News release: “TransUnion.com released today the results of its analysis of trends in the mortgage industry for the fourth quarter of 2008 and the associated impact on the U.S. consumer. The report is part of an ongoing series of quarterly consumer lending sector analyses focusing on credit card, auto loan and mortgage data..Information for this analysis is culled quarterly from approximately 27 million anonymous, individual credit files, providing a real-life perspective on how U.S. consumers are managing their credit health>..Mortgage loan delinquency (ratio of borrowers 60 or more days past due) increased for the eighth straight quarter, hitting a national average high of 4.58 percent for the fourth quarter of 2008. Traditionally seen as a precursor to foreclosures, this statistic is up almost 16 percent from the previous quarter’s 3.96 percent average and up approximately 53 percent from the same period last year (2.99 percent).”