The 2010 United States foreclosure crisis, sometimes referred to as Foreclosure-gate or Foreclosuregate,[1][2] refers to a widespread epidemic of improper foreclosures initiated by large banks and other lenders. The foreclosure crisis was extensively covered by news outlets beginning in October 2010, and several large banks—including Bank of America, JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup—responded by halting their foreclosure proceedings temporarily in some or all states.[3][4] The foreclosure crisis caused significant investor fear in the U.S.[5] A 2014 study published in the American Journal of Public Health linked the foreclosure crisis to an increase in suicide rates.[6][7]
One out of every 248 households in the United States received a foreclosure notice in September 2012, according to RealtyTrac.[8][9]