January 15, 2015 - 12:41 PM
Foreclosures last year fell to their lowest level since before the housing bust. Rising home prices and a healthier U.S. economy helped push down the number of homes repossessed by banks in 2014.
Here are key facts about the foreclosures the U.S:
COMPLETED FORECLOSURES
— In 2014, banks repossessed 327,069 homes, down 29 per cent from 462,970 the previous year.
— Completed foreclosures declined 69 per cent from their peak of 1.05 million in 2010.
STATES WHERE FORECLOSURES ROSE:
— Maryland (58 per cent)
— New York (40 per cent)
— Oregon (38 per cent)
— Maine (35 per cent)
— New Jersey (34 per cent)
— Alaska (28 per cent)
— Connecticut (11 per cent)
— Hawaii (8 per cent)
— Iowa (5 per cent)
BANK-OWNED HOMES YET TO BE SOLD:
— As of Dec. 31, banks held some 421,164 unsold homes, down 17 per cent from the year before.
HOMES IN FORECLOSURE:
— As of Dec. 31, 642,927 homes were in some stage of the foreclosure process. That's down 11 per cent from the year before.
HOME EQUITY:
— In the 12 months ended Sept. 30, nearly 1.5 million homes returned to positive equity, which means the home is valued at more than what the owner owes on the mortgage.
— In the same period, some 5.1 million homes, or 10.3 per cent of all homes with a mortgage, remained in negative equity. That's when the value of a home falls below what is owed on the mortgage.
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Source: RealtyTrac, CoreLogic.
News from © The Associated Press, 2015