TransUnion, one of the three national credit reportingagencies, is reporting that the rate of housing finance borrowersmore than 60 days late on their mortgage loans has dropped for thesecond consecutive month, moving to 5.49% in the secondquarter.

This means the rate has dropped almost 9% in the first sixmonths of this year, the bureau reported.

“While it is a positive sign to see mortgage delinquency ratesdecrease, meaning more and more homeowners were able to make theirmortgage payments, the rate of the decline is still not at a pacethat will push levels significantly closer to pre-recession norms,”said Tim Martin, group vice president of U.S. Housing inTransUnion's financial services business unit.