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88 Louisiana RANK: 22 90+ Day Foreclosure Unemployment Delinquency Rate Rate Rate NOVEMBER 2014 3.61% 1.63% 6.7 YEAR AGO 3.54% 2.20% 5.4 YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGE 1.7% -26.1% 1.3 Top County CONCORDIA PARISH 90+ Day Foreclosure Delinquency Rate Rate NOVEMBER 2014 3.70% 3.99% YEAR AGO 4.69% 2.45% YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGE -21.1% 63.1% Top Core-Based Statistical Area BASTROP, LA 90+ Day Foreclosure Delinquency Rate Rate NOVEMBER 2014 9.30% 3.39% YEAR AGO 7.71% 2.75% YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGE 20.7% 23.0% note: The 90+ day delinquecy rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans that are seriously delinquent. The foreclosure rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans currently in foreclosure. State rank is based on the November 2014 foreclosure rate. All fi gures are rounded to the nearest decimal. The unemployment rate refl ects preliminary November 2014 fi gures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All other data courtesy of LPS Data & Analytics. Mississippi RANK: 21 90+ Day Foreclosure Unemployment Delinquency Rate Rate Rate NOVEMBER 2014 5.30% 1.64% 7.2 YEAR AGO 5.41% 2.11% 7.8 YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGE -2.1% -22.3% -0.6 Top County WINSTON COUNTY 90+ Day Foreclosure Delinquency Rate Rate NOVEMBER 2014 6.58% 5.52% YEAR AGO 9.52% 2.33% YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGE -30.9% 136.6% Top Core-Based Statistical Area NATCHEZ, MS-LA 90+ Day Foreclosure Delinquency Rate Rate NOVEMBER 2014 5.29% 3.67% YEAR AGO 5.46% 3.17% YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGE -3.2% 15.9% note: The 90+ day delinquecy rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans that are seriously delinquent. The foreclosure rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans currently in foreclosure. State rank is based on the November 2014 foreclosure rate. All fi gures are rounded to the nearest decimal. The unemployment rate refl ects preliminary November 2014 fi gures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All other data courtesy of LPS Data & Analytics. North Carolina RANK: 34 90+ Day Foreclosure Unemployment Delinquency Rate Rate Rate NOVEMBER 2014 2.37% 0.89% 5.5 YEAR AGO 2.68% 1.34% 6.9 YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGE -11.4% -33.5% -1.4 Top County HERTFORD COUNTY 90+ Day Foreclosure Delinquency Rate Rate NOVEMBER 2014 6.55% 2.89% YEAR AGO 5.88% 3.37% YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGE 11.5% -14.2% Top Core-Based Statistical Area OXFORD, NC 90+ Day Foreclosure Delinquency Rate Rate NOVEMBER 2014 4.74% 1.91% YEAR AGO 4.81% 1.63% YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGE -1.5% 17.0% note: The 90+ day delinquecy rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans that are seriously delinquent. The foreclosure rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans currently in foreclosure. State rank is based on the November 2014 foreclosure rate. All fi gures are rounded to the nearest decimal. The unemployment rate refl ects preliminary November 2014 fi gures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All other data courtesy of LPS Data & Analytics. IN THE NEWS Foreclosure Prevention Effort Exceeds 18,000 in North Carolina More than 18,000 homeowners in North Carolina have saved their homes as a result of a statewide foreclosure prevention effort, ac- cording to a release from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA). Funded by the U.S. Department of Trea- sury's Hardest Hit Fund program, the NC Foreclosure Prevention Fund has been saving homeowners from foreclosure since the program began in 2010 by making monthly mortgage payments on behalf of qualified unemployed homeowners who are either looking for a job or completing training. "While both the economy and the fore- closure rate have improved in North Carolina, home foreclosures are still occurring in greater numbers than before the Great Recession," said A. Robert Kucab, executive director of the NCHFA. "ere were more than 32,000 filings in North Carolina last year. Every foreclosure is a huge loss for the homeowner's family, but also for the state's economy. So far, this effort has preserved more than $3 billion in property values statewide." Eligibility for the NC Foreclosure Preven- tion Fund was expanded in 2014 to include veterans who have returned and are going to college using the GI Bill; formerly unemployed homeowners who have returned to work but cannot make mortgage payments because they are earning less than they were before; and homeowners who are searching for new employment after suffering financial hardships as a result of divorce or death of a spouse. Assistance through the NC Foreclosure Prevention Fund is available at no cost to quali- fying homeowners and is offered in two ways: » It's designed to help homeowners who are searching or training for a job. e NC Foreclosure Prevention Fund offers a zero-interest, deferred loan for up to $36,000 to pay mortgage-related costs for up to 36 months » It helps the homeowner who finds a job at a reduced income. e fund offers a zero- interest loan to pay off a second mortgage in order to lower the homeowner's monthly mortgage payment to an affordable level. Homeowners who have fallen behind on their monthly mortgage payments can utilize the loan to bring their mortgage current, though they need not be behind on payments to qualify for assistance. Also, those home- owners who are re-employed at a lower wage can qualify for and receive monthly assistance while they search for a higher-paying job. One homeowner who benefitted from the NC Foreclosure Prevention Fund was identified by the NCHFA as Kathryn D. from Charlotte. Her auditor job was eliminated in 2012, but she received assistance through the foreclosure prevention fund. As a result, Kath- ryn and her husband were able to maintain their home until she found a job in early 2014. "If I hadn't found out about the North Carolina Foreclosure Prevention Fund, I would have lost my house, no doubt," she said. "It kept a roof over my head at a time when we couldn't pay all our bills or even buy enough food. I would have lost my house and been living on the street." Eligible homeowners can apply for assis- tance through any of 40 participating HUD- approved counseling agencies, or they can apply online at www.NCForeclosurePrevention.gov. According to the NCHFA, the NC Fore- closure Prevention Fund still has the funding available to assist about 3,000 homeowners.