Overall mortgage delinquency numbers are improving, but the delinquency rate for homeowners who are seriously behind in their payments is soaring, another indication of a bifurcated housing market.
The number of borrowers who were delinquent on their mortgages fell by 340,000 last month, a 9 percent drop from June to July, according to data released by Black Knight, a mortgage data and technology company. (Black Knight counts all homeowners who are delinquent, regardless of whether they are in a forbearance plan.)
But the number of homeowners who were at least 90 days behind on their mortgage payments grew by 376,000 in July, a 20 percent increase from June. Serious delinquencies are now 1.8 million higher than pre-pandemic levels and are at their highest level since early 2010.
Foreclosures also ticked up, despite moratoriums still in place.
Mortgage delinquencies track closely with unemployment. States that have been hard hit with job losses, particularly in the leisure and hospitality industry, are the ones facing the highest numbers of borrowers behind on their payments. The top five states with borrowers who are not current on their mortgages are Mississippi, Louisiana, New York, Hawaii, and New Jersey. The top five states with borrowers who have serious delinquencies are Mississippi, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, and Alaska.