SAN DIEGO — As the real estate market continues to cool nationwide, the forecast for California lenders may be the chilliest of all.

According to La Jolla, Calif.-based DataQuick Information Systems, mortgage lenders sent 26,705 default notices to California homeowners during the third quarter of 2006. That marks a 28% increase over the previous quarter, and the highest figure in four years.

The statistics firm, which has tracked real estate statistics since 1992, is quick to point out that third quarter default numbers are still below the organization's average figure of 32,653. And while 2006 has brought considerable increases in late payments, it doesn't compare to figures from the housing crash of the mid-'90s, when the Golden State recorded 59,897 default statuses during the first quarter of 1996.