Everyone is concerned about the economic recession, and the Brookings Institution has a number of its research analysts in its Metropolitan Policy Program investigating the situation. This 13-page report released in September 2009 is part of the "MetroMonitor" series, which tracks quarterly indicators of economic recession and recovery in the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas. The good news (at least in this report), is that the Washington region is recovering fairly well, and that the labor market remains relatively healthy. On a less positive note, the report notes that the housing market in the area is quite weak, and that banks continue to hold a large share of the area's properties. The report includes a number of helpful charts and graphs, and it also offers some comparative figures that gauge Washington, D.C.'s performance alongside other major metropolitan areas.