bank from the panel would be able to provide sufficient information in Level 1, and that would be that. But if a bank can’t provide adequate rates for Level 1, it moves on to Level 2; if it doesn’t have submissions for Level 2, it moves on to Level 3.

•   Level 1: Transaction-based. A bank determines rates by looking at eligible transactions that have taken place close to 11 a.m. London time.

•   Level 2: Transaction-derived. If a bank doesn’t have rates based on actual transactions, they provide information that’s been derived from reliable data, such as previous eligible transactions.

•   Level 3: Expert judgment. A bank only gets to Level 3 if it can’t come up with transaction-based or transaction-derived rates. In this case, its bankers submit the rates they believe the bank could afford to charge other banks by 11 a.m. London time.

Seems complicated, doesn’t it? And bankers from every bank on the panel go through the Waterfall Methodology every business day.

After the ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA) receives all the banks’ rates, they cut the lowest and highest numbers and use the remaining data to find the “trimmed mean,” and—tada!—that’s the LIBOR for the day.

Why LIBOR Matters

Wondering why people should care about LIBOR? If they don’t work at a bank, who cares? Well, LIBOR actually affects almost every person who borrows money. Many lines of credit, including credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and more, are tied to LIBOR.

All federal student loans come with fixed interest rates. Once the government sets interest rates, that rate remains fixed regardless of what happens with LIBOR because it’s based on the 10-year Treasury note instead.

When it comes to things like private student loans and mortgages, however, Americans can choose between fixed-rate loans and variable-rate loans. With variable-rate loans, the borrower’s rate may increase or decrease along with the LIBOR rate.

That may seem like a scary way to determine rates. What if the LIBOR rate increases to, say, 10%? Many lenders place a rate cap on loans so variable-rate loans can’t become expensive to the point that many borrowers may feel they have no choice but to default on their loans.

So while the LIBOR does affect many variable-rate loans, borrowers shouldn’t worry about rates spiraling out of control.

When the LIBOR rate is low, it could be a good time for consumers to take some steps toward achieving financial goals.

They might consider consolidating or refinancing their loans, or even taking out a personal loan. If their income is steady and credit score is good, a low LIBOR rate could help them land a competitive interest rate.

Someone with no debt or a fixed-rate loan might think, “Phew! It looks like the LIBOR doesn’t affect me.” Actually, LIBOR affects everyone. When the LIBOR rate continues to increase, borrowing can become so expensive that many Americans can’t afford to borrow money anymore.

When people stop taking out loans or using their credit cards, the economy slows down and the unemployment rate could rise as a result. After a while, this could lead to a recession.

Remember the financial crisis of 2008? LIBOR played a big part in that tumultuous time for America.

Subprime mortgages started defaulting, and the Federal Reserve had to bail out insurance companies and banks that didn’t have enough cash. Banks were afraid to lend to each other, so the LIBOR rate surged and investors panicked, leading the Dow to drop by 14%.

And think about what is currently going on in the economy right now. Because of the coronavirus pandemic unemployment rates have skyrocketed and interest rates have dropped dramatically.

But, interest rates will no longer be tied to LIBOR in the near future. 2021 has been set as a deadline for financial firms to move away from using LIBOR. Financial firms are looking to tie to other rates, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), instead.

The History of LIBOR

How LIBOR Began

Why does LIBOR exist in the first place? Well, in the 1960s and 1970s, demand for interest rate-based goods such as derivatives started to increase.

The British Bankers’ Association (BBA) represented London’s financial services industry at the time, and the association decided there should be a consistent way to determine rates as demand grew. This led to the creation of the BBA LIBOR in 1986.

The BBA doesn’t control LIBOR anymore. In fact, the BBA doesn’t even exist. The association merged with UK Finance a few years ago. After some struggles and scandals took place on the BBA’s watch, ICE took over LIBOR in 2014. The BBA LIBOR is now the ICE LIBOR.

LIBOR Scandals

Bankers in ICE’s group of banks have been found guilty of reporting falsely low LIBOR rates. In some cases, these lies benefited traders who held securities tied to the LIBOR rate.

In other instances, the banks raked in the dough by keeping LIBOR rates low. People tend to borrow more money from banks when rates are low, so by deceiving the public, banks conducted more business.

In 2012, a judge found Barclays Bank to be guilty of reporting false LIBOR rates from 2005 to 2009, and the CEO, Bob Diamond, stepped down. Diamond claimed other bankers did the exact same thing, and a London court found three more bankers guilty of reporting false LIBOR rates.

After the 2008 financial crisis and 2012 scandal, it became clear that there were some flaws in how LIBOR was determined.

The Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom started overseeing LIBOR, and in 2014, the ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA) took over LIBOR and started changing how things were done.

How LIBOR Is Changing

LIBOR has gone through a lot of changes since 1986. In 1998, the bankers were told to change the question they asked themselves each morning before reporting their rates. Bankers used to base rates on the question, “At what rate do you think interbank term deposits will be offered by one prime bank to another prime bank for a reasonable market size today at 11 a.m.?”

Now they should ask themselves, “At what rate could you borrow funds, were you to do so by asking for and then accepting interbank offers in a reasonable market size just prior to 11 a.m.?” The questions may seem similar, but the change in wording showed that the BBA was trying to keep them honest.

In 2017, the IBA held a three-month test period of LIBOR standards in an attempt to limit further scandal.

LIBOR has changed currencies over the years. There used to be more than the remaining five currencies and more than the seven maturities, but some were added and removed after the financial crisis of 2008.

But despite all the attempts at improvements over the years, CEO of the FCA Andrew Bailey has announced that he hopes to stop using LIBOR by the end of 2021.

Some say LIBOR is becoming less reliable as banks make fewer transactions that depend on its rate. The Federal Reserve is proposing American banks use alternative benchmark rates, one option being an index called the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) .

Competitive Interest Rates With SoFi

It’s difficult to know what will happen with the LIBOR rate next week, next month, or even at the end of 2021. But one thing’s for sure: benchmark rates continue to affect the US economy and consumers’ loan interest rates.

When members apply for a loan through SoFi, borrowers can choose between variable rates (which would be more directly affected by fluctuations in benchmark rates) or fixed rates on a variety of loan products.

SoFi offers variable-rate or fixed-rate mortgage, variable rate or fixed rate private student loans, or fixed rate personal loans. They may also be able to refinance their student loans or mortgages for more competitive rates if they qualify.

SoFi members can receive other discounts when they borrow through SoFi. For example, when student loan borrowers set up automatic payments, they are eligible to receive a reduction on their interest rate.

Whatever happens with LIBOR, SoFi members can benefit from perks like unemployment protection, exclusive member events, and member discounts.

Searching for a loan with competitive rates? SoFi offers home loans, student loans, and personal loans, as well as refinancing.

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