 TITLE: Mortgage Debt Sees Record Growth Despite Pandemic CONTENT: Consumers See Improvement in Mortgage Delinquency Rates\n-------------------------------------------------------\nAcross the various types of debt in the U.S., consumers consistently decreased their delinquency rates in 2020, and mortgage loans were no exception. Since 2019, consumers have seen significant improvement across measures of late payment severity.\nThe greatest change occurred among mortgage payments 60 to 89 days past due (DPD), with the percentage of accounts considered delinquent to that degree falling by 54%, according to Experian data.\nSource: Experian\nThis reduction in delinquency rates shows, among other things, that consumers are missing fewer payments than ever. Much of this reduction in delinquency can also likely be attributed to the protections put in place by Congress and various lenders.\nPayment history is the most important aspect of credit scores, and the decrease in delinquencies can likely be connected to overall growth of credit scores, especially the score growth seen among homeowners. END