Matt Klesta

In the aftermath of the Great Recession, many policy analysts are rethinking national housing policies, including affordable housing programs.

Top concerns for this survey’s respondents include the lack of affordable housing, continued impacts of inflation on household budgets, and the impact from the ending of expanded SNAP benefits.

Inflation Adds Burden and Tight Job Market Presents Challenges

Fourth District community leaders find the most significant challenges facing their communities aren’t much changed from last year’s, including job, housing, and state financing issues​.

In the fifth administering of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s community issues survey, we received responses from 184 stakeholders across the Fourth District.

Several years ago, the Cleveland Fed examined data for seven large urban counties in our region.  At that time, we looked at how these counties performed post-Great Recession. In this report, we revisit those seven counties and examine how they performed during the COVID-19 pandemic and in an environment of record-low interest rates.

Is specializing in an industry the way to economic success or the road to economic challenges for rural communities? It depends on the community’s resilience.

No county is without challenges, but those in rural areas face a unique set of difficulties. Studying three of our region’s most economically challenged counties revealed that being connected—in a variety of ways—is crucial for success.

Focusing on Franklin County, Ohio, home to the city of Columbus, our researchers examined application and origination activity during the 27-year period from 1990 to 2016 and dove into trends during the 13-year period from 2004 to 2016. Using maps and a series of figures and tables, we tell the story of mortgage lending during these periods from both the neighborhood and borrower perspectives.

Focusing on Fayette County, Kentucky, home to the city of Lexington, this report takes a broad look at application and origination activity during the 26-year period from 1990 to 2016 and delves into trends during the 13-year period from 2004 to 2016. Using maps and a series of figures and tables, we tell the story of mortgage lending during these periods from both the neighborhood and borrower perspectives.

We begin this report on Allegheny County, home to the city of Pittsburgh, with a broad look at application and origination activity during the 25-year period from 1990 to 2015, and then focus on the 12-year period from 2004 to 2015.

We begin our report on Cuyahoga County, home to the city of Cleveland, with a broad look at application and origination activity during the 25-year period from 1990 to 2015, and then focus on the 12-year period from 2004 to 2015.

This special report examines multiple sector-based partnerships addressing the job-skills mismatch facing employers in the Fourth District. Spanning various industries, including healthcare, IT, advanced manufacturing, marine mechanics, and coal mining, these initiatives differ in fundamental ways. But all emphasize collaboration between employers and economic and educational organizations. Overall, such partnerships appear to be working for both employers and workers, with evaluations identifying increased wages, reduced turnover, and increased productivity.

In this data brief, we examine trends in population and private employment in 17 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the Fourth District.

The focus of this issue is trends in underwater loans, home prices, and refinancing rates in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

With the "foreclosure pipeline" still quite full, REO sales remain the most common exit for distressed loans in all Fourth District states. Shares are steady in West Virginia and Pennsylvania; Kentucky and Ohio.

This edition finds that compared to a year ago many counties in Ohio and West Virginia have seen decreases in both delinquency and foreclosure rates, while counties in Kentucky and Pennsylvania have seen increases in both.

Traditionally, renting has served as a stepping-stone to homeownership as well as an alternative for those seeking flexibility and more affordable places to live.

Less than 60 years ago, the states adjoining the Great Lakes led the nation in making things.

For this edition of our data brief, we look at how loans are faring 12 months after they enter foreclosure, and compare results from two time periods.

Housing markets are still struggling. The latest edition of Mortgage Lending Patterns takes a regional look at housing conditions in the Fourth District.

The 8th edition of the data brief finds that the glut of loans greater than 90 days delinquent is subsiding from its high in early 2010 as they naturally progress into foreclosure.

Troubling trends remain in this edition of the data brief. While the percent of loans at least 60 days delinquent has decreased, these loans appear to be flowing into foreclosure, which is ticking up.

Over the last four years, FHA-insured loans increased as a share of all loans by 29 percentage points from 8.2% to 37.3%. Given their popularity, how have these mortgages performed?

Typically thought of as the better-performing relative of subprime loans, prime loans have suffered from increasing delinquency rates as unemployment rates remain high

This edition focuses on trends in real estate owned properties (REO) and foreclosures rates.

Although not directly affected by the boom and bust of the housing market, Appalachia, and more specifically rural Appalachia, might be fighting the current recession’s aftershocks for quite some time.

The third installment in the series examines recent trends in delinquency rates for both prime and subprime loans in 4th District states.

The second installment in the series takes a look at how loans were performing in March 2009.

In response to constituents’ requests for data, the Community Development team has developed a new format to provide periodic snapshots of mortgage lending and foreclosure patterns in the 4th District at the county level.

States typically compete for jobs and investment; this event was different. Find out how.

Creating a long-term regional strategy is an essential piece of any economic development plan.

Increased digital services show that recent regulatory guidelines do not prevent bank branches from complying with the Community Reinvestment Act.

Appalshop—a media, arts, and education center, seeks to preserve the rich cultural history and heritage of Appalachia.

The unemployment rate is the primary indicator of the tightness of the labor market and in the Fourth District, the labor market tightness varies.

The shale gas industry brings both costs and benefits to the communities it pervades. But thought must be given, and plans should be laid, for when the industry leaves town.

Cleveland Fed research researchers also study matters that are common to everyday life such as the well-being of neighborhoods, household debt, and retirement security