Subprime lending – brainstormed story ideas: geography angles

1- The ripple effect -trace the effect of subprime loans and foreclosures by identifying a “ground zero” and tracing the neighborhood/local/county/state/regional/national effects.  Good potential for interactive online presentation.

2- Paint a city’s complete subprime profile.  Show how different neighborhoods are feeling the effects differently - Bakersfield as an example - certain neighborhoods are hit harder than others.  One Hispanic neighborhood in particular saw huge growth in recent years but is seeing little foreclosure right now.  This trend could point to future success of that part of town - where the city will continue to grow, rather than high-foreclosure neighborhoods, which could fail economically.