• Foreclosures Focused in Maine: Since March, the USDA has filed 56 foreclosures in the federal court system against properties purchased with a rural development mortgage. All but one were in Maine.
• USDA Delayed Action: The Maine borrowers have been in default for an average of nearly nine years, racking up more debt because of the interest and fees that piled up in intervening years.
• National Problem: About 20% of USDA Section 502 direct loans across the nation were delinquent as of March, according to internal agency data.