The share of mortgages that were more than 90 days delinquent rose to 0.20% in December, up from 0.17% a year earlier. While this increase remains far below the levels seen in 2010 during the financial crisis, Ricard Bandipo emphasized the need for close monitoring, pointing to potential emerging risks.
A financial advisor recommended that homeowners set aside 1–3% of their home’s value annually to cover emergency maintenance costs as a preventive measure against unexpected financial burdens. Recent data show that housing costs are becoming an increasing strain not only for new buyers, but also for many existing homeowners.
A recent study revealed that mortgage delinquencies rose by more than 18.6% in December compared with the previous year. Although the overall rate remains low at 0.2%, it is increasing at a faster pace than other types of consumer debt, such as auto loans and credit cards.
Bandipo confirmed that the current delinquency rate is still well below the levels recorded during the 2008–2010 crisis, but it remains an indicator worth watching.
According to Federal Reserve data, the overall mortgage delinquency rate reached 1.78% in the third quarter of last year, compared with 1.74% a year earlier, while it peaked at 11.49% during the financial crisis in 2010.
Total U.S. mortgage debt reached $13.07 trillion by the third quarter of 2025, spread across more than 86.67 million loans, with around 1.5 million delinquent mortgages. At the same time, the average VantageScore credit score declined to 700 in December, down two points from the previous year.
