CoreLogic, a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today released its monthly Loan Performance Insights Report. The report shows that nationally, 3.7% of mortgages were in some stage of delinquency (30 days or more past due, including those in foreclosure) in August 2019, representing a 0.2 percentage point decline in the overall delinquency rate compared with August 2018, when it was 3.9%.

As of August 2019, the foreclosure inventory rate – which measures the share of mortgages in some stage of the foreclosure process – was 0.4%, down 0.1 percentage points from August 2018. The August 2019 foreclosure inventory rate tied the prior nine months as the lowest for any month since at least January 1999.

Measuring early-stage delinquency rates is important for analyzing the health of the mortgage market. To monitor mortgage performance comprehensively, CoreLogic examines all stages of delinquency, as well as transition rates, which indicate the percentage of mortgages moving from one stage of delinquency to the next.

While the nation’s serious delinquency rate remains near a record low, 19 metropolitan areas recorded small annual increases in their serious delinquency rates. Metros with the largest increases were Panama City, Florida (0.9 percentage points), Jacksonville, North Carolina (0.2 percentage points), Wilmington, North Carolina (0.2 percentage points) and Goldsboro, North Carolina (0.2 percentage points). The remaining 15 metro areas logged annual increases of 0.1 percentage point.

“Delinquency rates are at 14-year lows, reflecting a decade of tight underwriting standards, the benefits of prolonged low interest rates and the improved balance sheets of many households across the country,” said Frank Martell, president and CEO of CoreLogic. “Despite this month’s near record-low serious delinquency rate, several metros in hurricane-ravaged areas of the Southeast have experienced higher delinquency rates of late. We expect to see these metros to return to pre-disaster delinquency rates over the next several months.”