By From Black Knight: Black Knight’s First Look: Past-Due Mortgages Fall to Third Consecutive Record Low in May; Serious Delinquencies, Foreclosure Starts See Continued Improvement
• The national delinquency rate fell five basis points from April to 2.75% in May, continuing the downward trend in overall delinquencies of the prior two months and marking yet another new low
• Following typical seasonal patterns, early-stage delinquencies – borrowers who have missed a single mortgage payment – edged marginally higher (+0.2%) month over month
• While serious delinquencies saw strong improvement, falling 7% from April, the population of such loans (those 90 or more days past due but not yet in foreclosure) remains 45% above pre-pandemic levels
• Despite elevated serious delinquency levels, foreclosure starts dropped 12% from April and continue to hold well below pre-pandemic levels while active foreclosures edged slightly higher
• Prepayment activity fell by 11.1% from the prior month and is now down 59.1% year over year on sharply higher interest rates
emphasis added
According to Black Knight’s First Look report, the percent of loans delinquent decreased 1.9% in May compared to April and decreased 42% year-over-year.
Black Knight reported the U.S. mortgage delinquency rate (loans 30 or more days past due, but not in foreclosure) was 2.75% in May, down from 2.80% in April.
The percent of loans in the foreclosure process increased in May to 0.50%, from 0.46% in April. This is increasing from very low levels due to the foreclosure moratoriums.
The number of delinquent properties, but not in foreclosure, is down 1,050,000 properties year-over-year, and the number of properties in the foreclosure process is up 26,000 properties year-over-year.
Black Knight: Percent Loans Delinquent and in Foreclosure Process
May
2022
Apr
2022
May
2021
May
2020
Delinquent
2.75%
2.80%
4.73%
7.76%
In Foreclosure
0.50%
0.46%
0.28%
0.38%
Number of properties:
Number of properties
that are delinquent,
but not in foreclosure:
1,461,000
1,496,000
2,511,000
4,123,000
Number of properties
in foreclosure
pre-sale inventory:
174,000
173,000
148,000
200,000
Total Properties
1,635,000
1,669,000
2,659,000
4,323,000
