Figures

17

Arkansas has the 17th highest rate of residential foreclosures in the country, according to Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac. The company says 1,044 houses in Arkansas are under foreclosure — equal to one of every 1,196 homes in the state. The national average is one foreclosure for every 693 houses. Nationally, in July, 179,599 homes had some form of foreclosure, RealtyTrac said.

Nevada had the country’s highest foreclosure rate for the seventh month in a row — one foreclosure filing for every 199 households — about three times the national average. Georgia’s foreclosure rate was more than twice the national average, with one filing for every 299 households. The state reported 12,602 foreclosure filings, up 75 percent from June. California, Florida and Ohio were among the states with the highest number of foreclosure filings in July, the firm said. AP

21%

The Louisiana Insurance Rating Commission on Aug. 15 approved a statewide average property insurance rate increase of over 21 percent that will affect roughly 8,500 policyholders. The approved rate increase request was from the Teachers Insurance Co., a subsidiary of Illinois-based Horace Mann Insurance Co.

The rate change will affect policyholders depending on geography, with those closer to the coast facing hikes of more than 21 percent and those farther north possibly getting rate reductions.

The commission also approved a 12.5 percent average statewide increase for 654 homeowners who have policies directly from Horace Mann. AP

15

At least 15 people who worked at or lived near a West Dallas, Texas, vermiculite plant suffer from symptoms of asbestos-related illnesses, according to preliminary findings from X-ray screenings. A few more showed spots on their lungs that will require additional study, doctors said.

The 15 were discovered after doctors at UT Health Center at Tyler analyzed about 250 of 421 chest X-rays conducted this year on ex-employees of the Texas Vermiculite plant, as well as their families. Neighborhood residents and former students at nearby schools also received X-rays.

W.R. Grace & Co. operated the plant from 1953 to 1992 before it was demolished between 2001 and 2002.

Health officials screened 25 other people with chest X-rays in May. Eight of them showed signs of asbestos-related disease. Further testing is needed to confirm those results. AP