Home Equity Overdue Rate Dives

The delinquency rate on home equity loans fell 42 basis points in the third quarter, reflecting overall improvement in the consumer credit sector, according to the American Bankers Association.The delinquency rate on home equity loans dropped from 2.75% in the second quarter to 2.33%. However, past-due accounts among home equity lines of credit increased slightly to 0.46%, from 0.43% in the second quarter, according to the ABA survey. The delinquency rate on mobile home loans fell from 3.74% to 3.31%. ABA chief economist James Chessen said that despite improvement in consumer credit overdue rates, there are still "signs of financial stress" related to rising short-term interest rates, higher fuel prices, and last year's hurricane season. The ABA can be found on the Web at http://www.aba.com.