Feb. 11, 2009
Foreclosures Increase Again Statewide in 2008
Ohio saw a record high number of foreclosures in 2008, according to data released today by the Supreme Court of Ohio. Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer urged Ohioans faced with losing their homes to take action by using the resources available through the state’s coordinated Save the Dream foreclosure prevention effort.
Courts across Ohio last year reported 85,773 new foreclosure filings, marking the 13th consecutive annual increase. One bright spot, however, shows that 2008 represented the smallest percentage increase (3.1 percent) in the number of foreclosure filings over that same 13-year time period.
“This report shows that an unprecedented number of Ohioans continue to face the prospect of losing their homes, and Ohio courts continue to struggle with record foreclosure filings,” Chief Justice Moyer said. “There is some positive news in this report, though, as some counties have seen significant declines, and the overall rate of growth in foreclosure filings declined in 2008.”
Sixty-one counties experienced an increase in foreclosure filings in 2008 compared to 2007, while foreclosures for 26 counties decreased. (One county’s numbers held steady: Paulding). Significantly, foreclosures declined for four counties in the northeast portion of the state: Cuyahoga, Mahoning, Summit and Trumbull. Washington County reported the biggest drop in foreclosures, with 39.3 percent fewer in 2008 than in 2007. Conversely, Allen County reported an increase in foreclosures of 39.3 percent.
The release of the foreclosure data today comes about a month before the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Save the Dream campaign. Ohio’s extraordinary multi-agency foreclosure assistance program consolidates numerous state resources and programs related to foreclosure into one program for citizens to access for assistance. The Save the Dream campaign includes a user-friendly Web site at www.savethedream.ohio.gov 
and a telephone hotline (888.404.4674) that provides callers with information and access to an approved housing counselor.
Kimberly Zurz, director of the Ohio Department of Commerce, said the foreclosure statistics released by the Supreme Court today underscore the need for Ohioans facing foreclosure to seek help as soon as possible by calling the Save the Dream hotline or visiting the Web site.
“With many homeowners struggling to make their mortgage payment in today’s challenging economy, it is more important than ever to spread the word that free assistance is available to help Ohioans to stay in their homes,” Zurz said.
Callers to the Save the Dream hotline speak with a trained operator and are referred to a HUD-approved housing counselor and/or to a legal aid or pro bono attorney.
The program includes a unique legal component, which connects qualified homeowners with legal aid lawyers and over 1,300 attorneys statewide who have volunteered to provide legal services free of charge. Since Save the Dream’s inception, more than 7,100 callers to the hotline have been referred to a housing counselor, and more than 1,100 have been referred to legal assistance.
Last year, the Supreme Court announced the availability of a mediation model program for Ohio courts to use in home foreclosure cases, and the Court announced earlier this month that foreclosure mediation is now an option in all 88 counties.
Other Save the Dream partners include: Lt. Governor Lee Fisher and the Ohio Department of Development, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray’s office, Ohio Treasurer of State Kevin Boyce’s office, the Ohio Supreme Court, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Ohio State Legal Services Association, local housing counseling agencies and local legal aid organizations.
To access the complete county-by-county foreclosure data from 2004 through 2008, visit this link: http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/JCS/casemng/ForeclosureFilings.pdf 
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Contact: Chris Davey or Bret Crow at 614.387.9250