A map showing ZIP code level median Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) credit scores at mortgage origination for those borrowers who are delinquent 60 days or more as of April 2010.

Land banking helps communities that acquire foreclosed properties to retain them until market demand returns. Today the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 provides support for using land banking in neighborhood stabilization efforts.

Because nearly 46 million Americans have no health insurance, medical debt has been behind many of today’s foreclosures. The author offers potential solutions.

Lenders often end up owning places they foreclose on. Understanding where such real estate owned (REO) properties cluster may help communities to target stabilization funds better.

Confidence in homeownership shifts for those who personally experienced real estate loss during the Great Recession. Older Americans are confident in the value of homeownership. Younger Americans are less confident.

The financial crisis can be measured in many numerical ways. It can be measured by the 8 million homeowners delinquent on mortgage payments, the $7 trillion in lost household wealth, the 30 percent decline in house prices, the 15 million homeowners underwater, or the doubling of the unemployment...