Black Knight: Hurricane Harvey Could Result in 300,000 New Mortgage Delinquencies

From Black Knight: Black Knight: Hurricane Harvey Could Result in 300,000 New Mortgage Delinquencies, with 160,000 Borrowers Becoming Seriously Past Due

• FEMA-designated disaster areas related to Hurricane Harvey are home to 1.18 million mortgaged properties

• Harvey-related disaster areas contain over twice as many mortgaged properties as those connected to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, carrying nearly four times the unpaid principal balance

• Post-Katrina mortgage delinquencies in Louisiana and Mississippi FEMA-designated disaster areas soared 25 percentage points, peaking at over 34 percent

• A similar impact to Harvey-related disaster areas would equate to 300,000 borrowers missing at least one mortgage payment, and 160,000 becoming 90 or more days past due

Today, the Data & Analytics division of Black Knight Financial Services, Inc. released an updated assessment of the potential mortgage-related impact from Hurricane Harvey. As Black Knight Data & Analytics Executive Vice President Ben Graboske explained, using post-Katrina Louisiana and Mississippi as benchmarks presents the possibility for significant rises in both early and long-term delinquencies.

 “Although the situation around Hurricane Harvey continues to evolve, millions of American lives have already been impacted by the storm and immense flooding,” said Graboske. “For many, their struggles are just beginning. Using post-Hurricane Katrina as a model, Black Knight has found that as many as 300,000 homeowners with mortgages in FEMA-designated Harvey disaster areas could become past due over the next few months. Post-Katrina, delinquencies spiked in Louisiana and Mississippi disaster areas, jumping 25 percent to peak at 34 percent of all mortgaged properties being past due. The serious delinquency rate – tracking mortgages 90 or more days past due, but not yet in foreclosure – rose to more than 16 percent. New Orleans was hardest hit, with its delinquency jumping by 46 percentage points to nearly 55 percent, and the serious delinquency rate increasing by 24 percent