A Look Back: US Mortgage Delinquency Rates Experience Record Highs and Lows in 2020, CoreLogic Reports

Rhea-AI Summary

CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX) released its Loan Performance Insights Report for December 2020, revealing a national mortgage delinquency rate of 5.8%, a 2.1 percentage point increase from December 2019's 3.7%. Early-stage delinquencies decreased to 1.4%, while serious delinquencies rose to 3.9% from 1.2% year-over-year. The report highlights significant job losses in states like Hawaii and Nevada, correlating with increased delinquency rates. Overall, the mortgage environment shows moderate improvement, with monthly decreases in delinquency rates since June 2020.

Positive

• Monthly decline in delinquency rates since June 2020.
• Early-stage delinquencies decreased from 1.8% to 1.4%.
• Foreclosure inventory rate decreased from 0.4% to 0.3%.

Negative

• Overall delinquency rate increased from 3.7% to 5.8% year-over-year.
• Serious delinquencies rose to 3.9% from 1.2% year-over-year.
• Significant spikes in delinquency in states with high job losses, e.g., Hawaii and Nevada.

CoreLogic^® (NYSE: CLGX), a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today released its monthly Loan Performance Insights Report for December 2020.

CoreLogic National Overview of Mortgage Loan Performance, featuring December 2020 Data (Graphic: Business Wire)

On a national level, 5.8% of mortgages were in some stage of delinquency (30 days or more past due, including those in foreclosure), which represents a 2.1-percentage point increase in the overall delinquency rate compared to December 2019, when it was 3.7%. However, national overall delinquency has been declining month to month since June 2020.

To gain an accurate view of the mortgage market and loan performance health, CoreLogic examines all stages of delinquency, including the share that transitions from current to 30 days past due. In December 2020, the U.S. delinquency and transition rates, and their year-over-year changes, were as follows:

• Early-Stage Delinquencies (30 to 59 days past due): 1.4%, down from 1.8% in December 2019.
• Adverse Delinquency (60 to 89 days past due): 0.5%, down from 0.6% in December 2019.
• Serious Delinquency (90 days or more past due, including loans in foreclosure): 3.9%, up from 1.2% in December 2019.
• Foreclosure Inventory Rate (the share of mortgages in some stage of the foreclosure process): 0.3%, down from 0.4% in December 2019.
• Transition Rate (the share of mortgages that transitioned from current to 30 days past due): 0.8%, unchanged from December 2019.

2020 began with the lowest share of overall delinquencies (30+ days past due) since data recording started in 1999, but as the pandemic and shelter-in-place directives spread, the rate doubled from 3.6% in March to 7.3% in May. As those initially affected by the pandemic and ensuing recession transitioned through stages of delinquency, serious delinquencies (90+ days past due) increased four-fold compared to pre-pandemic rates, peaking in August.

“The ongoing forbearance provisions and economic aid implemented at the start of the pandemic has proved helpful for families faced with financial insecurity,” said Frank Martell, president and CEO of CoreLogic.

“Places with large job losses during the last year also experienced big jumps in mortgage delinquencies,” said Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist at CoreLogic. “By state, Hawaii and Nevada had the largest 12-month spike in delinquency rates, both up 4.1 percentage points. They also had large increases in unemployment rates, up 6.6 percentage points in Hawaii and 5.5 percentage points in Nevada compared with 3.1 percentage points for the U.S. In Odessa, Texas, unemployment rose by 8.6 percentage points and delinquencies posted a 9.8 percentage-point jump.”

State and Metro Takeaways:

• All U.S. states and nearly all metro areas logged increases in annual overall delinquency rates in December.
• Hawaii and Nevada (both up 4.1 percentage points) logged the largest annual increase in overall delinquency rates.
• Among metros, Odessa, Texas, experienced the largest annual increase with 9.8 percentage points, largely due to significant job loss in the oil industry.
• Other metro areas with significant overall delinquency increases included Lake Charles, Louisiana (up 7.6 percentage points); Midland, Texas (up 7.5 percentage points) and Kahului, Hawaii (up 6.8 percentage points).

The next CoreLogic Loan Performance Insights Report will be released on April 13, 2021, featuring data for January 2021. For ongoing housing trends and data, visit the CoreLogic Insights Blog: www.corelogic.com/insights.

Methodology

The data in The CoreLogic LPI report represents foreclosure and delinquency activity reported through December 2020. The data in this report accounts for only first liens against a property and does not include secondary liens. The delinquency, transition and foreclosure rates are measured only against homes that have an outstanding mortgage. Homes without mortgage liens are not subject to foreclosure and are, therefore, excluded from the analysis. CoreLogic has approximately 75% coverage of U.S. foreclosure data.

Source: CoreLogic

The data provided is for use only by the primary recipient or the primary recipient's publication or broadcast. This data may not be re-sold, republished or licensed to any other source, including publications and sources owned by the primary recipient's parent company without prior written permission from CoreLogic. Any CoreLogic data used for publication or broadcast, in whole or in part, must be sourced as coming from CoreLogic, a data and analytics company. For use with broadcast or web content, the citation must directly accompany first reference of the data. If the data is illustrated with maps, charts, graphs or other visual elements, the CoreLogic logo must be included on screen or website. For questions, analysis or interpretation of the data, contact Valerie Sheets at newsmedia@corelogic.com. Data provided may not be modified without the prior written permission of CoreLogic. Do not use the data in any unlawful manner. This data is compiled from public records, contributory databases and proprietary analytics, and its accuracy is dependent upon these sources.

About CoreLogic

CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), the leading provider of property insights and solutions, promotes a healthy housing market and thriving communities. Through its enhanced property data solutions, services and technologies, CoreLogic enables real estate professionals, financial institutions, insurance carriers, government agencies and other housing market participants to help millions of people find, buy and protect their homes. For more information, please visit www.corelogic.com.

CORELOGIC and the CoreLogic logo are trademarks of CoreLogic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210309005265/en/

FAQ

What is the current mortgage delinquency rate reported by CoreLogic for December 2020?

CoreLogic reported a mortgage delinquency rate of 5.8% for December 2020.

How does the December 2020 delinquency rate compare to December 2019 for CLGX?

The delinquency rate increased by 2.1 percentage points from December 2019's 3.7% to 5.8% in December 2020.

Which states experienced the largest increase in mortgage delinquency rates?

Hawaii and Nevada each saw an increase of 4.1 percentage points in mortgage delinquency rates.

What were the serious delinquency rates reported by CoreLogic in December 2020?

Serious delinquencies rose to 3.9% in December 2020, up from 1.2% in December 2019.