Percentage of Homeowners Behind on Mortgages Increases

More Wisconsin homeowners are behind on their mortgages than a year ago. The Mortgage Bankers Association said today that six-and-a-quarter percent of all mortgages in the Badger State were in arrears on September 30th. That’s up by one-hundredth-of-a-percent from the previous year. Officials said more loans appear to be 30 days past due, both in Wisconsin and nationally. And the bankers’ trade group said it’s not surprising quote, “given the weak economic and job growth in the third quarter” of the year. Even so, Wisconsin is bucking a nationwide trend of falling delinquencies. The national rate fell from eight-point-two percent last September to just over seven-point-six this time – and the biggest declines were loans that were at least 90 days past due. The Mortgage Bankers Group said Wisconsin’s actual foreclosure rate is smaller than a year ago. Almost three-point-two percent of Wisconsin mortgages were in some stage of foreclosure in September – down from almost three-and-a-half percent the year before.