Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Nearly 5,400 Iowa properties had foreclosure filings in 2008. That marks a 31 percent increase from 2007 and a staggering 136 percent increase from 2006.
In the month of December 2008 alone, Iowa had 887 properties with foreclosure filings, up 70 percent from the previous month and a 58 percent increase from December 2007.
“Foreclosure activity increase only moderately in Iowa during 2008,” said James J. Saccacio, chief executive of RealtyTrac, publisher of the largest national database of foreclosure and bank-owned properties. “Although up 1 percent from January, the state’s unemployment rate finished 2008 well below the national average. Additionally, home sales declined only moderately compared to 2007. Taken altogether, these factors support the notion that foreclosure activity grew only slightly statewide last year.
Nationally, Iowa ranked 37th in total foreclosures for the year. With one in every 245 housing units receiving a foreclosure filing, Iowa’s foreclosure rate ranked 40th among the 50 states.
Five Iowa counties were responsible for 67 percent of all foreclosure activity in the state during 2008: Polk County (Des Moines) led the way, reporting 1,735 properties. Linn County (Cedar Rapids) was second with 627 properties. Scott County (Davenport) was third with 519 properties. Pottawattamie County (Council Bluffs) and Woodbury County (Sioux City) finished off the top five with 425 and 297 properties respectfully.
Looking at foreclosure rates, Pottawatamie County’s was the highest in Iowa, with just over 1 percent of its housing units receiving at least one foreclosure filing during 2008. Polk County was second with .96 percent, and Jasper County was third with .79 percent.
Overall, Iowa accounted for less than 1 percent of the 2,330,483 properties nationwide that had foreclosure filings. The national total represented an increase of more than 81 percent from the total reported for 2007.
Iowa Foreclosure Market Data by County – Year end 2008
|
Rate Rank |
County |
Total Properties With Foreclosure Filings |
% Housing Units (Foreclosure Rate) |
% Change From 2007 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
n/a |
United States |
2,330,483 |
1.84 |
81.24 |
|
n/a |
Iowa |
5,385 |
0.41 |
31.25 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30 |
Adair |
8 |
0.21 |
60.00 |
|
80 |
Adams |
1 |
0.05 |
0.00 |
|
95 |
Allamakee |
1 |
0.01 |
-80.00 |
|
50 |
Appanoose |
9 |
0.13 |
-25.00 |
|
89 |
Audubon |
1 |
0.03 |
n/a |
|
43 |
Benton |
18 |
0.16 |
-5.26 |
|
71 |
Black Hawk |
37 |
0.07 |
-26.00 |
|
13 |
Boone |
39 |
0.34 |
8.33 |
|
85 |
Bremer |
4 |
0.04 |
-33.33 |
|
91 |
Buchanan |
2 |
0.02 |
-33.33 |
|
70 |
Buena Vista |
6 |
0.07 |
-66.67 |
|
42 |
Butler |
11 |
0.17 |
37.50 |
|
46 |
Calhoun |
8 |
0.15 |
100.00 |
|
68 |
Carroll |
7 |
0.08 |
-30.00 |
|
22 |
Cass |
16 |
0.24 |
45.45 |
|
40 |
Cedar |
14 |
0.18 |
-12.50 |
|
18 |
Cerro Gordo |
64 |
0.29 |
36.17 |
|
56 |
Cherokee |
7 |
0.12 |
-41.67 |
|
62 |
Chickasaw |
6 |
0.10 |
0.00 |
|
29 |
Clarke |
9 |
0.22 |
50.00 |
|
48 |
Clay |
11 |
0.14 |
0.00 |
|
92 |
Clayton |
2 |
0.02 |
0.00 |
|
9 |
Clinton |
103 |
0.46 |
281.48 |
|
58 |
Crawford |
8 |
0.11 |
-27.27 |
|
5 |
Dallas |
158 |
0.72 |
146.88 |
|
77 |
Davis |
2 |
0.05 |
-50.00 |
|
52 |
Decatur |
5 |
0.13 |
n/a |
|
38 |
Delaware |
14 |
0.18 |
0.00 |
|
83 |
Des Moines |
8 |
0.04 |
-68.00 |
|
32 |
Dickinson |
26 |
0.20 |
225.00 |
|
26 |
Dubuque |
87 |
0.23 |
20.83 |
|
54 |
Emmet |
6 |
0.12 |
0.00 |
|
47 |
Fayette |
14 |
0.14 |
-12.50 |
|
55 |
Floyd |
9 |
0.12 |
12.50 |
|
74 |
Franklin |
3 |
0.06 |
200.00 |
|
21 |
Fremont |
9 |
0.25 |
-18.18 |
|
23 |
Greene |
11 |
0.24 |
-15.38 |
|
44 |
Grundy |
9 |
0.16 |
-25.00 |
|
31 |
Guthrie |
12 |
0.21 |
-7.69 |
|
14 |
Hamilton |
23 |
0.32 |
9.52 |
|
36 |
Hancock |
10 |
0.19 |
-33.33 |
|
33 |
Hardin |
17 |
0.20 |
-10.53 |
|
11 |
Harrison |
28 |
0.41 |
55.56 |
|
39 |
Henry |
15 |
0.18 |
150.00 |
|
72 |
Howard |
3 |
0.07 |
200.00 |
|
53 |
Humboldt |
6 |
0.13 |
200.00 |
|
96 |
Ida |
0 |
0.00 |
n/a |
|
82 |
Iowa |
3 |
0.04 |
50.00 |
|
35 |
Jackson |
18 |
0.19 |
20.00 |
|
3 |
Jasper |
128 |
0.79 |
68.42 |
|
86 |
Jefferson |
3 |
0.04 |
-50.00 |
|
34 |
Johnson |
108 |
0.20 |
103.77 |
|
25 |
Jones |
19 |
0.23 |
58.33 |
|
45 |
Keokuk |
8 |
0.16 |
166.67 |
|
79 |
Kossuth |
4 |
0.05 |
100.00 |
|
37 |
Lee |
30 |
0.18 |
-3.23 |
|
7 |
Linn |
627 |
0.69 |
31.45 |
|
65 |
Louisa |
5 |
0.10 |
-50.00 |
|
81 |
Lucas |
2 |
0.05 |
0.00 |
|
84 |
Lyon |
2 |
0.04 |
100.00 |
|
10 |
Madison |
28 |
0.44 |
115.38 |
|
94 |
Mahaska |
2 |
0.02 |
-75.00 |
|
19 |
Marion |
38 |
0.28 |
65.22 |
|
66 |
Marshall |
14 |
0.08 |
-46.15 |
|
63 |
Mills |
6 |
0.10 |
500.00 |
|
96 |
Mitchell |
0 |
0.00 |
-100.00 |
|
93 |
Monona |
1 |
0.02 |
-66.67 |
|
90 |
Monroe |
1 |
0.03 |
-75.00 |
|
16 |
Montgomery |
16 |
0.30 |
700.00 |
|
15 |
Muscatine |
53 |
0.30 |
6.00 |
|
69 |
Obrien |
5 |
0.08 |
-37.50 |
|
73 |
Osceola |
2 |
0.07 |
n/a |
|
61 |
Page |
8 |
0.11 |
14.29 |
|
41 |
Palo Alto |
8 |
0.17 |
166.67 |
|
57 |
Plymouth |
12 |
0.11 |
33.33 |
|
64 |
Pocahontas |
4 |
0.10 |
n/a |
|
2 |
Polk |
1,735 |
0.96 |
28.61 |
|
1 |
Pottawattamie |
425 |
1.09 |
78.57 |
|
51 |
Poweshiek |
12 |
0.13 |
33.33 |
|
88 |
Ringgold |
1 |
0.03 |
n/a |
|
87 |
Sac |
2 |
0.04 |
0.00 |
|
4 |
Scott |
519 |
0.74 |
8.81 |
|
60 |
Shelby |
6 |
0.11 |
50.00 |
|
96 |
Sioux |
0 |
0.00 |
n/a |
|
17 |
Story |
100 |
0.29 |
194.12 |
|
67 |
Tama |
6 |
0.08 |
50.00 |
|
75 |
Taylor |
2 |
0.06 |
-33.33 |
|
12 |
Union |
21 |
0.36 |
23.53 |
|
78 |
Van Buren |
2 |
0.05 |
n/a |
|
24 |
Wapello |
37 |
0.23 |
-13.95 |
|
8 |
Warren |
116 |
0.68 |
52.63 |
|
59 |
Washington |
10 |
0.11 |
150.00 |
|
76 |
Wayne |
2 |
0.06 |
100.00 |
|
28 |
Webster |
38 |
0.22 |
-35.59 |
|
49 |
Winnebago |
7 |
0.14 |
16.67 |
|
96 |
Winneshiek |
0 |
0.00 |
n/a |
|
6 |
Woodbury |
297 |
0.71 |
27.47 |
|
27 |
Worth |
8 |
0.22 |
166.67 |
|
20 |
Wright |
17 |
0.26 |
0.00 |
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