Problems in the housing sector have prompted research into the causes of default by borrowers. The terms of the loans that were made, the characteristics of borrowers, and local economic conditions, among other factors, all contributed significantly to differences in default rates. State-level...

A national loan level data set, aggregated at the zip code is used to examine the elasticity of default relative to local demographic characteristics and state level legislation regulating foreclosure procedures and predatory lending. We also illustrate the merit of using a form of hierarchical...