BANKING & FINANCE - June 10, 1994

Mortgage Delinquencies Up Slightly: First-quarter delinquencies edged up slightly from January through March, although the percentage of overdue payments remained near a 20-year low. Three of the country’s four regions had increases in late payments, which boosted the national delinquency rate for the first time in nearly a year. Only the South saw a decline, according to a survey by the Mortgage Bankers Assn. The trade group said the share of homeowners behind on their payments rose to a seasonally adjusted 4.12%, from 4.09% in the final three months of 1993. The fourth-quarter share was the lowest since a 3.89% rate in the first three months of 1973. It was the first increase since delinquencies rose to 4.31% in the April-June quarter of 1993, from 4.30% for the previous three months.