Home Foreclosures Hit Record

A dreary real estate market is fueling an all-time high rate of foreclosures
By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 14, 2007 3:16 PM CDT
Home Foreclosures Hit Record
A for sale sign stands outside an existing single-family home that sits unsold in east Denver neighborhood on Tuesday, May 22, 2007. Sales of existing homes fell by a larger-than-expected amount in April while the median price of a home sold during the month fell for a ninth straight month as the troubles...   (Associated Press)

Home foreclosures hit a record high in first-quarter 2007 as more subprime borrowers failed to make their mortgage payments. The number of mortgages entering foreclosure spiked four basis points to 0.58% and over 2.4% of subprime mortgage holders defaulted, up from 2% last quarter, according to a report released yesterday by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The sluggish pace of the economy is causing real estate values to plummet, making it difficult for mortgage owners who miss payments to sell their homes and stave off foreclosure. The median home price may fall this year for the first time since the Great Depression, says a realty economist. Ohio contributed the biggest share of foreclosures at 1.07%, followed by Indiana and Michigan. (More economic growth stories.)

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