Monmouth County, New Jersey Court Filings Intelligence
Live court-record analysis of property-related filings (foreclosure, probate, divorce, partition, guardianship). Data sourced direct from Monmouth County court dockets. Updated 2026-06-20. See methodology.
- Filing volume accelerating (+48.8%) — last 2 complete months (247 filings) vs prior 2 complete months (166 filings). Excludes the current calendar month (in progress).
- 34.3% 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 4.7% at HUD Fair Market Rent — $27,936/year (2BR FMR × 12) on the $596,500 median estimated market value. Section-8-eligible rent ceiling; real-market rent typically exceeds FMR; excludes operating costs (taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, management).
- 62.0% of filings are Foreclosure — the dominant lead category in Monmouth County during the observed window.
About Monmouth County
Monmouth County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is bordered to its west by Mercer and Middlesex Counties, to its south by Ocean County, to its east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to its north by the Raritan Bay. Monmouth County's geographic area comprises 30% water. The county is part of the Jersey Shore region of the state.
Source: Wikipedia
At a glance
460 verified property-related court filings tracked across 5 months (Feb 2026 to Jun 2026).
103 typical monthly filing volume.
#2 of 3 New Jersey counties Keystone covers, ranked by total filing volume.
3% of filings involve owners whose mailing address differs from the property address (12 of 460 filings).
$596,500 median estimated property value across the 385 filings with property-enrichment data (84% coverage).
4.0% New Jersey unemployment rate (BLS, as of 2026-04). Filings should be read against the local-economy backdrop.
Filing type breakdown
| Filing type | Filings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreclosure (Post-Filing) | 285 | 62.0% | |
| Estate | 153 | 33.3% | |
| Pre-Probate | 11 | 2.4% | |
| Divorce | 6 | 1.3% | |
| Tax Sale | 5 | 1.1% |
Each row is a distinct case verified for current owner-of-record before inclusion.
Monthly filing activity
| Month | Filings | vs prior | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | 21 | ||
| Mar 2026 | 145 | +124 | |
| Apr 2026 | 132 | -13 | |
| May 2026 | 115 | -17 | |
| Jun 2026 | 47 | -68 |
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 Monmouth County account for 41.5% of all tracked filings, showing where distressed real estate activity clusters.
| ZIP | City | Filings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07731 | Howell | 40 | 8.7% | |
| 07748 | Middletown | 31 | 6.7% | |
| 07753 | Neptune | 22 | 4.8% | |
| 07726 | Manalapan | 16 | 3.5% | |
| 07728 | Freehold Township | 16 | 3.5% | |
| 07719 | Belmar | 14 | 3.0% | |
| 07740 | Long Branch | 14 | 3.0% | |
| 07746 | Marlboro | 13 | 2.8% | |
| 07712 | ASBURY PARK | 13 | 2.8% | |
| 07724 | Tinton Falls | 12 | 2.6% |
Based on filings with a parseable property address (62% of Monmouth County filings).
Property value distribution
| Estimated value | Filings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $75k - $150k | 2 | 0.5% | |
| $150k - $250k | 8 | 2.1% | |
| $250k - $400k | 60 | 15.6% | |
| $400k+ | 315 | 81.8% |
Source: third-party property enrichment (84% coverage on Monmouth County filings). Median $596,500; mean $744,507.
Day-of-week filing pattern
| Day | Filings | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 2 | 0.4% | |
| Mon | 86 | 18.7% | |
| Tue | 95 | 20.7% | |
| Wed | 109 | 23.7% | |
| Thu | 101 | 22.0% | |
| Fri | 66 | 14.3% | |
| Sat | 1 | 0.2% |
Filings cluster Monday through Friday, with weekend filings essentially absent (court system closed). Computed for 460 filings with a parseable date.
Property characteristics
Parcel-level detail for the 38 Monmouth County filings that match county GIS records:
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Median county-assessed value | $578,250 |
| Median lot size | 0.22 acres |
| Median annual property tax | $8,868 |
| Property class: Residential | 36 filings |
| Property class: Religious | 1 filings |
| Property class: Cemetery | 1 filings |
Source: Monmouth County public parcel data via the county's GIS REST API. Court records are public information.
Housing stock + distress signals
Underlying housing stock and distress indicators across all 269728 Monmouth County housing units, from US Census ACS 5-year data. National reference values shown for context.
| Indicator | Monmouth County | US average |
|---|---|---|
| Vacancy rate (incl. seasonal + for-sale) | 7.2% | 10.5% |
| Share of owner-occupied units carrying a mortgage | 64.4% | 60.8% |
| Pre-1940 housing stock | 13.5% | 12.3% |
| Single-family detached share of housing stock | 66.1% | 61.2% |
| Residents age 65 or older | 18.6% | 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 — the same FMRs apply to every county within the metro. Monmouth County sits within the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (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 | $1,676 |
| 1-bedroom | $1,889 |
| 2-bedroom | $2,328 |
| 3-bedroom | $3,043 |
| 4-bedroom | $3,371 |
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 Monmouth 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) | 2,138 |
| Year-over-year change (2024 → 2025) | -23.1% |
| Single-family share of permits (2025) | 69.3% |
| Single-family units permitted | 1,481 |
| Multifamily units permitted (2+ units per building) | 657 |
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
Monmouth County filings should be read against the broader housing-market backdrop. New Jersey state home-price trend and the national mortgage-delinquency rate are the two macro signals most directly relevant to foreclosure exposure.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey home price index (year-over-year) | +5.4% | 2026-01-01 |
| New Jersey home price index (cumulative since 2020) | +74.5% | 2026-01-01 |
| National mortgage delinquency rate (30+ day, single-family) | 1.89% | 2026-01-01 |
Sources: Federal Housing Finance Agency state house price indices (FRED series NJSTHPI); 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:
| Indicator | Filing-weighted average |
|---|---|
| Median household income (where filings cluster) | $127,363 |
| Median home value | $521,721 |
| Owner-occupancy rate | 79.9% |
| Renter share of households | 20.1% |
| Median gross rent | $2,001/mo |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates, weighted by Keystone's filing volume across 8 top ZIPs.
Most active foreclosure plaintiffs in Monmouth 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.").
| Plaintiff | Foreclosure filings |
|---|---|
| FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORP | 5 |
| RCF 2 ACQUISITION TRUST | 3 |
| DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST CO | 2 |
| FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORP | 2 |
| NEWREZ LLC | 2 |
| U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY NA | 2 |
| 1117 HATHAWAY LLC | 1 |
| BANK OF AMERICA NA | 1 |
| BANK OF NEW YORK | 1 |
| BROOKWOOD HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION INC | 1 |
Source: plaintiff names extracted from Monmouth County foreclosure complaint text. Court records are public information.
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.
| Case type | Total | Share | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreclosure | 285 | 62.0% | +35.5% |
| Estate | 153 | 33.3% | +50.0% |
| Pre-Probate | 11 | 2.4% | -- |
| Divorce | 6 | 1.3% | -- |
| Tax Sale | 5 | 1.1% | -- |
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.
| Lender / Plaintiff | Filings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORP | 5 | 10.6% |
| RCF 2 ACQUISITION TRUST | 3 | 6.4% |
| DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST CO | 2 | 4.3% |
| FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORP | 2 | 4.3% |
| NEWREZ LLC | 2 | 4.3% |
HHI (Herfindahl-Hirschman Index): <1500 = competitive, 1500-2500 = moderate concentration, >2500 = highly concentrated. Based on 47 foreclosure filings with identified plaintiffs.
Seasonal filing patterns
Court filings peak in Mar and are lowest in Feb. The 6.9x peak-to-trough ratio suggests strong seasonal patterns — investors who time their outreach around Mar can reach more distressed homeowners.
| Month | Avg filings | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| Feb | 21 | 14% |
| Mar | 145 | 100% |
| Apr | 132 | 91% |
| May | 115 | 79% |
Average filings per calendar month across all observed years. Relative column shows each month as a percentage of the peak month (Mar), with a 6.9x peak-to-trough ratio.
ZIP code distress hotspots
Distress is geographically dispersed across 35 ZIP codes, with no single area dominating.
| ZIP | Area | Filings | Share | Median value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07731 | Howell | 40 | 8.7% | $534,400 |
| 07748 | Middletown | 31 | 6.7% | $556,950 |
| 07753 | Neptune | 22 | 4.8% | $521,300 |
| 07726 | Manalapan | 16 | 3.5% | $550,800 |
| 07728 | Freehold Township | 16 | 3.5% | $606,000 |
| 07719 | Belmar | 14 | 3.0% | $591,200 |
| 07740 | Long Branch | 14 | 3.0% | $901,400 |
| 07746 | Marlboro | 13 | 2.8% | $568,450 |
| 07712 | Asbury Park | 13 | 2.8% | $353,100 |
| 07724 | Tinton Falls | 12 | 2.6% | $591,300 |
Top 10 of 35 ZIP codes with filings.
Non-resident owner analysis
Most filings (97%) involve owner-occupied properties. The relatively low absentee rate suggests distress is primarily hitting homeowners, not institutional investors.
| Case type | Total filings | Non-resident % |
|---|---|---|
| Foreclosure | 285 | 3.5% |
| Estate | 153 | 1.3% |
| Pre-Probate | 11 | 0.0% |
| Divorce | 6 | 0.0% |
| Tax Sale | 5 | 0.0% |
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 and shifts
Foreclosure share is declining. Low diversity — distress is dominated by one or two case types, suggesting a concentrated driver.
| Case type | Recent share | Earlier share | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreclosure | 58.7% | 64.5% | -5.8pp (falling) |
| Estate | 35.2% | 34.9% | +0.3pp |
| Pre-Probate | 2.4% | 0.0% | +2.4pp |
| Tax Sale | 2.0% | 0.0% | +2.0pp |
| Divorce | 1.6% | 0.6% | +1.0pp |
Distress diversity score: 1.32 (Shannon entropy; higher = more diverse distress sources). "Recent" = last 2 complete months; "Earlier" = all prior months.
Motivation breakdown
Of 44 filings with a tagged motivation, the most common is High Urgency Pre-Foreclosure (68.2%), followed by Inherited Property (29.5%). This motivation breakdown is captured at the court-filing stage and is not available from property-data aggregators.
| Motivation / sub-type | Filings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| High Urgency Pre-Foreclosure | 30 | 68.2% |
| Inherited Property | 13 | 29.5% |
| Tax Sale Rescue | 1 | 2.3% |
Based on 44 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 $598,900. Divorce filings involve the highest-value properties (median $1,036,900), while Tax Sale filings trend lower (median $349,900). The largest segment (46.8%) falls in the $500K - $1M range.
| Value range | Properties | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $100K | 1 | 0.3% |
| $100K - $250K | 10 | 2.6% |
| $250K - $500K | 126 | 32.4% |
| $500K - $1M | 182 | 46.8% |
| Over $1M | 70 | 18.0% |
Value breakdown by case type
| Case type | Median value | Avg value | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreclosure | $576,600 | $784,561 | 249 |
| Estate | $648,400 | $814,992 | 120 |
| Pre-Probate | $757,000 | $764,000 | 9 |
| Divorce | $1,036,900 | $1,022,917 | 6 |
| Tax Sale | $349,900 | $663,920 | 5 |
Based on county assessor records for 389 properties with court filings (84.6% of total filings). Values are tax-assessed amounts, not market listing prices.
Investment Opportunity Score by ZIP Code
Across 23 ZIP codes with sufficient court filing data, ZIP 07731 (Howell) ranks highest with an investment opportunity score of 75/100, driven by high filing volume (40 cases). 8 of 23 scored ZIPs are above the average score of 41.
| Rank | ZIP Code | Area | Score | Filings | Avg Value | Absentee % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 07731 | Howell |
75
|
40 | — | 0% |
| #2 | 07748 | Middletown |
51
|
31 | — | 0% |
| #3 | 07753 | Neptune |
50
|
22 | — | 0% |
| #4 | 07746 | Marlboro |
49
|
13 | — | 0% |
| #5 | 07712 | Asbury Park |
49
|
13 | — | 0% |
| #6 | 07728 | Freehold Township |
45
|
16 | — | 0% |
| #7 | 07719 | Lake Como |
43
|
14 | — | 0% |
| #8 | 07740 | Long Branch |
43
|
14 | — | 0% |
| #9 | 07724 | Eatontown |
41
|
12 | — | 0% |
| #10 | 08730 | Brielle |
41
|
4 | — | 0% |
How the score is calculated
The Investment Opportunity Score combines four dimensions from verified court filing data:
- Filing volume (35%): More filings = more potential deals in the area
- Property value (25%): Higher assessed values = larger potential deal sizes
- Absentee owner rate (25%): Absentee owners are more likely to sell at a discount
- Case type diversity (15%): Multiple case types = broader opportunity set
Each dimension is normalized to a 0–100 scale across all scored ZIPs, then weighted and combined. A score of 100 means that ZIP ranks highest across all dimensions. Scores should be compared within the same county or state, not across different markets.
Based on 460 court filings across 23 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
$309,487,913 in assessed property value is currently tied up in 389 court-filed properties. Foreclosure filings represent the largest capital pool ($195,355,713 across 249 properties).
Capital at Risk by Filing Type
| Filing Type | Total Value | Properties | Avg Value | High Equity % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foreclosure | $195,355,713 | 249 | $784,561 | -- |
| Estate | $97,799,100 | 120 | $814,992 | -- |
| Pre-Probate | $6,876,000 | 9 | $764,000 | -- |
| Divorce | $6,137,500 | 6 | $1,022,917 | -- |
| Tax Sale | $3,319,600 | 5 | $663,920 | -- |
Based on 389 properties with assessor valuations (84.6% of 460 total filings). Values are county assessor estimates. Equity calculated from estimated value vs outstanding mortgage balance where available.
Market Absorption & Turnover Analysis
460 court filings tracked with 0 resolved (0.0% absorption rate). The court system is accumulating cases faster than they resolve, creating a growing backlog of 460 active cases.
| Month | New Filings | Resolved | Net | Inflow | Absorption |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | 21 | 0 | +21 | 0.0% | |
| Mar 2026 | 145 | 0 | +145 | 0.0% | |
| Apr 2026 | 132 | 0 | +132 | 0.0% | |
| May 2026 | 115 | 0 | +115 | 0.0% | |
| Jun 2026 | 47 | 0 | +47 | 0.0% |
Resolution by Case Type
| Case Type | Filed | Resolved | Absorption | Avg Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foreclosure | 285 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a |
| Estate | 153 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a |
| Pre-Probate | 11 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a |
| Divorce | 6 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a |
| Tax Sale | 5 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a |
Absorption rate measures the percentage of filed cases that have reached a terminal resolution (judgment, dismissal, settlement, or sale). A low absorption rate indicates a growing backlog of active cases in the court system. Resolution timing based on 0 resolved cases out of 460 total filings.
Why these filings are invisible on most public foreclosure sites
The largest public foreclosure-aggregator interfaces surface only post-auction bank-owned properties in New Jersey. 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 Monmouth 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 (84% 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 2026-06-20 from the live database. Numbers reflect the dataset at that moment.
Top cities for filings within Monmouth County
Where filings concentrate inside Monmouth County, by parsed property city or township.
| City / Township | Filings | Share (of city-parsed filings) |
|---|---|---|
| Howell | 39 | 14.4% |
| Middletown | 30 | 11.1% |
| Neptune | 19 | 7.0% |
| Long Branch | 12 | 4.4% |
| Keansburg | 11 | 4.1% |
Share is computed against filings with a parsed property city (not against total Monmouth County filings — addresses missing the city portion are excluded from the denominator). Top 5 shown; smaller cities aggregate into the long tail.
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Cite: Keystone Court Data, "Monmouth County New Jersey Court Filings Intelligence," 2026-06-20, https://keystonecourtdata.com/reports/monmouth-nj-court-filings-intelligence · Download data (CSV)