Editorial: Rising foreclosures hint at economic strains in Northern Colorado

A recent spike in foreclosures raises questions about whether the region’s long run of economic stability is beginning to fray.

Weld County recorded 253 foreclosure filings in the first half of 2025, up 47% from the same period last year. Boulder County filings increased 20%, and Larimer and Broomfield counties saw smaller but still noticeable increases. Statewide, foreclosures increased 41%, according to ATTOMS’ foreclosure market report, putting Colorado fifth in the nation for year-over-year growth.

No one is suggesting that we’re back in Great Recession territory. (In the first half of 2009, for example, Weld County alone saw more than 1,600 filings in six months.) But the size of the jump this year — after several years of unusually low numbers — has caught the attention of economists, bankers and public officials.

“I think it’s something, certainly, to watch,” Brian Lewandowski, executive director of the Business Research Division at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business, told BizWest’s Beth Potter. Lewandowski points to slower retail sales and other household pressures that could reflect consumer strain.

The foreclosure increase is somewhat puzzling because many home owners ostensibly should have healthy equity in their properties. That should enable someone facing financial strain to sell a home, rather than lose it to foreclosure. But Boulder County treasurer Paul Weissman says more foreclosed homes are heading to market, almost double last year’s pace. “That trend is really scary to me,” he said.

Are we seeing the first cracks in an economy that has weathered high interest rates and inflation better than much of the country? Or is this simply the market returning to pre-pandemic norms after federal moratoria artificially suppressed foreclosures?

Nationally, lenders completed nearly 3,900 foreclosures in June, up 35% from a year earlier. Analysts note that foreclosure activity often serves as an early warning of deeper financial trouble.

It’s too soon to declare a crisis, but the increase in foreclosures deserves attention. Whether driven by job losses or increased consumer debt, a spike in foreclosures often foretells heightened problems down the road.

For now, the Boulder Valley and Northern Colorado still enjoy relatively low unemployment, and business activity seems strong. But the spike in foreclosures is a reminder that economic shifts can come quickly —and that even prosperous regions can suffer economic setbacks.

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