U.S. Mortgage Foreclosures Hit Record High

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. The Mortgage Bankers Association, in a quarterly report of the mortgage market released Thursday, said that the proportion of all mortgages nationwide that fell into foreclosure shot up to a record high of 0.83 percent in the last quarter of 2007. That surpassed the previous high of 0.78 percent set in the prior quarter. More home owners than ever are losing the battle to make their monthly mortgage payments. Over 900,000 households are in the foreclosure process, up 71% from a year ago. Another 381,000 households, or 0.83% of borrowers, saw the foreclosure process started during the quarter. The number of mortgage borrowers who were over 30 days late on a payment in the last three months of 2007 is at its highest rate since 1985. Homeowners with tarnished credit who have subprime adjustable-rate loans were the hardest hit. The worsening foreclosure and late payment figures come as fears grow that the country is teetering on the edge of a recession or in one already. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the biggest U.S. mortgage finance companies, have posted their largest-ever losses as rising defaults boosted credit costs. Fannie Mae had a $3.55 billion loss in the fourth quarter, the Washington-based company said Feb. 27. Freddie Mac reported $2.45 billion fourth-quarter loss the following day.