Clearfield County, Pennsylvania Court Filings Intelligence

• Filing volume cooling (-30.4%) — last 2 complete months (32 filings) vs prior 2 complete months (46 filings). Excludes the current calendar month (in progress).
• 44.0% off-site owners — share of filings where the owner's mailing address differs from the property address. Could be out-of-state landlords, inherited estates, second homes, or in-transition properties (we don't distinguish; the underlying signal is "not living there").
• Max gross cap rate 16.0% at HUD Fair Market Rent — $11,700/year (2BR FMR × 12) on the $73,327 median estimated market value. Section-8-eligible rent ceiling; real-market rent typically exceeds FMR; excludes operating costs (taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, management).
• 65.5% of filings are High Urgency Pre-Foreclosure — the dominant lead category in Clearfield County during the observed window.

About Clearfield County

Clearfield County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,562. The county seat is Clearfield, and the largest city is DuBois. The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1822.

Source: Wikipedia

At a glance

Filing type breakdown

Each row is a distinct case verified for current owner-of-record before inclusion.

Monthly filing activity

Each row reflects new filings entering the dataset that month, after ownership verification. Most recent month may be partial.

Geographic concentration by ZIP

Top 10 ZIPs in Clearfield County account for 62.0% of all tracked filings, showing where distressed real estate activity clusters.

Based on filings with a parseable property address (86% of Clearfield County filings).

Property value distribution

Source: third-party property enrichment (16% coverage on Clearfield County filings). Median $73,327; mean $125,276.

Day-of-week filing pattern

Filings cluster Monday through Friday, with weekend filings essentially absent (court system closed). Computed for 487 filings with a parseable date.

Housing stock + distress signals

Underlying housing stock and distress indicators across all 38160 Clearfield County housing units, from US Census ACS 5-year data. National reference values shown for context.

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 — the same FMRs apply to every county within the metro. Clearfield County sits within the Clearfield County, PA. Used to set Section 8 voucher amounts; investors use it as a defensible rent-estimate floor for buy-to-rent underwriting.

Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents (None). 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 Clearfield County from the US Census Building Permits Survey. Trend signal on whether new housing demand is accelerating or contracting in this market.

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

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

Sources: Federal Housing Finance Agency state house price indices (FRED series PASTHPI); 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:

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates, weighted by Keystone's filing volume across 8 top ZIPs.

Most active foreclosure plaintiffs in Clearfield 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.").

Source: plaintiff names extracted from Clearfield County foreclosure complaint text. Court records are public information.

Post-filing sale outcomes in Clearfield County

What happens to distressed properties after a court filing? By cross-referencing each filing's property with county assessor and deed-transfer records, we track which properties sold, how long the process took, and at what price. This analysis covers 285 filings (58.9% of all 484 filings) where parcel-level tracking is available.

Time from filing to sale

How quickly do distressed properties sell after a court filing is recorded? This distribution shows where post-filing sales cluster.

Sale rates by filing type

Not all distress types lead to property sales at the same rate. Foreclosures tend to result in eventual sales more often than probate or divorce filings.

How sales relate to the filing

Not every post-filing sale is caused by the court case. We classify each sale's relationship to the original filing so investors can focus on the highest-signal outcomes. 50.0% of confirmed sales were directly driven by the filing.

Source: county assessor and deed-transfer records cross-referenced with court filings by parcel ID. Sale outcomes tracked for 285 of 484 filings (58.9% parcel coverage). Timing based on 2 sales with valid filing and sale dates.

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 399 properties with geocoded locations.

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. 399 properties checked.

Filing velocity by case type

How each distress category is trending — are foreclosures accelerating while divorces cool, or vice versa? This breakdown is only possible with direct court-record data.

Trend = recent 2-3 month volume vs prior 2-3 months (current partial month excluded). Positive = accelerating; negative = cooling.

Lender concentration analysis

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

HHI (Herfindahl-Hirschman Index): <1500 = competitive, 1500-2500 = moderate concentration, >2500 = highly concentrated. Based on 272 foreclosure filings with identified plaintiffs.

Seasonal filing patterns

Court filings peak in Apr and are lowest in Nov. The 1.9x peak-to-trough ratio suggests strong seasonal patterns — investors who time their outreach around Apr can reach more distressed homeowners.

Average filings per calendar month across all observed years. Relative column shows each month as a percentage of the peak month (Apr), with a 1.9x peak-to-trough ratio.

ZIP code distress hotspots

Distress shows moderate geographic concentration — the top 5 ZIP codes represent 50.3% of filings.

Top 10 of 53 ZIP codes with filings.

Non-resident owner analysis

Most filings (93%) involve owner-occupied properties. The relatively low absentee rate suggests distress is primarily hitting homeowners, not institutional investors.

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 and shifts

Pre-Probate, Pre-Foreclosure share is rising. High Urgency Pre Foreclosure, Partition share is declining. High diversity in distress types suggests multiple independent factors driving court filings, not a single economic shock.

Distress diversity score: 2.42 (Shannon entropy; higher = more diverse distress sources). "Recent" = last 2 complete months; "Earlier" = all prior months.

Case Outcomes & Resolution Timeline

46.7% of tracked cases have reached a resolution, with a median time of 80 days from filing to resolution. The most common resolution is judgment entered (149 cases, 73% of resolved).

Outcomes by Case Type

Based on 435 court filings with docket event tracking. Based on a robust sample; percentages are reliable. Outcomes derived from docket entries (judgments, dismissals, sheriff sales, and settlement agreements). 232 cases are still active or pending resolution.

Property Value Profile

The median assessed value of properties in court filings is $29,800. Pre-Foreclosure filings involve the highest-value properties (median $128,373), while Inherited Property filings trend lower (median $18,050). The largest segment (83.2%) falls in the Under $100K range.

Based on county assessor records for 155 properties with court filings (31.8% of total filings). Values are tax-assessed amounts, not market listing prices.

Investment Opportunity Score by ZIP Code

Across 30 ZIP codes with sufficient court filing data, ZIP 16830 (Clearfield) ranks highest with an investment opportunity score of 71/100, driven by high filing volume (77 cases). 7 of 30 scored ZIPs are above the average score of 33.

Based on 487 court filings across 30 ZIP codes. ZIPs with fewer than 3 filings are excluded. Property values from county assessor records. Absentee status from property ownership verification.

Distress Capital Analysis

$10,821,517 in assessed property value is currently tied up in 155 court-filed properties. High Urgency Pre Foreclosure filings represent the largest capital pool ($5,275,527 across 92 properties). 8 high-equity distressed properties ($1,156,099 total) represent the highest-value investor targets.

Capital at Risk by Filing Type

Based on 155 properties with assessor valuations (31.8% of 487 total filings). Values are county assessor estimates. Equity calculated from estimated value vs outstanding mortgage balance where available.

Property Type Distribution

100.0% of distressed properties are classified as Commercial.

Property classifications from county assessor records for 18 properties (3.7% of total filings). Categories normalized from assessor codes.

Case Aging & Stall Analysis

162 cases (33.5%) have been active for over a year without resolution. 7 filings in the last <30 days represent fresh opportunities.

Case aging computed from filing date to present for unresolved cases. Resolution classified from court docket entries (judgments, settlements, dismissals, sheriff sales). Cases with a resolution event are removed from the stall count.

Property Age & Distress Profile

351 filings (72.5% of scope) have year-built data. Pre-1960 properties are most common (66%). Newer properties (2000+) average $15,526 — 2.1x the value of Pre-1960 stock ($7,357). Pre-1960 cases resolve fastest (median 84d) vs 1960–1979 (126d).

Value trend: 2000+ properties average $15,526 — 2.11x the value of Pre-1960 stock ($7,357).

Construction year sourced from county tax assessor records. Value is assessed value from the most recent available tax assessment. Resolution timing based on court docket events.

Quarterly Filing Volume Trends

Filing trends across 18 comparable quarters show 480 tracked filings in Clearfield County. Most recent quarter (2026 Q2: 58) was rising vs prior (2026 Q1: 44, +31.8%). High Urgency Pre Foreclosure shows the largest composition shift, declining share from 83.0% to 62.6%.

Composition shift: High Urgency Pre Foreclosure filings are declining share, moving from 83.0% to 62.6% of total filings (-20.3 percentage points).

Only comparable quarters shown (collection ramp-up periods excluded). Filing dates from verified court records. Current partial quarter excluded from trend calculations.

Property Value Distribution

The median property value in distressed filings is $2,025, with the largest concentration (96.8%) in the Under $50K range. Inherited Property filings have the highest median value ($3,087) while High Urgency Pre Foreclosure filings are lowest ($2,025).

Assessed property values from county assessor records for 412 properties (85.1% of total filings). Values reflect tax-assessed amounts, not market price.

Ownership Duration Before Filing

The median ownership duration before a court filing is 10.5 years, with 50.5% of owners holding the property 10+ years (a strong equity signal for investors). Inherited Property cases show the longest tenure (22.6 yr median) vs. Partition (8.9 yr).

Duration calculated from last recorded property sale to court filing date for 333 properties (68.8% of total filings). Longer ownership often correlates with higher equity.

Repeat litigation patterns in Clearfield County

Of 443 unique property owners in court filings, 32 (7.2%) appear in multiple cases, including 7 with 3 or more filings. The most active repeat filer has 5 cases. High Urgency Pre Foreclosure cases have the highest repeat rate at 9.6%.

Repeat rate by case type

Analysis based on 443 unique owner names across court filings. Repeat filers are property owners appearing in 2 or more distinct cases.

Serial distressed properties in Clearfield County

Of 413 unique properties in court filings, 29 (7.0%) have multiple filings (averaging 3.4 filings per property). Average time between repeat filings: 7 months. High Urgency Pre Foreclosure properties have the highest repeat rate at 8.9%.

Serial distress rate by case type

Analysis based on 413 unique property addresses across court filings. Serial distressed properties have 2 or more distinct case filings at the same address.

Prior sale value trajectory

Across 391 properties with purchase and assessed value data, the median value change since purchase is -85.4%. 278 properties (71.1%) are underwater (current assessed value below purchase price). Short-hold owners (<5 yr) show a median -89.5% value change vs -73.9% for long-hold (10+ yr). High Urgency Pre Foreclosure cases have the highest underwater rate (74.9%) while Inherited Property has the lowest (50.0%).

Value change distribution

Holding period vs value change

Value trajectory by case type

Analysis of 391 properties (80.8% of filings) with both prior sale price and current assessed value data.

Why these filings are invisible on most public foreclosure sites

The largest public foreclosure-aggregator interfaces surface only post-auction bank-owned properties in Pennsylvania. Pre-foreclosure court filings are not visible to their non-paying users. Keystone tracks the court filing the day it hits the docket, weeks or months before any property reaches the auction stage those aggregators surface.

Methodology and full audit: Court-vs-aggregator coverage gap report.

Methodology and data sources

• Court filings are collected directly from Clearfield County court records, which are public information.
• Every filing in this dataset has been verified for current owner-of-record. Entity-owned filings (LLCs, trusts, banks) and properties where the named party is not the current owner are excluded.
• Property value figures come from third-party enrichment (16% coverage on this dataset).
• Individual case data, defendant names, and property addresses are not published. Reports show aggregated statistics only.
• The methodology page at /reports/methodology documents data sources, sample sizes, and known limitations in detail.
• This report was generated 2026-07-12 from the live database. Numbers reflect the dataset at that moment.

Top cities for filings within Clearfield County

Where filings concentrate inside Clearfield County, by parsed property city or township.

Share is computed against filings with a parsed property city (not against total Clearfield County filings — addresses missing the city portion are excluded from the denominator). Top 5 shown; smaller cities aggregate into the long tail.

Related Pennsylvania guides

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