The Foreclosure Crisis Is Not Yet Over for U.S. Metros

The Foreclosure Crisis Is Not Yet Over for U.S. Metros

The foreclosure crisis is past the peak but not done yet, according to the latest analysis of metropolitan serious delinquency data on Foreclosure-Response.org. Extremely high foreclosure rates remain in Florida and many Northeastern metro areas, with rates well above normal nationwide. Since the peak of the crisis nationally, serious delinquency rates have gone down only slightly in 18 metro areas and have continued rising in 9 others (largely in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions).

More updates and changes on Foreclosure-Response.org
In addition to the new foreclosure commentary, Foreclosure-Response.org has updated our data, our research resources, and our style.

Maps & Data – You can now access the following updated data sets (often connected to maps and strategic policy guidance).

  • September 2013 metropolitan serious delinquency rates and rankings
  • September 2013 foreclosure risk scores
  • September 2013 data on neighbourhood conditions  (i.e. the Market Strength – Foreclosure Risk matrix)
  • 2011 HMDA housing market data

Clearinghouse section – The Clearinghouse provides a window into the most policy-relevant research and resources for restoring communities affected by foreclosures. We curate Clearinghouse materials and summarize them so that you can easily find what you need and skip the information overload.

Streamlined Access to Data, Policy Guidance, and Search Tools
Regular users of Foreclosure-Response.org will notice that a lot of things look different around there. The home page has taken a few steps toward minimalism. The search tools are more obvious. The Maps and Data and the Policy Guide sections are more prominent, along with the new Clearinghouse. Less frequently used sections are still available through header tabs. You can also easily tell when sections were last updated. Tell us what you think!

What’s Next for Foreclosure-Response.org?
While the site’s users have been very clear that the data remain essential, we no longer expect to produce data updates regularly. It is clear, however, that the crisis is not over and the need for good data is still strong. If we are able to resume regular data updates, we will let you know.

Please send us your stories about how and why you use our data.

Even with a reduced data presence, our guidance about strategic data use, plus the Policy Guide and new Clearinghouse will continue to serve your need for practical and relevant information, policy examples, guidance, and research on foreclosures and neighbourhood recovery.

In addition, the three partner organizations in the team continue to offer resources targeted towards policymakers and practitioners. The National Housing Conference and LISC both report on promising practices from the field and the latest housing policy developments through their organizational websites, www.nhc.org and www.lisc.org, as well as through NHC’s HousingPolicy.org resources.  The Urban Institute’s National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership will continue to share examples of using neighbourhood-level data to address housing issues and the Urban Institute’s new Housing Finance Policy Center provides data and insight on broad national trends. This can all be found through www.urban.org.

Our hope is that innovative community leaders will continue to learn from each other’s efforts, build policy and practical strength from the vast existing and growing knowledge base, and use rigorous data – particularly local data – and analysis to inform their actions as they face this new era in housing policy.

Christine

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