Bookmark and Share

Foreclosure rate rises to highest since 1979

by Morgan on June 5, 2008

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Homes in foreclosure and homes entering the foreclosure process are up to levels not seen since 1979 reported the MBA today. For those that say we’re coming to the bottom, I say either you’re full of it or we’re picking up speed for a nasty crash landing in to the bottom – either way it ain’t go to be pretty. Oh, and the total percentage of mortgages in some form of delinquency (excluding foreclosure) is also at it’s highest point since 1979 – so it doesn’t look like making your mortgage payment has gotten any easier, no matter who you are.

From Market Watch:

he percentage of loans in the foreclosure process at the end of the first quarter rose to 2.47% of all mortgages outstanding on one- to four-unit properties, up from 2.04% in the fourth quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s National Delinquency Survey, released on Thursday. Loans entering the foreclosure process in the first quarter rose to a seasonally adjusted 0.99%, up from 0.83% in the fourth quarter. Both the rate of foreclosure starts and the percent of loans in the foreclosure process were the highest recorded since 1979, according to the group. The seasonally adjusted delinquency rate for mortgage loans also was the highest since 1979, with 6.35% of all loans at least one payment past due during the first quarter, up from 5.82% in the fourth quarter.

Update: More from the New York Times

The drop in home prices, which has affected a broad swath of the nation?s housing market, has left many homeowners paying mortgages worth more than their own homes. The housing slump is the worst of its kind since the recession of the early 1990s.

The mortgage problems were worst for homeowners who took out subprime loans, which are usually issued to applicants with less-than-pristine credit histories. But even borrowers with solid credit records have not been immune.

?While the foreclosure start rates were up for all types of mortgages, a reflection of the decline in home prices, the magnitude of the national increases is clearly driven by certain loan types and certain states,? said Jay Brinkmann, the group?s vice president for research and economics.

For example, he said, subprime adjustable rate mortgages represent 6 percent of the loans outstanding but 39 percent of the foreclosures in the quarter. Prime adjusted loans represented 15 percent of the loans, but 23 percent of the foreclosures started.

?Out of the approximately 516,000 foreclosures started during the first quarter,? Mr. Brinkmann said ?subprime ARM loans accounted for about 195,000 and prime ARM loans 117,000.?

Four states ? Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada ? accounted for about 89 percent of the foreclosures, a disproportionately high amount of the newly reported figures. Those regions have suffered the sharpest price drops.

Last 3 posts by Morgan

Related posts:

  1. California notice of foreclosure reaches highest point in decade
  2. Foreclosure activity sets records in 1Q 2009
  3. Foreclosure rate jump raises further questions about moratoriums
  4. One million foreclosure landmark a boon for some buyers
  5. California Foreclosure Picture Continues to Worsen

  • ann
    The sad fact of the matter is that these foreclosures show 1)How many people were in homes that they could not afford 2)how many speculators there were in the marketplace 3)How many in the industry of real estate(brokers, realtors, finance construction and so on..) are losing there homes and 4)how the idea of loan modifications and workouts are not working...
  • well said ann. the loan modification failure is a big story that isn't
    really being covered by the media - more needs to be said about it.
  • Don
    Not only that, the word on the street is that the investors are being extremely uncooperative with borrowers who are current on their payments but are warning lenders that they are going to need help, either a loan mod or a short sale. Lenders have been telling borrowers to call back when an NOD is filed, which is exactly what borrowers a being told what NOT to do. I have a feeling lenders don't care if homes to REO or not. Maybe because they think they'll get bailed out?

    That's what I've been hearing, anyone else??
  • I think that the rising oil prices are causing foreclosures. People can't afford their mortgage re-payments and cope with the energy crunch
  • Mark - i think there are a whole host of reasons - inflation (to your
    point), maxed out credit (interest payments on credit cards, home equity
    lines, etc.) and adjusting mortgage payments are all culprits. toss in a
    weakening job market and you've got the right recipe.

    --
    P. Morgan Brown
    Director of Marketing
    510.658.9292 x 199 | www.turnhere.com

    TurnHere – Great ads for the little guy.

    ****NOTICE**** Just a reminder that this e-mail and its contents and
    attachments are protected under the electronic communications privacy act.
    If you're not the intended recipient this is your notice that disseminating,
    distributing, copying or otherwise using this message and contents is
    prohibited. If you've received this e-mail in error please kindly delete the
    message and let us know by contacting TurnHere at (510) 658-9292 or replying
    to the sender. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your help!
blog comments powered by Disqus

Previous post: Credit problems creeping back up

Next post: Fed: Loan losses and write downs to increase