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Allen County, Indiana Court Filings Intelligence

Analysis of property-related court filings (foreclosure, probate, divorce, partition, guardianship) in Allen County. See methodology.

Based on public court filings, analyzed by Keystone. As of October 2026.

Investor takeaway

About Allen County

Allen County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 385,410, making it the third-most populous county in Indiana. The county seat and largest city is Fort Wayne, the second-largest city in Indiana.

Source: Wikipedia

At a glance

27% of filings with a known owner mailing address involve owners whose mailing address differs from the property address.

$204,843 median estimated property value across filings with property-value data.

3.6% Indiana unemployment rate (BLS, as of 2026-08). Filings should be read against the local-economy backdrop.

Filing type breakdown

Filing typeShare
Divorce 40.7%
Probate 29.7%
Pre-Foreclosure 10.0%
Guardianship 9.8%
Other 9.9%

Each row is a distinct case as recorded on the county docket.

Geographic concentration by ZIP

The ZIP codes in Allen County with the most property-related court filings, in rank order: where distressed real estate activity clusters.

RankZIPCity
1 46835 Fort Wayne
2 46815 Fort Wayne
3 46804 FORT WAYNE
4 46845 Fort Wayne
5 46825 FORT WAYNE
6 46806 FORT WAYNE
7 46818 FORT WAYNE
8 46774 NEW HAVEN
9 46808 FORT WAYNE
10 46805 FORT WAYNE

Based on filings with a parseable property address.

Property value distribution

Estimated valueShare
Under $75k 7.0%
$75k - $150k 21.6%
$150k - $250k 36.6%
$250k - $400k 23.8%
$400k+ 11.0%

Source: property records. Median $204,843; mean $249,202.

Building characteristics

Per-property details from third-party property enrichment, aggregated across filings with characteristic data:

IndicatorValue
Median year built1973
Median living area2,119 sqft
Median lot size0.28 acres
Owner-occupied (at time of enrichment)0.0%

Housing stock + distress signals

Underlying housing stock and distress indicators across all 164456 Allen County housing units, from US Census ACS 5-year data. National reference values shown for context.

Indicator Allen County US average
Vacancy rate (incl. seasonal + for-sale)6.2%10.5%
Share of owner-occupied units carrying a mortgage64.9%60.8%
Pre-1940 housing stock12.8%12.3%
Single-family detached share of housing stock73.9%61.2%
Residents age 65 or older15.3%17.3%

Source: US Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS 2023 5-year). National reference values are ACS 2022 5-year US totals. Why these matter: vacancy rate is the strongest single proxy for distressed inventory; mortgage-carrying share defines the risk pool exposed to rate environment; pre-1940 stock signals deferred maintenance and renovation opportunity; senior population correlates with probate pipeline depth.

Rent benchmark (HUD Fair Market Rent)

HUD sets Fair Market Rents at the metro area level, so the same FMRs apply to every county within the metro. Allen County sits within the Fort Wayne, IN (FY 2026). Used to set Section 8 voucher amounts; investors use it as a defensible rent-estimate floor for buy-to-rent underwriting.

Unit size Fair market rent / month
Efficiency / studio$892
1-bedroom$916
2-bedroom$1,113
3-bedroom$1,381
4-bedroom$1,512

Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents (2026). 40th-percentile gross rent including utilities. Why this matters: Section-8-eligible tenants are a baseline demand floor for rental inventory at these price points; FMR is the official ceiling for voucher-eligible rents.

New construction (market momentum)

Annual building permits filed in Allen County from the US Census Building Permits Survey. Trend signal on whether new housing demand is accelerating or contracting in this market.

Indicator Value
Total housing units permitted (2025)1,388
Year-over-year change (2024 → 2025)-25.4%
Single-family share of permits (2025)93.7%
Single-family units permitted1,300
Multifamily units permitted (2+ units per building)88

Source: US Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, annual cumulative data. Why this matters: permits trending up signals strong demand for new inventory; permits contracting at the same time foreclosure activity rises indicates broader market softening (deals price differently). Multifamily share shows whether the market is densifying or holding to single-family stock.

Macro context: state home prices and national delinquency

Allen County filings should be read against the broader housing-market backdrop. Indiana state home-price trend and the national mortgage-delinquency rate are the two macro signals most directly relevant to foreclosure exposure.

IndicatorValuePeriod
Indiana home price index (year-over-year)+4.6%2026-04-01
Indiana home price index (cumulative since 2020)+67.6%2026-04-01
National mortgage delinquency rate (30+ day, single-family)1.86%2026-04-01

Sources: Federal Housing Finance Agency state house price indices (FRED series INSTHPI); Federal Reserve Board, Mortgage Delinquency 30+Day Rate on Single-Family Residential Mortgages (FRED series DRSFRMACBS). Updated quarterly. Free public data.

Local-market benchmark

Demographics of the ZIPs where filings cluster, weighted by filing count and benchmarked against Census ACS 2023 5-year:

IndicatorFiling-weighted average
Median household income (where filings cluster)$73,169
Median home value$191,573
Owner-occupancy rate70.2%
Renter share of households29.8%
Median gross rent$1,067/mo

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates, weighted by Keystone's filing volume across 10 top ZIPs.

Most active foreclosure plaintiffs in Allen County

Top mortgage holders and servicers named in foreclosure complaints filed in this county. Lender names are normalized to collapse common legal-suffix variants (e.g. "as Trustee for X Trust", "N.A.").

RankPlaintiff
1 NEWREZ LLC
2 FIFTH THIRD BANK N.A
3 ROCKET MORTGAGE LLC
4 THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
5 WILIMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY FSB
6 U.S. BANK N.A.
7 U.S. BANK TRUST N.A.
8 FIRST MERCHANTS BANK

Source: public foreclosure filings in Allen County. Court records are public information.

FEMA flood zone exposure

Are distressed properties concentrated in flood-prone areas? By checking each property's coordinates against FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer, we identify which filings fall in Special Flood Hazard Areas (mandatory flood insurance zones). This analysis covers properties with geocoded locations.

3.3%
in Special Flood Hazard Area
Zone Share
X 93.8%
AE 3.2%
X-levee 1.7%
X-500yr 1.3%
A 0.1%

Source: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), queried by property coordinates. Zones A/AE/AH/AO/V/VE are Special Flood Hazard Areas (1% annual flood chance, mandatory flood insurance). Zone X is minimal risk.

Lender concentration analysis

Foreclosure activity is spread across many lenders, suggesting diverse distress sources rather than a single institutional wave.

Competitive
Market type
Rank Most active lenders / plaintiffs
1 NEWREZ LLC
2 LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING LLC
3 FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION
4 ROCKET MORTGAGE LLC
5 US BANK NA

Lenders in rank order, most active first. Market type reflects how concentrated foreclosure filings are among plaintiffs. Based on foreclosure filings with identified plaintiffs.

ZIP code distress hotspots

Distress is geographically dispersed, with no single ZIP code dominating. The ZIP codes below are ranked by property-related court filings, most active first.

Rank ZIP Area
1 46835 Fort Wayne
2 46815 Fort Wayne
3 46804 Fort Wayne
4 46845 Fort Wayne
5 46825 Fort Wayne
6 46806 Fort Wayne
7 46818 Fort Wayne
8 46774 New Haven
9 46808 Fort Wayne
10 46805 Fort Wayne

ZIP codes in rank order, most court filings first.

Non-resident owner analysis

26.6% of filings involve non-resident owners. Probate filings show the highest absentee rate (38.8%), suggesting investor-owned properties concentrated in that category.

26.6%
Non-resident owners
Case type Non-resident %
Divorce 29.9%
Probate 38.8%
Pre-Foreclosure 7.2%
Pre-Probate 20.0%
Guardianship 25.0%

Non-resident = owner's mailing address differs from the property address. Could indicate out-of-state landlords, inherited estates, second homes, or in-transition properties.

Distress composition

Distress diversity score: 2.04 (Shannon entropy across case types; higher = more diverse distress sources). The case-type shares are in the filing type breakdown above.

Motivation breakdown

Among filings with a tagged motivation, the most common is Equity Division Sale (58.2%), followed by Inherited Property (23.9%). This motivation breakdown is captured at the court-filing stage.

Motivation / sub-type Share
Equity Division Sale 58.2%
Inherited Property 23.9%
High Urgency Pre-Foreclosure 17.9%

Based on filings tagged with a motivation sub-type at the court-filing stage.

Property Value Profile

The median assessed value of properties in court filings is $201,143. Inherited Property filings involve the highest-value properties (median $243,636), while Pre-Foreclosure filings trend lower (median $179,043). The largest segment (50.9%) falls in the $100K - $250K range.

$201,143
Median assessed value
$263,559
Average assessed value
Value range Share
Under $100K 15.1%
$100K - $250K 50.9%
$250K - $500K 28.3%
$500K - $1M 4.4%
Over $1M 1.3%
Value breakdown by case type
Case type Median value Avg value
Divorce $211,866 $265,939
Probate $207,300 $299,313
Pre-Foreclosure $179,043 $196,399
Guardianship $198,437 $242,247
Inherited Property $243,636 $245,400

Based on public property records for properties with court filings. Values are tax-assessed amounts, not market listing prices.

Investment Opportunity Score by ZIP Code

ZIP 46835 (Fort Wayne) ranks first on the composite opportunity score in Allen County. ZIP codes are listed in rank order, highest score first.

Rank ZIP Code Area
#1 46835 Fort Wayne
#2 46815 Fort Wayne
#3 46804 Fort Wayne
#4 46845 Fort Wayne
#5 46806 Fort Wayne
#6 46825 Fort Wayne
#7 46808 Fort Wayne
#8 46818 Fort Wayne
#9 46774 New Haven
#10 46805 Fort Wayne

The score blends court-filing activity, property value, absentee-owner rate and case-type diversity. Compare ZIPs within the same county or state, not across markets.

Based on court filings by property ZIP code; ZIPs with too little data are excluded. Property values from public property records.

Property Type Distribution

85.9% of distressed properties are classified as Single Family, followed by Duplex/Multi-Family (8.1%).

Single Family
Most common (85.9%)
8
Property categories
Property type Share Distribution
Single Family 85.9%
Duplex/Multi-Family 8.1%
Agricultural 3.1%
Residential 2.4%
Commercial 0.3%
Single Family (Rural) 0.1%
Condo/Townhouse 0.1%
Industrial 0.0%
Property type by case type
Case type Dominant property type Share
Divorce Single Family 87.4%
Probate Single Family 82.4%
Pre-Foreclosure Single Family 90.3%
Guardianship Single Family 85.4%
Pre-Probate Single Family 82.4%
Inherited Property Single Family 100.0%

Property classifications from public property records for filings with a classified property. Categories normalized from public-record property classes.

Property Age & Distress Profile

Among filings with year-built data, the Pre-1960 construction era is most common (32%). Newer properties (2000+) average $353,728, 2.0x the value of Pre-1960 stock ($176,475).

Pre-1960
Most common era (31.9%)
Construction era Share Avg value
Pre-1960 31.9% $176,475
1960–1979 27.3% $227,530
1980–1999 18.4% $334,014
2000+ 22.4% $353,728

Value trend: Properties from the 2000+ era average $353,728, which is 2.0x the value of Pre-1960 stock ($176,475).

Top case types by construction era
Pre-1960: Divorce (42.3%), Probate (26.2%), Pre-Foreclosure (22.3%), Guardianship (8.8%)
1960–1979: Divorce (45.5%), Probate (23.0%), Pre-Foreclosure (17.1%)
1980–1999: Divorce (48.7%), Probate (26.0%), Pre-Foreclosure (14.0%), Guardianship (10.7%)
2000+: Divorce (59.3%), Probate (26.9%), Pre-Foreclosure (9.3%), Guardianship (4.4%)

Construction year sourced from public property records. Value is assessed value from the most recent available tax assessment.

Municipality filing concentration in Allen County

Fort Wayne has the most property-related court filings in Allen County, predominantly Divorce. Filing activity is geographically concentrated in a few municipalities.

Concentrated
Geographic spread
Rank Municipality Top case type
1 Fort Wayne Divorce
2 New Haven Divorce
3 Huntertown Divorce
4 Monroeville Probate
5 Woodburn Divorce
6 Leo Probate
7 Roanoke Divorce
8 Yoder Probate
9 Grabill Probate
10 Hoagland Probate
11 Churubusco Probate
12 Auburn Probate
13 Harlan Divorce
14 Indianapolis Probate
15 Columbia City Probate

Municipalities in rank order, most court filings first, among filings with a municipality on the property record. Municipality names from public property records.

Property Value Distribution

The median property value in distressed filings is $210,262, with the largest concentration (30.0%) in the $200K–$300K range. Pre-Probate filings have the highest median value ($224,102) while Pre-Foreclosure filings are lowest ($186,599).

$210,262
Median value
$278,744
Average value
Price range Share Distribution
Under $50K 4.9%
$50K–$100K 8.5%
$100K–$150K 13.8%
$150K–$200K 19.0%
$200K–$300K 30.0%
$300K–$500K 18.2%
$500K+ 5.7%
Value by case type
Case type Median value Average value
Divorce $222,127 $294,160
Probate $209,761 $290,788
Pre-Foreclosure $186,599 $206,335
Guardianship $202,846 $309,779
Pre-Probate $224,102 $236,563

Assessed property values from public property records for filings with a valuation. Values reflect tax-assessed amounts, not market price.

Ownership Duration Before Filing

The median ownership duration before a court filing is 6.0 years, with 33.3% of owners holding the property 10+ years (a strong equity signal for investors). Pre-Probate cases show the longest tenure (12.7 yr median) vs. Divorce (5.0 yr).

6.0 yr
Median tenure
8.9 yr
Average tenure
Ownership period Share Distribution
Under 2 years 19.0%
2–5 years 24.8%
5–10 years 22.9%
10–20 years 21.0%
20+ years 12.3%
Tenure by case type
Case type Median tenure Average tenure
Divorce 5.0 yr 7.3 yr
Probate 9.4 yr 11.9 yr
Pre-Foreclosure 6.2 yr 8.7 yr
Guardianship 6.0 yr 8.7 yr
Pre-Probate 12.7 yr 13.5 yr

Duration calculated from last recorded property sale to court filing date, for filings with a recorded prior sale. Longer ownership often correlates with higher equity.

Land vs improvement value composition

Across properties with assessed value breakdowns, the median land share is 14.7% (median land value $28,000, median improvement value $162,500). 1.1% of properties are land-dominant (50%+ land value), which makes them potential teardown or vacant-lot targets. Pre-Probate cases skew most land-heavy (median 17.3%) while Divorce skews most improvement-heavy (14.4%).

14.7%
Median land share
$28,000
Median land value
$162,500
Median improvement value
1.1%
Land-dominant (50%+)

Land share distribution

Land share bracket % of total
Under 10% 13.8%
10–20% 68.5%
20–30% 14.0%
30–50% 2.7%
50–70% 0.7%
Over 70% 0.4%

Land share by case type

Case type Median land %
Divorce 14.4%
Probate 15.2%
Pre-Foreclosure 14.7%
Guardianship 14.7%
Pre-Probate 17.3%

Analysis of filings with assessed land and improvement value breakdowns.

Methodology and data sources

Top cities for filings within Allen County

Where filings concentrate inside Allen County, by parsed property city or township, in rank order.

Rank City / Township
1Fort Wayne
2New Haven
3Huntertown
4Monroeville
5Leo

Related Indiana guides

Indiana foreclosure process Indiana lead types guide Top foreclosure counties in Indiana Indiana statewide analysis

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Cite: Keystone Court Data, "Allen County Indiana Court Filings Intelligence," 2026-10-21, https://keystonecourtdata.com/reports/allen-in-court-filings-intelligence