Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland: http://www.clevelandfed.org

Join us this September as we present research and practitioner sessions on the changing role of regulations in economic and community development; registration opens March 1. Attendees include academics, bankers, elected officials, practitioners, and policymakers. Read more

Vacant and abandoned properties remain a major challenge facing municipalities across the region. To help get knowledge and resources to combat this problem into the hands of city officials, practitioners, and funders, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has partnered with Greater Ohio Policy Center to host a series of events and webinars in 2013. Three one-hour webinars?to be held in April, June, and August?will showcase specific strategies local and regional government officials and community development organizations can use to help stabilize and restore Ohio neighborhoods. And a capstone event is scheduled for October in Columbus. Participation in the webinars is free, but registration for each session is required. Read more

The focus of this issue is trends in underwater loans, home prices, and refinacing rates in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Read more

Ohio's housing markets still face a number of challenges. Some of these are distinct to our region, such as a prevalence of vacant, low-value housing in many cities across the state. It is critical that these market-specific challenges be addressed, because they impede economic recovery and the long-term stability of many neighborhoods. Over the past few years, research we've done at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland on Ohio's housing markets has identified five areas where state-level policy interventions are worth considering. Those areas include foreclosure fast-tracking for vacant and abandoned property, elimination of minimum-bid requirements, addressing harmful speculation, expanded access to land banks, and improved data collection and access. Read the Cleveland Fed staff outlining these five policy areas. Read more

The Community Affairs Officers of the Federal Reserve System are proud to sponsor the eighth biennial Community Development Research Conference. The goal of this event is to highlight new action-oriented and academically rigorous research on resiliency and rebuilding initiatives that can directly inform community development policy and practice. This convening will feature sessions that share interdisciplinary, rigorous, and timely research findings and facilitate a dialogue linking a diverse set of topics relevant to low-income households and neighborhoods. Read more