getting back to work

As a COBOL programmer/Anmalyst with over 20 years experience with Brokerages and Banks,in New York, I have been out of work for 18 months. Are COBOL jobs ever coming back? Can I hope to get re-employed? Or do I have to make a career change? How come nobody needs maintenance programming any more, even if new development has moved to web based and distributed platforms? Is my experience worth nothing? Has anybody found a job? How did you do it?