Characteristics of high foreclosure neighborhoods in the Tenth District

The foreclosure crisis that began in earnest in 2006 continues to shrink the once valuable assets of homeowners, communities, and investors. In the last three years, more than three million households have lost their homes, and as many as 5 million more could lose their homes in the next three years. ; A striking feature of the crisis is the variation in its severity across both time and space. Initially, the foreclosure crisis hit low-income neighborhoods disproportionately. Foreclosures remain concentrated in these neighborhoods. But in recent months, the foreclosure epidemic has spread more deeply into higher-income neighborhoods. What accounts for the evolving pattern of foreclosure rates across neighborhoods, and where might concentrations of foreclosures occur in the future? ; Edmiston analyzes the seven states of the Tenth Federal Reserve District to help shed light on the foreclosure rate pattern and to explore where foreclosure trends are likely to head. His analysis confirms that foreclosure rates have been high in low-income neighborhoods--but only to the extent that subprime mortgages penetrated those neighborhoods. He also finds that the foreclosure crisis is seeping into higher-income neighborhoods--due primarily to unfavorable conditions in local economies and residential real estate markets.