Report Shows Loan Deterioration Ratio Climbing

The November Mortgage Monitor report by Lender Processing Services, Inc. in Jacksonville, Fla., reveals a nationwide loan deterioration ratio higher than 3:1, indicating that for every one loan which improved, three more loans are deteriorating. Of home loans that were current as of December 2008, more than two million, or 4.02%, were delinquent or in foreclosure by the end of October. October's foreclosure rate stood at 3.14%, a month-over-month increase of 0.7% and a year-over-year increase of 85.1%. The total U.S. loan delinquency rate was 9.4%. Delinquencies edged up 0.85% over September's figures and were 32% higher than in 2008. Nearly 30% of properties that have been in foreclosure for 12 months have not yet been put on the market for sale, twice the level of the prior year. Foreclosure inventories continued to climb to record levels. Roll rates into foreclosure remain low as a result of loss mitigation efforts and elevated delinquent loan volumes. There are 31 states which have non-current loan rates ranging from 10% in Missouri to as high as 22.7% in Florida. Foreclosure sales jumped in October, with the rate at 5.6% of foreclosures in inventory. The number of foreclosures on the market continues to stall as foreclosure timelines extend, LPS said. The total non-current loan rate was 12.6%. States with most non-current loans were Florida, Nevada, Mississippi, Arizona, Georgia, California, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. States with fewest non-current loans were North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Vermont, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.