Market swamp

Kyle Scharf for WORLD

From a dimly lit office in a tiny storefront in downtown Fort Myers, Fla., Cher Averill reaches across her crowded desk and holds up a single sheet of paper. "This is my prayer list," she says.

On the list are the names of some 30 homeowners in Lee County who are about to get bad news: Their homes are going into foreclosure, and Averill is the messenger.

Averill owns a process serving company in Fort Myers, and these days she has plenty of business: Florida has the second-highest foreclosure rate in the nation, according to a recent RealtyTrac report.

During the month of February, the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area where Averill works posted the worst foreclosure rates in the nation among metropolitan areas. One in every 84 homes was in foreclosure. That's seven times the national average.