Posted: 10:08 a.m.Monday, March 30, 2015

Butler County foreclosure rate sinksto more than decade-long low

By Chelsey Levingston

    Tax and mortgage foreclosures in Butler Countysank to a more than 10-year low last year, but there will always be aforeclosure rate, said Bill Staler, chief executive officer of nonprofitLifeSpan Inc., which offers financial counseling services.

    Those who are still falling behind onmortgage payments include those whose lenders have been behind on takingforeclosure action, the underemployed and people who don’t manage moneyproperly, Staler said.

    “Even though there are more jobs and theemployment numbers are definitely going in the right direction, we’re stillseeing people who are underemployed,” Staler said. “They’ve gone from $20 anhour with great benefits to $10 an hour with not as good benefits. If anythinghappens, they’re in trouble.”

    Last year, 1,482 homes were foreclosedacross the county, according to the Butler County Clerk of Courts Office.That’s down 53 percent from the 3,165 homes foreclosed in 2010 following theGreat Recession. In 2004, there were 1,953 foreclosures.

    “We are seeing the mortgage lenders muchmore willing to work with people and much more willing to modify theirmortgage, or do some kind of change in their mortgage if people get delinquentthan we ever have,” Staler said.

Read more about thelocal housing recovery here.