The number of foreclosure filings nationwide dipped to a record low as of the mid-point of 2020, according to ATTOM Data Solutions’ Midyear 2020 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report.

Filings were down 44 percent over the course of the first six months of the year as compared to the same period of 2019, with a total of 165,530 properties in the U.S. receiving a foreclosure filing during that time.

The filings cover default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions.

The low filing numbers are likely attributable to the housing market boom that already existed before the pandemic, coupled with a federal government ban on foreclosures. That ban is expected to stay in effect until August 2020.

While the moratorium could continue beyond that, there is likely to be a sharp uptick in foreclosures whenever it is lifted.

That conclusion is based on the high number of people who defaulted on their mortgages between April and July 2020. According to a report by CoreLogic Loan Performance Insights, the number of mortgages that were 30 days or more past due across the country in April was highest in the following states: New York, New Jersey, Florida and Nevada.