Other states with high rates of missed payments include Alabama and Arkansas. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the West Coast has the lowest share of mortgages more than 30 days delinquent, with Washington, Oregon, and California all reporting rates of delinquent mortgages under 1.5%.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 7, 2024) — The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties decreased slightly to a seasonally adjusted rate of 3.92 percent of all loans outstanding at the end of the third quarter of 2024 compared to one year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers ...
0.71% of all mortgage debt in the U.S. was seriously delinquent in the third quarter of 2024, up from 0.50% in Q3 2023. While serious delinquencies have grown recently, they're still lower than at any point from the start of 2003 to the end of 2019, just before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In September, 3% of all mortgages in the U.S. were in some stage of delinquency (30 days or more past due, including those in foreclosure), up 0.2% year over year from September 2023.
Similarly, states along the Pacific Coast—where home values skyrocketed during the pandemic—have some of the lowest rates of free-and-clear homeownership among the working-age population. California (22.7%), Washington (22.8%), and Oregon (22.9%) sit at 45th, 44th, and 43rd out of all 50 states, respectively.
Since then, with vaccines allowing people to work more safely and minimizing further disruption to business operations, the percentage of mortgage holders behind on payments has declined to about 7%—an improved figure, but one that still represents more than 6 million American households.
In 2022, nearly 40% of U.S. homeowners owned their homes outright, according to Census Bureau data analyzed by Bloomberg. In total, 33.3 million single-family homes and condos were mortgage-free, a 31% increase compared to 25.4 million homes a decade ago.
“Overall mortgage delinquencies increased slightly in the first quarter of 2024, but not across all three of the major loan types. Delinquencies declined for FHA loans, were relatively flat for conventional loans, and increased for VA loans,” said Marina Walsh, CMB, MBA's Vice President of Industry Analysis.
(NewsNation) — Mortgages make up the bulk of household debt but a new analysis shows most Americans owe thousands of dollars beyond their home loans, with members of Gen X carrying the highest balances.
The percentage of loans in the foreclosure process at the end of the second quarter was 0.43 percent, down 3 basis points from the first quarter of 2024 and 10 basis points lower than one year ago.
Nearly 1 in 2 credit cardholders carry debt month to month. In November 2024, 48 percent of American credit cardholders told Bankrate they carry a credit card balance from month to month. That's compared to 50 percent who said they did in June 2024 and 49 percent who did in November 2023.
In other words, if your monthly gross income is $10,000 or $120,000 annually, your mortgage payment should be $2,800 or less. Lenders usually require housing expenses plus long-term debt to less than or equal to 33% or 36% of monthly gross income.
Default probability is the likelihood that over a specified period, usually one year, a borrower will not be able to make their scheduled repayments on a particular debt.
The Standard Route is what credit companies and lenders recommend. If this is the graduate's choice, he or she will be debt free around the age of 58. It will take a total of 36 years to complete. It's a whole lot of time but it's the standard for a lot of people.
40% of Americans Pay Off Their House — Are They Doing Better Financially? For most Americans, a home mortgage is the biggest financial obligation they will ever have. A traditional mortgage spans 30 years and is often in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, so the interest charges can be enormous.
More than three-quarters of homeowners — 78.7 percent — have a mortgage rate below 5 percent, while nearly 6 in 10 — 59.4 percent — have a mortgage below 4 percent. Just 22.6 percent have a mortgage rate below 3 percent, according to Redfin.
There is no specific age to pay off your mortgage, but a common rule of thumb is to be debt-free by your early to mid-60s.
The Bottom Line
Nearly 40% of homes were owned outright in the U.S. between 2017 to 2022. 1 Older people who want to keep costs down as they age can benefit from not having a mortgage, as can younger individuals and families who want to live frugally while setting aside more funds for other savings and investments.
One of the most significant benefits of paying off your mortgage is the peace of mind that comes with owning your home outright. Without a mortgage, you don't have to worry about monthly payments, which can be especially comforting in retirement or during economic downturns.
Rental prices are unaffordable for a record number of Americans, with half of all renters paying more than 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities. That's according to a new report from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies that examined 2022 census data.
The share of borrowers who are behind on their mortgages — defined as a homeowner being 90 days or more past due — stands at 3.88% of all loans outstanding, according to the most recent MBA data. Between 1979 and 2023, the delinquency rate averaged 5.25%.
In 2022, researchers found that just over 40 percent of homeowners older than 64 had a mortgage, a jump from roughly 25 percent a generation ago.