One in every 7.5 homeowners in the U.S. is either behind on mortgage payments or in foreclosure according to the Mortgage Monitor report, released by Lender Processing Services Inc. Total delinquencies, excluding foreclosures, increased to a record high 9.97 percent in December, representing a month-over-month increase of 5.46 percent and a year-over-year increase of 21.29 percent. Loans rolling to a more delinquent status totaled 5.01 percent, compared to 1.52 percent of loans that improved. Of loans that were current in December 2008, 4.37 percent were either 60 or more days delinquent or in foreclosure by the end of November 2009, a rate higher than any other year for the same period. Compared to 2005 levels, foreclosure inventories across all loans are now nearly seven times higher, while jumbo loan foreclosure inventories are nearly 100 times more than levels four years ago.

NCB Capital Impact has received a $1.2 million grant from the Ford Foundation to expand access to an innovative form of affordable homeownership that can stabilize neighborhoods and help families build wealth. Under the “shared equity” approach, families who receive a government subsidy to buy a home agree to share the equity they earn with government, which then makes those funds available to another family. The approach has proven to lower the risk involved in homeownership, extend the reach of public housing subsidies, and keep housing units affordable over the long term. As the housing crisis increases the public sector’s interest in shared equity, communities around the country are experimenting with the approach. Ford’s grant will allow NCB Capital Impact to expand its work with a wide array of housing and finance leaders to develop a set of industry standards and best practices to strengthen this growing sector.

Sales of newly built, single-family homes fell 7.6 percent in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 342,000 units, according to figures released by the U.S. Commerce Department. “As expected, the road to a housing recovery is proving to be a very bumpy ride,” said Bob Jones, a homebuilder from Bloomfield Hills, MI, and newly elected chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). “Although purchasing conditions for new homes are extremely favorable thanks to the expanded homebuyer tax credit and historically low interest rates, the sobering realities of a weak economy and job market continued to drag on consumers’ willingness to go forward with a purchase near the end of 2009. We do, however, expect more buyers to begin taking advantage of the new tax credit in the coming months.” Regionally, sales of new single-family homes were quite mixed in December. Displaying typical month-to-month volatility, the Northeast posted a 42.9 percent gain, the Midwest registered a 41.1 percent decline, the South posted a 7.3 percent decline and the West generated a 5.2 percent gain.

Beazer Homes announced the expansion of its “eSMART initiative” to include three progressive levels of high-performance homes, all engineered as a whole-house system to achieve greater energy efficiency, conserve water and improve indoor air quality. The enhancements strengthen the homebuilder’s eco-friendly home offerings and are modeled after best practices from its award-winning green building partner Imagine Homes of San Antonio. All newly constructed Beazer homes will include additional air sealing and framing techniques that allow for more insulation per home, and include denser insulation within walls and attic spaces as well as energy-efficient Low-E windows, at no additional cost to the consumer. Additional energy-saving features incorporated into every Beazer eSMART high-performance home include a home energy monitor, programmable thermostat, compact fluorescent light bulbs and Energy Star dishwasher. To help conserve water, Beazer uses regionally appropriate plants and only water-saving bath faucets and showerheads. To address indoor air quality, paints and carpets that emit lower volatile organize compounds (VOCs) are used, and every home is equipped with high-efficiency MERV 8 air filters and carbon monoxide detectors.

A survey of consumers and builders conducted by the National Association of Home Builders and the MetLife Mature Market Institute has yielded a new round of data specific to the housing preferences of the 55+ consumer. The data compared the preferences of the 55-to-64-year-old age group to those of the 65+ group. One of the surprises revealed in that data is the similarity in preferences between the two groups, with the exception of the following: 1) The younger group showed more interest in technology-heavy features, 2) The older group expressed a stronger preference for a single-story floor plan or one with a first-floor master bedroom and a variety of universal design features, and 3) There were differences in the area of home services and community services they currently have available. Paul Emrath, NAHB’s vice president for survey and housing policy research, pointed out that the share of households that will want such housing is large and growing larger as baby boomers age into that segment of the market. He cautioned that the current financial situation has led to sharply decreased construction of communities that serve the mature market. Without a change in the availability of capital for development and construction, there could well be a shortage of such housing when it is most needed.