The global housing finance field is notorious for the absence of reliable data, which in turn explains the lack of research in comparative housing finance. Very few countries, even advanced economies, reliably and comprehensively collect data on the housing and housing finance sector or on house-prices. Even after the Global Financial Crisis, which had its roots in mortgage lending, few countries have improved their data collection on the sector.
In 2009/2010, IHFP, with start-up support from IFC and FMO, established the Housing Finance Information Network or HOFINET, the first comprehensive international data collection exercise in housing finance. HOFINET collects standardized, quality controlled, longitudinal data on the housing finance sector of some 140 countries, and makes the data, and additional housing finance articles and resources, publicly available on a web-portal – www.hofinet.org.
IHFP assists countries in establishing a system of housing market and housing finance data collection coordinated across public and private sectors and across government agencies.