Friday, March 14, 2008

U.S. Mortgage Foreclosures Rise as Owners `Give Up' (Update3) ... up 60%+

U.S. Mortgage Foreclosures Rise as Owners `Give Up' (Update3) | By Kathleen M. Howley

March 6 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. mortgage foreclosures rose to an all-time high at the end of 2007 as borrowers with adjustable-rate loans walked away from properties before their payments increased, the Mortgage Bankers Association said today.

New foreclosures jumped to 0.83 percent of all home loans in the fourth quarter from 0.54 percent a year earlier. Late payments rose to a 23-year high, the organization said in a report today.

``We're seeing people give up even before they get to the reset because they couldn't afford the home in the first place,'' said Jay Brinkmann, vice president of research and economics for the Washington-based trade group. ...

No comments: