Borrowers Behind on Payments
Although there are growing indications that the recession is easing, a new report on bank loan delinquencies suggests that many American households are still having trouble managing their debts.</br></br>The study by the American Bankers Association showed that more borrowers fell behind on their consumer loan payments during the first three months of the year.</br></br>The slippage was apparent in a wide range of debt, including car loans, personal loans and credit cards.</br></br>Overall, the delinquency rates were highest in the hard-hit Northeast. New Hampshire, where 5.61 percent of all consumer loans were delinquent, was worst off, followed by Massachusetts with 5.38 percent and New York with 4.15 percent.</br></br>In Arizona, by contrast, only 1.25 percent of loans were behind, with Nebraska, Colorado and New Mexico all under 1.5 percent.