Research & Data
ASSETS & OPPORTUNITY SPOTLIGHT
The fact sheets below provide greater context to the data in the CFED 2009-2010 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard by presenting the connections between these asset and opportunity measures and household outcomes and policy opportunities.
Asset Poverty and Household Net Worth
Credit Card Debt
Retirement Plan Participation
Small Business Ownership
Unbanked
NCAA FEATURED PUBLICATION
N.C. Assets Alliance, June 2009.
A Prosperity Grid for North Carolina: Connecting Households and Communities to Economic Opportunity
The report details the need for asset policy in North Carolina, the economic conditions for households and communities state-wide as well as provides an overview of policy opportunities to ensure households and communities are connected to opportunity.
RESEARCH & RESOURCES CLEARINGHOUSE
FORECLOSURE
The Center for Responsible Lending's Keith S. Ernst, testimony before the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress titled, "Current Trends in Foreclosure and What More Can Be Done to Prevent Them"
The Urban Institute recently released a report on the impacts of foreclosures on families and communities.
A recent research article looks at the possible impact of home foreclosures on health.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition is featuring a special topic on renters in foreclosure. See links to the topic and additional resources here.
Action for Children released a report with county-level estimates of the number of children directly impacted by foreclosure in N.C.
Additional Resources:
• Center for Responsible Lending
• NC Housing Coalition
• NC Housing Finance Agency
• NC Commissioner of Banks
• NC Foreclosure Help Web Site
• CFED
• Foreclosure-Response.org
The White House Task Force on the Middle Class released its first annual report in February. The N.C. Assets Alliance commented on the importance of their recommendations in an opinion piece, Building Blocks for a Solid Middle Class, in the News & Observer on March 26, 2010.
Do Assets Help Families Cope with Adverse Events?
Signe-Mary McKernan, Caroline Ratcliffe, and Katie Vinopal
Family events, such as a job loss, the onset of health limitations, and a change in family structure, can adversely affect family well-being. The impact of these events may be mitigated if the family holds assets that can be used to maintain consumption. In the aftermath of a negative event, asset-poor families experience more hardship than non-asset-poor families, with assets helping most for low- and middle-income families.