Mortgage Delinquencies: 8th Straight Increase

The number of people who were late making their mortgage payments shot up 53 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 from the same period in 2007, according to data provided by TransUnion LLC.

The credit reporting agency said its database shows delinquencies — or the percentage of mortgage holders at least 60 days behind on payments, considered a precursor to foreclosure — jumped to 4.58 percent nationally, from 2.99 percent for the 2007 fourth quarter.

That was 16 percent above the 3.96 percent rate seen in the third quarter, TransUnion said, and marked the eighth straight quarter that deliquency rates rose.

Senior consultant for TransUnion's financial services group, Keith Carson say, "While the government has launched efforts to stem foreclosures, those moves are not yet reflected in data. Banks are also trying to work with consumers to reduce problematic mortgages, but falling home prices are feeding the problem," he said. "We do know from everything we've found out in the last year is that the primary driver on mortgage defaults is negative equity," he said. When homeowners owe more on their mortgages than the houses are worth, data show a higher likelihood that consumers will simply walk away," he said.