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Nov. 17, 2011, 10:01 a.m. EST
Foreclosure starts rise, delinquencies drop: MBA
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By Amy Hoak
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- The percentage of mortgages entering the foreclosure process rose in the third quarter, while the seasonally adjusted delinquency rate dropped to its lowest level since 2008, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's National Delinquency Survey, released on Thursday. The foreclosure-start rate rose to 1.08% of all mortgages for one- to four-unit residential properties in the third quarter, up from 0.96% in the second quarter, yet down from 1.34% a year ago, according to the report. Meanwhile, the seasonally adjusted delinquency rate fell to 7.99% in the third quarter, down from 8.44% in the second quarter and 9.13% a year earlier. "While the delinquency picture changed for the better in the third quarter, the foreclosure data indicated that we are not out of the woods yet and that the issues continue to vary by geography," said Michael Fratantoni, MBA's vice president of research and economics, in a news release.
