Foreclosures in Minn. still high, but decreasing
Foreclosures across Minnesota are still at historically high levels but are ticking down.
According to the Minneapolis-based group HousingLink, foreclosures fell by 32 percent in the three months ending in September, compared to the same period last year.
Julie Gugin, executive director of the Minnesota Home Ownership Center, said foreclosure trends have changed over the past few years.
"In the first part of the crisis we saw so much activity related to questionable lending and borrowing practices," Gugin said. "That has waned."
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Gugin said unemployment and underemployment play a role in many foreclosures today.
She said the state sees between 5,000 and 6,000 foreclosures every quarter.
"We're still operating at levels that are about 400 percent above pre-crisis levels," she said.
Foreclosures fell in all but a dozen or so of Minnesota's 87 counties. Hennepin County still has the highest number of foreclosures, even though they dropped 37 percent from the same period last year.