Journal Article
Foreclosure-related vacancy rates
Whitaker, Stephan D. (2011-07)
The national foreclosure crisis has caused there to be millions more vacancies in our housing stock than before. Vacant homes lower their community?s property values and quality of life. Neighbors and public officials know foreclosed homes sit empty for months, but precise measures of foreclosure-related vacancy are rare. Using data from Cuyahoga County, Ohio, I trace the rise and fall in the vacancy rates of homes during the 18 months following their foreclosure. Ominously, the data suggest that foreclosure may permanently scar some homes. Foreclosed homes still have higher vacancy rates ...
Economic Commentary , Issue July

Journal Article
Foreclosure metrics
Venkatu, Guhan; Dunne, Timothy (2009-04)
As the foreclosure crisis deepens, increased attention is being paid to foreclosure statistics, which are often used to judge the intensity of foreclosure problems both within and across regions. However, these statistics need to be interpreted carefully; different foreclosure statistics embed different information, and making informative comparisons with various metrics requires understanding how each is constructed.
Economic Commentary , Issue Apr

Journal Article
Overvaluing residential properties and the growing glut of REO
Whitaker, Stephan; Fitzpatrick, Thomas J. (2012-03)
Swelling REO inventories are the latest fallout of the housing crisis, costing lenders money and contributing to neighborhood blight. Yet lenders could avoid taking on so much REO if they could more accurately estimate the value of the homes they foreclose on, especially in weak housing markets. Correcting this apparent misunderstanding of the market could speed the clearing of REO inventories, save lenders money, and help stabilize housing markets.
Economic Commentary , Issue Mar

Conference Paper
Foreclosures in Ohio: does lender type matter?
Ergungor, O. Emre (2009-01)
Whether mortgages are originated mostly by depository institutions regulated by the Federal agencies or by less-regulated lenders does not seem to affect the foreclosure filing rate in Ohio?s counties. What seems to matter is whether the lenders have a physical presence in the market, in which case, foreclosure rates are lower.
Proceedings , Issue Jan