by Calculated Risk on 1/23/2019 09:00:00 AM

From Black Knight: Black Knight’s First Look: Delinquency Rate Entering 2019 Lowest of Any Year Since the Turn of the Century

• Despite rising seasonally in recent months, only 3.9 percent of mortgages were delinquent as of December month-end, the lowest year-end total since Black Knight began reporting the figure in 2000

• The national foreclosure rate, while also edging seasonally upward in December, posted the lowest year-end figure since 2005, with just 0.52 percent of mortgages in active foreclosure

• Foreclosure starts edged slightly upward with 46,300 starts reported for the month, a 2.4 percent uptick over November

• Foreclosure starts were also up 4 percent year-over-year in December, though this increase was primarily driven by suppressed foreclosure start volumes in late 2017 due to hurricane-related moratoriums

According to Black Knight's First Look report for December, the percent of loans delinquent increased 4.7% in December compared to November, and decreased 17.6% year-over-year.

The percent of loans in the foreclosure process increased 1.2% in December and were down 19.2% over the last year.

Black Knight reported the U.S. mortgage delinquency rate (loans 30 or more days past due, but not in foreclosure) was 3.88% in December, up from 3.71% in November.

The percent of loans in the foreclosure process increased slightly in December to 0.52% from 0.52% in November.

The number of delinquent properties, but not in foreclosure, is down 399,000 properties year-over-year, and the number of properties in the foreclosure process is down 60,000 properties year-over-year.

Black Knight: Percent Loans Delinquent and in Foreclosure Process
	Dec 2018	Nov 2018	Dec 2017	Dec 2016
Delinquent	3.88%	3.71%	4.71%	4.42%
In Foreclosure	0.52%	0.52%	0.65%	0.95%
Number of properties:
Number of properties that are delinquent, but not in foreclosure:	2,013,000	1,925,000	2,412,000	2,248,000
Number of properties in foreclosure pre-sale inventory:	271,000	268,000	331,000	483,000
Total Properties	2,283,000	2,193,000	2,743,000	2,731,000