Some highlights from the NY Fed's quarterly report on "Household Debt and Credit," released today with third quarter updates:
1. Aggregate consumer debt continued to decline in the third quarter, continuing its trend of the previous seven quarters. As of September 30, total consumer indebtedness was $11.6 trillion, a reduction of $922 billion (7.4%, and almost $1 trillion) from its peak level at the close of 2008Q3.
2. Total household delinquency rates declined for the second consecutive quarter in 2010Q3. As of September 30, 11.1% of outstanding debt was in some stage of delinquency, compared to 11.4% on June 30, and 11.6% a year ago. Compared to a year ago, delinquent balances are down 8.2%, and serious delinquencies have fallen 4.6%.
3. About 457,000 individuals received home foreclosure notices on their credit reports between July 1 and September 30, 2010, a 5.5 percent decrease from the second quarter and a 6.4 percent drop from a year earlier.
4. The number of new bankruptcies noted on credit reports fell 16 percent from the previous quarter (from 621,000 to 522,000), but is 1 percent higher from a year earlier.
5. The proportion of current mortgage balances that transitioned into delinquency rose slightly from 2.6 percent to 2.7 percent, after about a year of decline. Given the similar pattern observed in the third quarter of 2009, one might suggest this is a seasonal effect.
MP: Except for the slight, seasonal uptick in mortgage delinquencies, there are a number of positive trends reported for household debt and credit in Q3 that provide further evidence of an economy that is gradually recovering.
MP: Except for the slight, seasonal uptick in mortgage delinquencies, there are a number of positive trends reported for household debt and credit in Q3 that provide further evidence of an economy that is gradually recovering.
