As we begin this New Year, excited for the opportunities that lie ahead, we have taken a few moments to reflect on foreclosure highlights of 2009.

Across the nation many homeowners faced the possibility of losing their homes. Throughout the year, we watched unceasing reports on foreclosure activity (notice of default, foreclosure sales, and bank re-sells) in hopes of seeing a possible decrease in activity. The numbers fluctuated over the year; but in the end, the familiar suspects continued to top the charts.

Nationwide, six states appeared most frequently throughout the year. California and Florida exhibited the largest amount of activity (combined), followed by Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, and Illinois.

At the county level, the repeat offenders were from the same six states above, which consistently reported the highest rates of foreclosures. The foreclosure activity used for the ranking below was based on current activity (foreclosure activity less than 90 days old) and derived from FNC’s National Collateral Database™ (NCD)**.

The following counties remained in the top 10 foreclosure activity list throughout 2009:

Los Angeles, California

Maricopa, Arizona

Clark, Nevada

Riverside, California

San Bernardino, California

San Diego, California

Miami-Dade, Florida

Broward, Florida

Sacramento, California

Additional counties that made occasional appearances in the quarterly top ten were Orange County, California; Wayne County, Michigan; and Cook County, Illinois.

On a positive note, Wayne County, which includes the city of Detroit, experienced a steady decrease in foreclosure activity as 2009 came to a close. Let’s hope that’s a sign that 2010 will bring better news across the country.

Happy New Year!

**FNC’s National Collateral Database™ blends non-confidential appraisal information with public record data to create a consolidated report for each property. This data allows FNC to build the most accurate and powerful property database in the lending industry. Appraisers and clients can access this timely data via FNC’s customizable Collateral Management System® (CMS®) or through DataExpress. Test it now at www.CollateralDNA.com or contact Charles Hurst (FNC Chief Revenue Officer) for more information: 888.649.2966.**